Robert and Virginia Heinlein's Colorado Springs House | Hacker News Reader

Robert and Virginia Heinlein's Colorado Springs House

nitrosyncretic.com

88 pointsdcminter33 comments

Small world, I lived with the operator of this website for a time long ago.

Some readers may be interested in the Heinlein Centennial, a convention held in Kansas City 15 years ago

https://www.heinleinsociety.org/2012/03/centennial-geo-day-o...

Cork tile seems to be one of those things that perennially seems like a good idea for a premium material but never catches on. Fallingwater was built in 1935 and has it in (at least) some of the bathrooms.

Does “never catches on” negate “seems like a good idea”?

We put cork flooring in all of our bedrooms, it's pretty great.

My parents tiled my whole bedroom with cork as a kid so I could pin up all my posters easily (maybe Blu-Tak wasn't available back then?). The smell was so good, I still remember it 40 years later.

"a table is set with china in the kitchen, then rolled through a [hole in the wall] to the dining area"

And today, we have open floor plans with no walls between kitchen and dining area at all.

Many houses now have a 'spice kitchen' where meals are actually cooked, before being plated and served in the 'main kitchen'.

I have tons of Chinese friends who do this in Silicon Valley. Has it spread outside that community?

Kitchens in china have 4 walls, a door, and a good vent hood to prevent making a mess in the rest of the house. I wouldn't be surprised to see those that are able replicate one of those kitchens + the open kitchen design in the US.

Indeed, a similarly 'modern' house of the 50s has (too) small window between the kitchen and dining.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Seidler_House

Interesting how much things change.

> And today, we have open floor plans with no walls between kitchen and dining area at all.

Open plan works only if you don't cook at home. Or maybe during covid if your sense of smell goes.

It's too bad there aren't pictures of the bathrooms (too vulgar in the late 50's?) -- Virginia's private bathroom was supposedly a work of art.

There was a short docu on this house I watched some time ago.

It has some interesting features, such as the dining area's table slides between the kitchen and the nook

I think the bathroom opens up to outside? I cant quite recall...

> In a compact line around the kitchen walls are the stove, sink and electric dishwasher combination, automatic clothes washer, dryer and refrigerator.

It's amazing how far the loathing of the Oxford Comma goes. Some people would rather have frigid clothes than one little piece of punctuation.

A concrete house is a great idea if you live where there are wild fires. And you never have to paint it.

The area around the broadmoor is probably the safest place in the city for wildfires, they have their own fire department.

a single fire department (how big is it?) vs forest fire. I'll put my money on the fire. a nearby fire department is great for a typical house fire or similar, but against a forest?

I don't understand what happens to the kid once they outgrows the nursery?

This being Heinlein’s house, I assume the plan is to give them a gun, teach them how to use it, and kick them out into the world. They’re ready!

I don’t think Heinlein would have thought it appropriate to just give his children guns.

Guns are expensive. I’m sure he’d have had them earn their own guns.

Or teach them gunsmithery. You’re right.

He wrote a book finally published in 2020 called "The Pursuit of the Pankera", that featured the main character living in a fantasy version of this house in the same city.

They mention 1776 being significant to the Heinleins but is there more to this? The only battle fought in 1776 was Trenton and I don't know of a ship named that in his novels?

The signing of the Declaration of Independence (ie, the US becoming a separate country from England) was kind of a big deal.

Ok I didn't make it clear that I was wondering about references to 1776 in Heinleins work. Anyways it seems that Moon is a Harsh Mistress is entirely a reference to 1776. Going to read it mor closely now, his wife probably appears in character..

... Heinlein was not necessarily a Heinlein fan. Significant events for him aren't likely to be from his work :)

Looks like the Eichler I once owned in Palo Alto

OK I’m a little envious. How did it work out in practice? Why did you decide to move away?

Came here looking for this comment. To the sibling: meh, they’re alright. The big windows are nice, but there’s a bunch of downsides - especially if it hasn’t been remodeled.

Some things remodeling can’t change, either. Like the lack of central air, and instead heat being piped under the floors (doesn’t work out so well in practice).

I agree, though. They do look cool and they’re very minimal… but the reality on the ground is again a bit lackluster.

I'm curious what was wrong with the in-floor heating. Modern in-floor heating is really nice, though you have to account for thermal lag.

I don't know about modern in floor heating, but in Eichlers it eventually breaks, and is very hard to fix.

This. Every Eichler I know of, the in-floor pipes are shot, and the heating is baseboard (for other reasons, like no attic space, central HVAC is not a common solution).

But hey, it's California. We gots the weathers!! Wouldn't work anyplace else I suspect.

And don't get me started on the roof...

He predicted tiny homes, it looks like.

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