Preserving a Multifaceted Modernist Icon: Buckminster Fuller’s Woods Hole Dome

Located within a Woods Hole, Massachusetts Historic District, the former Dome Restaurant is the oldest extant Buckminster Fuller dome in the world. Designed and built by the legendary architect, systems theorist, designer, inventor and prolific author in the summer of 1953, this iconic wood-framed geodesic dome, is a testament to Fuller's simple use of materials, his “Dymaxion” philosophy to “do more with less” and his commitment to use technology and innovative design to revolutionize construction and improve human lives.

Abandoned since 2002, the Dome (now eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places) is currently the focus of an initiative by a team of dedicated community members and supporting organizations to create a multi-disciplinary arts and exhibition center, bringing world-class contemporary art to a vital artistic and scientific village. Exemplifying Fuller's passion for comprehensive anticipatory design, the Dome of Contemporary Arts will include exhibition/performance space, a permanent exhibit about Fuller, studios for artist residencies, hospitality amenities and supporting facilities. For the first HRC meeting of 2018, we welcome Nicole Goldman, Chair of the Dome of Contemporary Arts Board of Directors to discuss this ambitious rehabilitation project.

A graduate of UC Berkeley and NYU’s Stern School of Business, Nicole Goldman has had (like a geodesic dome?) a multifaceted career as a creative professional. Her many years in Boston included marketing for the arts and running the design and production firm GoldmanArts with her husband Jon Goldman. On the Cape, Ms. Goldman established a sustainable interior design showroom and practice and she has continued to contribute to magazines, books and on-line journals on topics as varied as flooring materials, business management and historical research. In her current role as the Chair of the Dome of Contemporary Arts, she is charged with utilizing her entrepreneurial skills to establish a new non-profit arts organization which will embrace the preservation of Woods Hole’s Buckminster Fuller dome. As Vice Chair of the Falmouth Historical Commission since 2012, she has engaged in the public policy and communications necessary to address the challenges of this new project.

For those who qualify, 1.5 LU/HSWs are available.

To learn more about the Historic Resources Committee, visit architects.org/committees/historic-resources-committee

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