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A flying saucer-shaped home known as the Donaldson Futuro in Southern California has been put up for sale at $1.495 million. Built in 1969 by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, this fiberglass pod is just under 800 square feet with one bedroom and bathroom, requiring access via a hatch door. Despite its small size, it offers panoramic views from its mountain location near Idyllwild. The house was rescued from being scrapped in the late 1970s by preservation architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, who spent decades restoring and relocating it to its current site with significant logistical challenges.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Donaldson Futuro, a flying saucer-shaped house designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in the late 1960s, has hit the market near Idyllwild, Southern California for $1.495 million. Originally conceived as a portable ski chalet, this unique residence measures just 800 square feet and features one bedroom and bathroom. Access is via a hatch that opens to reveal a ladder leading inside, mimicking an alien spacecraft's entrance. The Futuro boasts panoramic views of the surrounding pine and oak trees from its mountaintop location due to its fiberglass and polyester shell with bubble windows. Despite its quirks and limited space, this historic structure offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those fascinated by mid-century modern architecture.
Written for “Flying Saucer House For Sale” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
This lofty abode looks like it’s ready for liftoff.
asserted
it → look → liftoff
The Donaldson Futuro, a flying saucer-shaped home perched on a rocky mountaintop in Southern California has landed on the market for a whopping $1.495 million — giving one lucky buyer the chance to live like an alien without ever leaving Earth.
But the extraterrestrial pad near Idyllwild comes with some earthly limitations.
asserted
pad → fly → limitations
The well-rounded residence is barely 800 square feet, has just one bedroom and one bathroom, and requires visitors to climb aboard through a staircase that comes down from a hatch — as if boarding an actual alien craft.
asserted
that → round → craft
The 1969 harvest-gold futuristic pod is wrapped in a fiberglass and polyester shell with bubble windows, offering panoramic views of the pines and oaks that engulf its mountaintop locale.
asserted
that → wrap → locale
Designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in the late 1960’s and known as the Futuro, the home was reportedly originally envisioned as a portable ski chalet that could be plopped down practically anywhere – and can even be transported by helicopter.
uncertain
that → design → helicopter
It is believed that fewer than 100 were ever built, with about half surviving globally.
asserted
half → believe → ?
The roughly 26-foot-wide saucer weighs nearly 12,000 pounds and features a retro interior with curved built-in furniture, shiny laminate finished, linoleum flooring and popcorn ceilings with gold flakes.
asserted
saucer → weigh → flakes
The quirky capsule has 16 custom bubble windows, a skylight, a mod lime-green kitchen and a circular layout.
asserted
capsule → have → windows
Before becoming a mountain retreat, the time capsule was rescued by Milford Wayne Donaldson, a prominent preservation architect appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010 to chair the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
asserted
capsule → become → Preservation
Donaldson first spotted the neglected plastic saucer sitting in a parking lot behind the San Diego Design Center in the late 1970’s and rescued it from the scrap heap.
asserted
Donaldson → spot → heap
He hauled it to a local boatyard, and spent decades painstakingly restoring it before moving it to the mountains.
asserted
He → haul → mountains
Transferring the prefab UFO was a spectacle in itself: in 2003, Donaldson and his wife reportedly transported the 11,900-pound pod on a flatbed truck.
uncertain
Donaldson → transfer → truck
The goods required a California Highway Patrol escort, shutting down three traffic lanes and causing a massive highway backup before a crane hoisted it onto the half-acre lot it sits on.
asserted
it → require → lot
The property is officially recognized as California Historical Landmark and holds a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
asserted
property → recognize → Places
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