Dome Of A Home, Gulf Breeze, FL, USA

By The Grumpy Old Limey @GrumpyOldLimey

Valerie and Mark Sigler had had just about enough after their home was severely damaged for the third time by a hurricane. In 1998 following Hurricane Georges they had what remained of their home demolished and started the search for the architect who would build them their new home. After a lengthy search they came upon Jonathan Zimmerman [who passed away 2005], the architect behind the "Dome Of A Home" which was constructed in 2003. The Sigler house is without doubt ...



DOME OF A HOME
1005 Ariola Dr Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561
30°20'13.73"N 87°6'38.84"W

... one of the coolest looking homes we have seen but it's design is much more than good looks. The home is a Monolithic Dome Structure and is the perfect property for the hurricane prone Florida coastline. The website Monolithic has a vast store of information about these fascinating structures. The site sums up Monolithic Domes this way:
"Monolithic Domes are constructed following a method that requires a tough, inflatable Airform, steel-reinforced concrete and a polyurethane foam insulation. Each of these ingredients is used in a technologically specific way ... Monolithic Domes meet FEMA standards for providing near-absolute protection and have a proven ability to survive tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, most manmade disasters, fire, termites and rot."
Not just innovative on the outside the 3200 square-foot Sigler home is also high-tech on the inside including holographic "fires" in the fireplaces and air conditioners in each room. The home spans three levels and includes large balconies where the Sigler's can take advantage of the wonderful ocean views.
The "Dome Of A Home" as the Sigler's dub their now iconic home has been the subject of a huge amount of press and media attention over the years. Perhaps the most notable was when Hurricane Ivan threatened the Florida coast in 2004. An NBC news crew took shelter in the four-bedroom dome home along with Mark Sigler. The news crew reported on the storm from the safety of the concrete structure as nearly 80 percent of the other structures on Pensacola Beach were either damaged or destroyed. The home has since been featured on the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Home and Garden Television (HGTV) and numerous national and regional magazines. NBC reporter Kerry Sanders’ account of riding out the storm can be found here.
Other media reporting on the "Dome Of A Home" includes:
  • A Weather Channel piece that can be viewed on YouTube.
  • A set of videos and pictures that provides great detail on the home at the Tour Factory.
  • A scan of a 2003 Pensacola News Journal article hosted on the Sigler's website here.

The Sigler's website has an extensive list of media coverage relating to the home here.
As of 2008 the property was up for sale for a cool $1.25M. There is extensive information accompanied by many pictures on the Sigler's site here. As of the time of writing we can find no indication that the home has been sold.






















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Sources
Dome Of A Home Website
MSNBC
Value Vacation Rentals
Monolithic.com
Monolithic.com
Wikipedia - Pensacola Beach
Roadside America