Casa Grande Domes

This last week Doris and I visited the Casa Grande Domes.  This site is just down the road from us, but is basically in the middle of the desert.  You will see by the pictures that the Domes are crumbling now and it wasn't advisable to enter them.  
The story behind the Casa Grande Domes

The Domes were built in 1983 by InnerConn Technology Inc., a manufacturer of circuit boards for computers and watches. In 1982, the owner of InnerConn, announced plans to relocate the company headquarters from California to the 135-acre site in Casa Grande, AZ.

The unusual shape and composition of the structures was chosen for its relatively low cost, speedy construction time, and efficient insulation. Each structure took approximately six weeks to build and cost about $150,000 apiece.

Construction went something like this: After the foundations were complete, giant balloons were mounted onto them, supported by steel skeletons. A coating of polyurethane foam was applied to the outside of each balloon, which hardened to form a layer several inches thick. An additional three inches of concrete was then added to form the outer shell then the balloons were deflated creating the domes.

The project was halted, unfinished, in 1983 when InnerConn Technologies defaulted on a loan and the Bank  assumed ownership of the company’s assets.





Its an easy target for graffiti and some of the art work is quite good!  Don't ask me what any of it means.










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