Kissimmee, Florida: Xanadu: Home of the Future (Gone)

I saw Xanadu from the car and I knew I had to get closer, so I parked in a little hotel-type place to its right and went in. Xanadu is really interesting, with its weird shapes and little corners. I went to the second floor via a semi-hidden stair case and it felt like I was in a cave. There is trash everywhere, and broken glass. I took another flight of stairs, circular and narrow, to a third or semi-third floor. I saw a little semi-hidden doorway and was about to go inside when I saw somebody sleeping on a mattress. A homeless person. I felt a little afraid, but I wasn't ready to leave just yet so I kept exploring and taking pictures, but at a faster pace. I took another set of stairs down and ended up on the second floor again, but in another section. I went out to a little balcony and went I came back in I saw a pair of legs. Another person sleeping on the floor.

I went back to the first floor and was impressed by the design of the main lobby, if that's what it was. It has a foam thing that resembles a tree trunk going up to the ceiling, and there's a hollow space in it. It is a circular lobby and there is a circular ball-like chamber to the left with two windows. The bathroom is nice and has a little chamber that seems to be dug out from the wall. I guess that's the "sensory deprivation" bathtub I read about somewhere.

The place made me sad because it is actually really cool and it is all abandoned.

I was vacationing in Florida, and we drove by and I knew I had to see what was inside Xanadu. Many of the windows are now broken, and it looks like there was lots of hurricane damage. There were no signs telling us not to go in or any security people. It looked like teens had gotten inside, and there were clothes and a makeout grotto type room upstairs... all over the ground was ham and beer bottles, I guess it's their clubhouse or something. The bath is empty, and there is mold and mildew everywhere. It's still very impressive, but it was sad to see it vandalized so badly.

I wanted to see Xanadu back in the early '80s, when it was in my science magazine. I accidentally happened upon it in Dec. 2004. What a mess! The neglect and hurricanes have left nothing more than a futuristic homeless shelter. ALL of the windows and doors have been smashed, so I was able to walk around inside. It must have been beautiful at one time. I went into the vast living room with an old circular couch facing a hanging styrofoam-encased DOS computer. Everything is torn up, the walls are moldy, and beer cans and broken glass are everywhere. The place is falling apart. Some "Home of the Future."

The condition of Xanadu - Home of the Future is in decline -- the Florida rains have taken a toll on the building, which is covered with mildew. The carpet has the same problems with mold and mildew, not a pleasant smell inside. The rest of the structure is in rather good condition for the time it's been vacant. The walls are sound, as is the floor. Several windows have been broken and those left very much need to meet a bottle of Windex.

Due to the constant hurricane threat that is Florida, I can't imagine living in a styrofoam home. Aside from that, I found the design rather off-the-wall and very "new age" but also cramped and without much space. I'm only 5'1'' and there were parts of the building which I had trouble standing in, mainly side rooms (where you'd have basic storage) and stairwells. Needless to say, you can't find a flat surface, so hanging pictures would be out.

Xanadu - home of the future was totally run down when we got out of the minivan to videotape it. It still had a for sale sign on the front and one of the glass domes was smashed. We peered inside. Any equipment left in there was looted long ago. We walked around the back, looking at a dome that looked like a bathroom, and found a few glass/screen doors which we looked into to find a sign staring us in the face saying "WARNING! Do not proceed any further! The police are watching this place due to a recent string of break ins! You are being monitored!" and other such nonsense. The place was mostly broken down, with plants growing from the styrophoam rooftop.