Cliffdome-- Then and Now
December 1, 2003
by Rebecca Jo South
THEN
In 1978, Monolithic's president David B. South and Judy, his wife, built Cliffdome. The home is perched on the cliff of the South Menan Butte in Menan, Idaho overlooking the Snake River.
Cliffdome was the largest Monolithic Dome home ever built up until then. It was built at 75-feet in diameter, 28 feet tall, two and a half levels, 8000 square feet of living space and 1500 square feet of attic space.
At the time, the Souths had six kids at home, so the need for a lot of space was obvious, but secondary to the reason they decided to build as BIG as they did. David wanted a practical demonstration of the Monolithic Dome's potential. He wanted the world to see that the domes could be big and versatile, as well as strong and energy-efficient.
NOWUp until then, David and his brothers, Barry and Randy (owners of Dome Technology, Inc.), had built a couple of houses and a LOT of storages, but he knew they could do more. He wanted to show people that Monolithic Domes could be built as schools, churches, gymnasiums, and more.
So the Souths got to work. They designed, inflated, finished, moved into and began enjoying their new home in October 1979. Its features included an indoor garden with a pond and a banana tree; eleven living room windows (6'x5') with a fantastic view of the valley and river; and an upstairs, volleyball-court-size gymnasium. A den, two bathrooms and five bedrooms, each with its own vanity, sink and walk-in closet surrounded that gymnasium.
In addition, Cliffdome's main floor had a laundry room large enough for two washers and two dryers; a generous sewing room; a library/music room; a second living area; a master bedroom and bath; a half bath.
Space for Everyone
With a house that size, everyone had his or her own space -- at least for a while. Over the years, many people temporarily came to live at Cliffdome, including Judy's mom, daughters with husbands and kids, cousins, and friends. In 1983, when this dome reached its occupancy pinnacle, 15 people called Cliffdome home.
If you build it ...
From its beginning, when David and his brothers began construction, tours were given of Cliffdome. David told me, "It attracted school and church administrators, politicians, engineers, architects and Looky Lous from all over the world. In all, more than 4000 signed the guest tour book during the 12 years we lived there. And these visitors came to Cliffdome in spite of its remote location. It was a mile away from the nearest paved road and 15 miles from the closest small town."
Eventually, David moved his company to Texas and the family reluctantly moved out of Cliffdome.
NOW
In 1992, Eugene and Linda Kelsey were looking for a retirement home, on the river, with a great view. One day, Eugene drove up the dirt road, crested the halfway point and fell in love with the burbling waters and valley sparkling below him. Then he saw Cliffdome -- and was unimpressed. But he so loved the view, he decided to give Cliffdome a try.
Some things change ...
After so much rough-and-tumble living, when the Kelseys bought, Cliffdome needed a facelift. Its wooden deck had deteriorated and its carpets were worn. Linda and Eugene built a gorgeous new deck; replaced the old, yellow linoleum and brown carpet; discarded the carpeting in the second living room, painted its concrete floor and turned it into a game room; converted the sewing room into an office; and displayed Linda's collection of some 400 cookie jars throughout the dome.
... and some things never do.
But not everything has changed. You can still hear the sound of laughing children in Cliffdome. Kids and grandkids come and stay. When they're not playing basketball in the gym, they sit on the deck and watch the river or play pool in the game room.
Eugene now says he has fallen in love with the dome. "No one else has a home as unique as mine," he told me. He figures his electric bill is about the same as it would be if they had purchased a 2000-square-foot home, as they had originally planned.
During our conversation I told Eugene I was one of David's daughters -- I was 6-years-old when we moved into Cliffdome. He said he thought he could make me homesick: "I'm sitting on the deck watching the bald eagles fly up and down the river."
It worked.
Related Links:
- The Road to a Home -- First Steps Toward Your Own Monolithic Dome Home
- Charca Casa -- The House by the Pond
- Along The Yellow Brick Road -- The World's Second Monolithic Dome Home
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