Site of this House of the Future: Todayland
An Anaheim hotel suite takes its cue from the longtime Tomorrowland attraction
Disneyland visitors who dreamed of living like the Jetsons in Monsanto’s House of the Future will soon be able to spend the night in a hotel suite that pays tribute to Tomorrowland’s midcentury modern masterpiece.
The new House of the Future Retro Suite will open this summer at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel across from Disneyland.
The HoJo HoFu suite draws inspiration from the Monsanto House of the Future, which was located at the Tomorrowland entrance from 1957 to 1967. It rose like a fiberglass cloverleaf with cantilevered wings that stretched along an X axis atop a central pedestal. The walk-through attraction featured then-revolutionary Space Age inventions like microwaves, dishwashers and plastic furniture.
Howard Johnson’s new retro-futuristic suite features multipaned windows that offer views of Disneyland’s Monorail, with the Matterhorn Bobsleds peak visible in the distance. A modern flat-screen television mounted on a wall mimics the curved frame of a 1950s cathode ray TV. Midcenturystyle seating by Modernica and Herman Miller, decorative panels by Modular Arts and period lighting by Restoration Hardware complete the Space Age look. Custom art by Southern California retro artist Shag depicting a familial scene in the House of the Future’s living room hangs on a wall.
A vintage record player comes with a vinyl collection that includes selections from the smooth jazz, bossa nova and ultra-lounge genres. There’s also a “Howard Johnson Jet Set” playlist on Apple Music if you prefer your swingin’ 1960s tunes via smartphone.
The newly renovated Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel retains the design aesthetic of midcentury modern architect William L. Pereira with a futuristic lobby, vaulted ceilings and a barrel arch roofline. The refreshed rooms take design cues from George Nelson’s marshmallow sofa, Eero Saarinen‘s pedestal table and Eames desk chairs — style icons of 1950s- and 1960s-era decor.