TAKING inspiration from the igloo or snow house of Eskimos, American architect Lee Knell built the first modern monolithic dome structure in Provo, Utah and opened it as an ice skating rink in 1963.

It was converted into a general store by the new owner in 1967 and called Turtle Reams until it was demolished for new construction in 2006. Its demolition demonstrated the durability of the monolithic dome structure when a wrecking ball demolished a strip several feet wide around the perimeter without collapse, and finally tipped over only when a doorway on one side was pulled down, accord-ing to accounts.