Here are some photos, notes and links related to playdomes. Send me your own photos - I want them ALL!
Curt Flowers' Original: Built in 1972, at a daycare center on the campus of what was known then as Sangamon State University. The photo is from the Illinois State Register, Springfield, Illinois, Tuesday, November 7, 1972, page 13.
Curt Flowers' Original Revisted: The day care center has moved about half a mile, and the campus is now known as the University of Illinois at Springfield, but the playdome survives. The photo includes Curt and his wife Linda (1997).
Rob Beezer's First Dome: Located on the grounds of the Arcardia Montessori Learning Center, it was constructed in June 1996.
Rob Beezer's Second Dome: At first my wife was reluctant to have a pile of used automobile tires in the yard. So I built one at my son's preschool, ala Curt's dome. That completed, there was a chorus of requests to build one at home. How could I say no? (Constructed in 1996, the photo is from February 1998.)
A Partial Tire Dome: Walt Venable and Kirk Van Allyn once had the same idea, and got started on a tire dome. Be sure to check out Walt's Dome Pages.
The Geometry Junkyard: You can find playdomes mentioned in the Models of Regular Polyhedra section.
From Akira Suziki of the "workshop for architecture and urbanism" comes a book containing information about Curt's idea. See their Shelter of Cards and lots of other ideas and links (including a link back to the Playdome pages). The image below is reproduced (with permission) from INAX BOOKLET (INAX Publishing).
Science News has an article about a Mobius Climber that was built on a playground in Florida. The article contain a brief paragraph about PlayDomes.
Hirohito Sasahara's class at Yukuhashi Elementary School, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Back to The PlayDome Page
Updated: August 25, 2003.