The Droppers’ vision of life-as-art was evidenced in their iconographic dwellings, which were based on Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes and the crystalline designs of Steve Baer, a pioneer in fractal geometric designs and solar energy. The Droppers were opposed to work-for-pay and used salvaged materials, including culled lumber and chopped-out car tops. In 1966, Buckminster Fuller honored Drop City with his Dymaxion Award for “poetically economic structural accomplishments.”
The First Dome. After attending a lecture by Buckminster Fuller, the Droppers decided to build geodesic domes. Working without plans, they constructed an 18-foot truncated dodecahedron from scrap lumber covered with chicken wire and stucco, bonded with bottle caps. The windows were salvaged from auto windshields.
The Cartop Dome. Steve Baer met the Droppers in early 1966. His first building for Drop City, modeled on a garnet crystal, was constructed from chopped-out car tops. The building had no internal support and was stabilized by thousands of screws joining the panels together.
A documentary film by Joan Grossman & Tom McCourt
The Complex. Drop City’s centerpiece was a structure made of three 40-foot fused rhombicosidodecahedra. The Complex served as a community kitchen, workspace and visitor’s area. The building was created from salvaged materials and covered with car tops, and cost the community approximately $200.