Iconic ‘Donaldson Futuro’ flying-saucer home near Idyllwild lists for $1.5M

A rare space-age prefab mountain retreat resembling a harvest-gold flying saucer landed on the market near Idyllwild this week for $1.495 million.

Perched atop a granite outcrop in the forested San Jacinto Mountains on steel legs painted to match the hull, this 1969 relic of retro-futurism is known as the Donaldson Futuro.

The unique home features a lightweight fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic shell wrapped in bubble windows. Its striking looks — and its spot on the National Register of Historic Places — are entirely due to its namesake and longtime owner, Milford Wayne Donaldson.

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, Donaldson is a preservation architect who served as President Barack Obama’s appointee to chair the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation from 2010 to 2019.

Long before taking on that national role, he rescued the plastic UFO-shaped structure from a parking lot behind the San Diego Design Center in the late 1970s, sparing it from the scrap heap, the article added.

Recognizing its potential, he bought the neglected gem and relocated it to a local boatyard, where he spent several decades restoring it.

In the 1960s, Finnish architect Matti Suuronen designed the self-contained unit known simply as the Futuro. Futuro Enterprises in Philadelphia manufactured this particular model.

Atomic Ranch noted it is one of only 19 survivors left standing in the United States, while The Wall Street Journal puts global numbers at between 50 and 60 of the estimated 100 made worldwide.

Donaldson relocated the ultra-compact structure to a half-acre Pine Cove lot that he and his wife, Laurie, bought for $70,000 in February 2003, public records show.

According to reports, they hauled the 11,900-pound, shrink-wrapped Futuro on a flatbed truck escorted by the California Highway Patrol, blocking three lanes of traffic and creating a tailgate of cars.

A crane helped place the home on the site, surrounded by ponderosa pines, California black oaks, white firs and manzanitas. Only then did the Donaldsons tackle the 793-square-foot interior.

When the retractable airplane-hatch entry door opens, it reveals a circular floor plan with a new gold-flecked, non-asbestos popcorn ceiling.

Natural light floods the space through 16 custom acrylic portals and a skylight, which replaced the original flue opening above.

Privacy walls frame the bedroom and bathroom, while built-in seating frames the lounge and dining area inside the circular layout. It flows into a compact, lime-green kitchen with custom cabinetry.

A stone monument features two bronze plaques designating the home as California Historical Landmark No. 1062 and its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

Timothy McTavish of Desert Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.

Donaldson is a pioneer in historic preservation. He launched his career after studying historic architecture in Sweden during the 1960s. After returning to the U.S., he founded Heritage Architecture and Planning in 1978, operating out of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter where he spearheaded the district’s revitalization. His expertise earned him high-profile government appointments, including serving as California’s state historic preservation officer from 2004 to 2012 under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He and his wife live near Sacramento.