Campbell Dome House

This mid-century modern home was designed by civil engineer Bob Campbell and constructed between 1967 and 1968. Campbell lived in the home with his family, who shared his optimism that the design represented the future of architecture. Campbell and other engineers believed that the Schwedler dome, which utilizes a series of meridional metal ribs to support the roof, offered numerous advantages in providing a strong and spacious design with minimal materials. In retrospect, the design was impractical to construct at scale and hard to maintain, so few other houses were built in this style. Campbell's family home remains a neighborhood landmark after 50 years and his granddaughter occasionally holds open houses. The home is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the family hopes to convert the structure into a rental so more people can see Bob Campbell's futuristic vision.

Bob D. Campbell made a name for himself in Kansas City as the head of the civil engineering firm Bob D. Campbell & Co. Campbell worked on several buildings across the metropolitan area, largely using the contemporary modern style that gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. However, few architects went so far as to build their own homes in this style. Among the ranch, split-level, and duplex homes of the South Lake neighborhood, Campbell built his dream home with a dome for the ceiling, designing it in a way he believed would make it more efficient than a typical home. He then lived in the house for the rest of his life, maintaining it as needed for more than 50 years.

Bob and his wife, Lolly Campbell, passed away in the early 2010s. After that, the home sat vacant for a few years except for when it was used for a few private Campbell family events. More recently, Bob and Lolly's grandaughter Keli Campbell had the idea to share the unique home with the public. This proved to be a difficult task. Between the home's age and architectural design, it turned out to need more maintenance than the average home. The home was added on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, making it eligible for tax credits to support restoration. Keli Campbell hopes to turn it into an Airbnb eventually. She hopes that these things will help her maintain her family's historic home and share her grandfather's futuristic vision with others.

Campbell Dome House - National and State Registers of Historic Places, Kansas Historical Society. March 7th, 2022. Accessed December 9th, 2022. https://www.kshs.org/index.php?url=natreg/natreg_listings/search/prop:campbell/city:/county:JO/arch:/category:/submit:SEARCH.

Campbell, Katherine. Campbell Dome House - National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Kansas Historical Society. Accessed December 9th, 2022. https://www.kshs.org/resource/national_register/nominationsNRDB/JohnsonCo_CampbellBobDomeHouse_LISTED_03072022_Reduced.pdf.

Moreno, Carlos. In Overland Park, the Campbell Dome House stands alone in its vision of a sci-fi future, KCUR. November 29th, 2021. Accessed December 9th, 2022. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2021-11-29/in-overland-park-the-campbell-dome-house-stands-alone-in-its-vision-of-a-sci-fi-future.