Buckminister Fuller Way

 The Stretch of West Cherry running from S. Illinois to s. Oakland has been honorarily named Buckminister Fuller Way. this does not mean anything officially so residents along the street still live on West Cherry but now West Cherry Street signs have a Buckminister Fuller Way sign below them. Selecting the street runnng between the Buckminister Fuller Dome Historic Site and the Buckminister Fuller Visitors Center is a nice touch.

Buckminister Fuller Birthday Party

 I have been advocating for the city to celebrate Buckminister Fuller more so am glad to see Fuller Dome committee is hosting a celebration this Saturday commemorating his 130th birthday. This is the 2nd year for the celebration and I hope it continues. I also hope SIUC revives its Bucky Days multi day celebration it used to hold. It did host a speaker on Fuller's legacy in April of 2024 but nothing so far this year.

Dome Home

 Found this write up about the Fuller Dome Home. The house, under Fuller's supervision, was build in one day

Grants

 The Fuller Dome was one of five Southern Illinois recipients of Landmark Illinois grants awarded last week. The amount per grant averages $5300 per location but I think I heard that the Fuller Dome received about $1500.

Bucky Murals

 By my count there are at least 4 murals celebrating or referencing Buckminister Fuller. There is the geodesic dome mural on the side of my building at 207 West Main Street and one on the rear of the buidling 5 doors further to the west. You have to drive the alley that runs paralled on the south side of West Main to see it.

There is one on the rear of the 301 Artspace building on West Walnut and anotehr one ont he back of a housing unit on South Washington that is visible from the railroad tracks or parking lot abuting them. 

That's a lot of Fuller memoraliazation apearing within the past couple of years.

Bucky Home Visitors Center

 This is pretty cool. Mighty Buildings will 3D form a building to serve as the Visitors Center for the Buckminster Fuller Dome Home. Not sure when the building will be installed but likely sometime in 2024

Buckminister Fuller

 I know I say this every so often but I really wish SIUC and the city would do more to promote their conncection to Bucky Fuller. He is arguably one of the greatest futurists of the 20th century and spent more time assoicated with SIUC than any other institution with which he was affiliated. There are the dome shelters on campus, the Fuller Dome NFP restoring Fuller's home in Carbondale, the geodesic structure next to Gaia house, a mural in the alley behind La Unica Bakery and another privately owned dome behind the west side SIUC Credit Union. We really could use more honoring the man and drawing attention to his residency here.

Fuller Dome Visitor Center

 A  visitor center for the Buckminister Fuller Dome moved one step closer to completion with the acquistion and demolition of the house directly across the street from the dome. Before you worry about destruction of another Carbondale property, the building had termite damage, foundation damage and needed a new roof to become usable. Unfortunately, as with a number of homes in Carbondale, the landlord failed to maintain the building and without mainteance, it deriorated past the point where it was feasible to rehab.

At least all usable fixtures, doors, windows, etc. were removed from the building before the demolition.

Murals

 Here is a link to the proposed murals for placement in downtown Carbondale. Voting closes on June 28 and plans currently are to have them finished sometime this fall. I am not a big fan of any of the choices as, save for the comedians of Carbondale,  they do not reflect anything particularly unique about the community. The trains are good, as Carbondale has its roots in the railroad but how about an acknowledgement as to why the trains came here? I know the coal industry is in decline today and for good reason, but the trains came here because of coal.

the only acknowledgement I see of Buckminister Fuller is the geodesic dome behind the two trains on one of the Varsity Centery murals. His thinking and concepts are broad enough that the man deserves an entire mural to himself. 

Why not a reference to Woodlawn Cemetary on the side of the Wallace Building? Some image that reflects the solemnity and history associated with Woodlawn.

I like the one featuring the fruits and vegetables proposed for the side of the Julia building but cannot tell if there is a callout in the image to the Carbondale Farmer's Market, which is one of the oldest farmers markets in the Midwest and which the AAA ranked as one of the top 5 in the Midwest.

Bucky

 Since the previous post, I have had it pointed out to me by people that were here during his residency that Buckminister Fuller was called "Bucky" by a number of people during his time here so Bucky's Haven is an approparite name for one of the covered picnic pavillions on campus. However, without a PR campaign re-introducing him to the campus and community, few people willknow who Bucky is.

