Explore the Abandoned Royse City Futuro House: The Spaceship from the 1960s
In the 1960s, a visionary Finnish architect named Matti Suuronen designed a series of flying saucer-shaped dwellings known as Futuro Houses that could be broken into 16 pieces and assembled in virtually any environment. Suuronen expected his affordable, portable futuristic houses to be a smash hit. Unfortunately, the general public did not take kindly to Suuronen’s UFO-esque structures that required costly modifications in order to support electricity and plumbing. Less than 100 Futuro Houses were built, and the alien spacecraft-looking abodes were discontinued by the early 1970s.
When Futuro Houses first hit the market in the 1960s, a number of the structures made their way to the United States. A buyer whose name has been lost in the sands of time in Garland, Texas purchased a Futuro House that was ultimately acquired by two brothers who moved the dwelling to Royse City, Texas.
The Royse City Futuro House has been abandoned for decades. The interior of the Futuro House was stripped long ago and is now covered in several layers of spray paint. In recent years, an anonymous Futuro House enthusiast gave the Royse City dwelling a fresh coat of orange paint and stenciled “Area 276” on the exterior. Area 276 references both a state highway that passes through Royse City, and a military installation in the Nevada desert which has long been associated with the paranormal known as Area 51.
“The Spaceship”—as the Royse City Futuro House is known in Texas—is a celebrated landmark. Locals love the sight of a lone dilapidated spaceship in a grassy field that looks as though it arrived from a galaxy far, far away. The Royse City Futuro House is privately owned. Texas Highways reports that it is visible from the road, but does not identify public parking or routine visitor access. Do not enter the property or climb the stairs. View it only from a lawful, safe public vantage; never stop on the highway. Area 276 hosts occasional movie nights, but those events do not establish regular public access; check a current event announcement for visitor rules before going.
Address:
9573 State Highway 276 W
Royse City, Texas, 75189
United States
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Royse City Futuro House (Area 276), 9573 TX-276, Royse City, Texas. The structure is visible from SH 276; the land is privately owned and is not an everyday visitor site.
- Access
- Privately owned. Texas Highways’ July 2026 report says the orange Futuro can be seen from the road and that a local Area 276 group hosts occasional movie nights at the lot. It does not publish a regular visitor schedule or roadside parking area. Only attend a current event if its organizer explicitly welcomes the public; do not enter otherwise, stop on the highway, or block traffic. Roadtrippers labels the site private property.
- Admission
- No regular public admission or tours are published. Occasional Area 276 events are reported, but no current ticket price or open event was verified in this check; confirm event-specific terms with the organizer before traveling.
- Time needed
- No official visitor duration is published. This is a roadside-visible landmark, not a regular attraction; do not stop unless a lawful, safe public parking place or an explicitly public event is confirmed.
- Best season
- No preferred visiting season is published. There is no regular visitor access; only plan around a current public event announced by its organizer, and do not make an unsafe roadside stop.
- Opening hours
- No regular public hours are published. Texas Highways reports occasional Area 276 movie nights, not daily opening; check the organizer’s current public event announcement. Do not enter the private lot outside an explicitly public event.
- Facts checked
- 2026-10-29
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