Iconic UFO-shaped house on Outer Banks destroyed by fire
A fire destroyed the iconic Frisco Futuro House, a UFO-shaped roadside attraction on Hatteras Island for nearly 50 years.
The fire was reported about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and left the small, prefabricated home that looks like a spaceship gutted. There were no reported injuries.
The Frisco UFO was one of only about 60 Futuro homes left in the world. The unique saucers were designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in the late 1960s as portable ski chalets. Only about 100 of the lightweight, fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic structures were manufactured.
The Frisco UFO house, located at 52186 Morriss Lane, landed on the Outer Banks in 1972 and was used as an oceanfront beach cottage in Hatteras Village, according to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Frisco.
“Over the years it has served as the office for a gift shop and campground, a newspaper called the Monitor, a place for scout troops to meet and a hotdog stand,” the museum said on its website.
The latest owner, Leroy Reynolds, tried to turn the property into a museum in 2017, but was shut down by Dare County officials, who said the building did not meet building code standards.
News of the fire hit social media Thursday morning with hundreds of visitors and locals commenting and sharing their photos of the UFO house.
“It was an icon of the island that millions of people have enjoyed for many years,” nearby restaurant Sandbar & Grill said in a Facebook post. “Our hearts go out to the family that owned it. One less futuro house in the world. So many wonderful memories there…”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Kari Pugh, kari.pugh@virginiamedia.com