The univeristy did have Bucky Days, focussing on his accomplishments and writings sometime within the past 5 to 8 years according to one faculty member with whom I have spoken but I cannot find any information on it. Also accoding to second hand information, Carbondale also used to sponsor an event focued on Fuller and his work but that also ended some years ago.

Buckminister Fuller

 Since Buckminister Fuller is hailed as one of the great minds of the 20th century, it has always surprised me that Carbondale does not do more to play up the city's connection to him. Near as I can tell, we have 2 geodesic domes on campus, 1 in downtown, the Fuller Dome Home, run by a non-profit which has struggled for funding for years  and one other geodesic dome house a bit further west of the Fuller Home. There is also a mosaic in the sidewalk on South Illinois, one of a few installed as part of the aborted "Stars on Main" project of 2 decades ago.  Why do SIUC and the city not play up the connection they have to one of the few figures of international renown to call the city home? Based upon the attention paid to him and his work in the city, no-one who visits Carbondale would know anything about the city's and university's connection to Fuller.

How about renaming a building or street on campus in his honor? Maybe rename Douglas Drive Fuller Drive? Maybe install a Dymaxion map someplace on campus or in downtown. There is some evidence that art on streets reduces accidents so maybe paint a map at the intersection of Main and Illinois or one of the other major intersections in town. We paint pawprints every year so why not something calling attention to the communities link to Fuller.

Fuller Dome

Restoration of the Buckminister Fuller Dome continues and is about 99% complete, according to the committee overseeing it. Still looking for funding though.

Pumpkin Display

In case you are looking for something Halloweeeny to do Wednesday night, check out the architectural pumpkin display at the Buckministrer Fuller  Dome Home. From the press release:

A unique Architecture Jack-o-lantern Display will bring Halloween beauty, warmth and whimsy to the steps of the Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome Home at 407 S. Forest on Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. SIUC Architecture students will present 70 different architectures from around the world carved into lighted pumpkins. This stunning display for all ages is not to be missed!
 Costumes are welcome, but optional.  For more information: Jon Davey 618 559 8931 jdavey@siu.edu

Buckminister Fuller Presentation

Coming this Sunday at Morris Library. Still see it as a shame that Carbondale, and the university, do do more to honor Fuller's legacy. I think the only memorial I see in Carbondale proper is a mosaic on S. Illinois put in as part of the aborted Stars on Main project of a decade ago :

“Our Sustainable Legacy & Future: Buckminster Fuller at SIU”
Sunday, October 19, 2014 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Guyon Auditorium, Morris Library (605 Agriculture Drive), SIU Carbondale
Featuring presentations/discussion by Allegra Fuller Snyder, D.W. Jacobs, Benjamin Lowder and Brent Ritzel. Hosted/emceed by Janet Elizabeth Donoghue.
FREE and open to the public.

As the father of the modern sustainability movement Buckminster Fuller has left an important legacy to Southern Illinois University. With that in mind, The Buckminster Fuller Future Organization welcomes a rare and distinguished guest to campus on Sunday, October 19th: Allegra Fuller Snyder is the daughter of Buckminster Fuller and Anne Hewlett Fuller, she is the founder of The Buckminster Fuller Institute in New York and a pioneer of the field of dance ethnology. Join us for this exciting opportunity to honor our legacy and design our future, sustainably. 

Allegra Fuller Snyder (daughter of Buckminster Fuller and founder of the Buckminster Fuller Institute), D.W. Jacobs (playwright of R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE), Benjamin Lowder (SIUC alumnus, designer, curator and artist), and Brent Ritzel (former president of the Fuller Dome Non-Profit and the Buckminster Fuller Future Organization) will present and discuss the profound impact Buckminster Fuller had on humanity and how to honor the invaluable legacy of sustainability he left at SIU. The event will be hosted and emceed by Janet Elizabeth Donoghue (current president of the Buckminster Fuller Future Organization),

Buckminster Fuller is the father of the modern sustainability movement and as an SIU Carbondale professor from 1959 to 1971 he was SIUC’s number one ambassador to the world in the university’s history, traveling nearly 10 months a year and lecturing at more than 500 other universities throughout the world during his tenure at SIU. “Bucky” received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983, our nation’s highest civilian honor.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Reception to follow presentations and discussions in the Morris Library Rotunda catered by Cristaudo’s. “Our Sustainable Legacy & Future: Buckminster Fuller at SIU” has been made possible through the generous support of the SIUC Undergraduate Student Government (USG), the SIUC Graduate & Professional Student Council (GPSC), the SIUC Fine Arts Activity Fee and the Buckminster Fuller Future Organization. For more information contact Janet Elizabeth Donoghue at jdonoghue@siu.edu or 618.525.3099.

