In 1939, inventor William E. Urschel created the world’s first 3-D printed building behind a small warehouse in Valparaiso, Indiana. The following year he would file a series of patents for a “Wall Building Machine”.

This absolutely shatters the "modern tech" narrative. It’s wild to think that in 1939, while the rest of the world was obsessing over tanks and artillery for the looming war, Urschel was in his backyard quietly inventing the future of construction. The machine basically worked like a giant mechanical piping bag on a pivot—extruding dry-mix concrete layer by layer. It is the exact same engineering logic used by massive modern "contour crafters" today, just 80 years early.

I'm a Valparaiso native. I can remember that building from my childhood. The castle ramparts were unique

Additional historical records indicate that Urschel’s Wall Building Machine was designed to extrude a concrete like mixture through a guided mechanical system, allowing walls to be formed in continuous passes rather than in discrete blocks. The structure built in Valparaiso served primarily as a proof of concept rather than a habitable building, and the idea did not progress to commercial adoption due to material limitations and the onset of World War II, which shifted industrial priorities away from experimental construction technologies.

funny old world.....

Round construction is strong as hell too. Holds up well against severe weather. Everything round or domed hold up well against time.

Crazy part is we keep calling this "futuristic" when it is literally a 1939 idea with better software, better nozzles, and a louder PR department.

@Sciencegirl @fasc1nate This invention didn’t proliferate because of a dam war breaking out shortly thereafter. 💣 Wars sure have a way of messing things up sometimes, shifting enterprising concepts away from commercial apps. 🛩️ The few exceptions are radar and the jet engine.

They did full houses from a concrete mold too

That is slip forming, not 3d printing. Similar outcome with different process engineering.

Now they use it to make curbing for your flowerbeds... Or something that spurred from it anyway

That's NOT 3D printing.... Its a Wall Former on a pivot. 3D printing can make any shape by following a program.

No rebar? Will it hold the snow etc?

Looks pretty analog

Go back into Popular Science way back it’s pretty cool reading. Don’t dismiss these where Aliens cloaked as humans they couldn’t directly interfere in our process but a midge here and there. I’m bullshitting but boy that would make a great show.

Been doing it for almost a hundred years and it still isn’t a good idea

It's only 2D printing. Maybe 1D only, because 1 dimention is enough to determinate the position of the head !

And White Castle was born

@grok this building is still standing today, isnt it?

If only he had invented the concrete pump

And still not being used in modern construction.

You can have any shape 3-D printed house you want, as long as it's got 360°s!

@mudbots should feature this on their page.

I've been in the #3dprinting industry past decade and this bring a huge smile 😅

America would be great again if only we moved as fast as our ancestors did.

Such an innovative mind ahead of its time! Amazing history.

Well I guess that idea isn't so new after all.

3d printing walls. Retarded for 80 years.

It’s amazing. Still as ass as modern 3D concrete printers

Still innovating…115+ years

Wow, did you see this and or was this part of your inspiration? @JasonDBallard

This is AI

Build the wall!

158 South Napoleon

This goes really hard if you have a 95 iq.