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The Future…as seen from the past - July 19, 2013

Q: In 1954, more than 62,000 people toured a structure in Johnson County to get a glimpse of modern living in the Atomic Age. What is this place that people stood in line to see – a place you can still tour today in Johnson County?

 Originally constructed by Kansas City Power & Light electric company in 1954, this five-room ranch house captures why a home in the suburbs was part of the American dream after World War II. (Flickr Photo via Rex Brown)


 

A: The All-Electric House / “the home of the future”

 

Showcased inside the home were futuristic gadgetry like a hidden television above the fireplace (a painting scoots over it when you want the tv to be out of sight). (Flickr Photo via jessamyn west)

The All-Electric House at the Johnson County Museum offers visitors a look at the future, as it was seen in the 1950s. The five-room ranch house was built by the Kansas City Power and Light electric company in 1954 and envisioned a modern world where everything was electric, convenient and super cool! Some of the futuristic gadgetry included a hidden television, an electric curtain opener, a garage door opener and "the year 'round air conditioner.” When it was new, the home was open for a period of six months as a model home in the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village. More than 62,000 people toured the home in 1954, a number equal to that of Johnson County’s entire population.

 

The 1950s All-Electric House is once again a model house open for today’s tourists. Check it out and discover for yourself what, at one time, was the "house of the future!”

 

Click HERE to take a photo tour of the house.