Bucky's Dome Visit

CNET blogger Amanda Kooser writes about her visits this weekend to Bucky's Dome and the Boo Rochman Memorial Park. Apparently, she's both a fan of Buckminister Fulller and Dungeons & Dragons. When you think about it, that's not really so hard to understand. Fuller was one of the most visionary and imaginiative people of the 20th century and Dungeons & Dragons is a game that plays best with people of strong imaginations.

Bucky Open House

You've still got about an hour to make the open house at the Buckminister Fuller House.

Dome Doings

From an email sent by the RBFDNFP Let the Transformation Begin… It’s not everyday you get a chance to see a geodesic dome assembled, let alone a 3-frequency, 20 foot diameter, 6,000 pound, 5/9 hemisphere one! If you are near SIUC’s Quigley Hall (875 S. Normal Ave.) between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm today (Monday, March 15), you will get exactly that opportunity. The Buckminster Fuller Dome Home Non-Profit (RBF Dome NFP), Fuller Dome Transformation Initiative, faculty members of the SIUC School of Architecture, and Blair Wolfram from the St. Paul, MN based Dome Inc. are combining efforts with a number of SIUC students to piece and bolt together the 3-ton structure. This spontaneous event is meant to draw attention to the upcoming Fuller Dome Transformation Initiative, which will be taking place university and citywide Sunday, April 18 to Thursday, April 22 (see www.BuckysDome.org for more information). This 5-day event, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the building of the R. Buckminster & Anne Hewlett Fuller Dome Home, will feature some of the world’s top Bucky experts in a number of presentations, panels and mixers, in addition to a wide of range of film showings, live performances, improv/sketch comedy, poetry readings and design competitions. While watching the raising of the all steel geodesic dome structure, you could discover that your affiliation with SIUC connects you to a rare and precious legacy. The man many considered “the father of sustainability” called SIUC home for 12 years! R. Buckminster Fuller remains one of the most internationally acclaimed figures associated SIUC. His own “home” in Carbondale was a self-designed geodesic dome, one of his 28 patents, which stands today on the corner of Forest and Cherry Streets – awaiting a complete restoration that will bring it to a national historic landmark standard.

More Dome News

Looks like the Bucky's Dome folks are really getting active, putting in for Historic Landmark status on top of grant applications

Bucky's Dome Update

Had the opportunity to speak with Brent Ritzel from the Bucky's Dome Board of Directors last night. Despite the lack of new news on the website, the BDBOD has been busy. Ritzel says they have sent out a slew of grant applications and are especially hopeful about two that should be decided upon by October. Those two total aobut $303,000 which, if they come through, would allowing for a complete rehabbing of the dome, even getting the plastic sheeting off.

I'd been curious about why no sign outside to dome to let people know about its historic signifcance. Aparently, there have been six signs put up since the rehab project started and every one of 'em has been stolen withing a week. Nice to know there are that many local fans of Buckminister Fuller. Now if they'd just kick in more money.

Bucky Fuller and Earth Day

From Allan Keith:

It might be of interest to mention that R. Buckminster Fuller spoke at
SIUC on the eve of the first Earth Day, which was on April 22, 1970.

I mention this speech in my little book, "SIUC's Days of Dissent: A
Memoir of Student Protest."

I attended the speech by Bucky Fuller. He spoke on April 21, 1970 to an
enthusiastic crowd of 500 people in the University School gymnasium.

I remember that the diminutive Mr. Fuller stood on a chair as he spoke
for about two hours.

The focus of the speech was a common theme for Fuller -- the urgent need
for massive and technologically sophisticated forms of recycling. He
said that pollution could be greatly reduced if mankind could recycle
its  wastes,

Discharges from smokestacks and  
a variety of other wastes, he said, could be transformed  into "valuable
energy" and valuable resources.


Allan H. Keith