John Bemis, 90, builder of Acorn House
John Richardson Bemis was a tinkerer. He loved to build things, whether it was treehouses for his children or prefabricated houses for families.
His prefab Acorn House offered returning soldiers and their families functional and affordable housing. The late Cambridge architect Carl Koch, once called "The Grandfather of Prefab," designed the house and Mr. Bemis produced it through his company, Acorn Houses Inc. in Bedford, which he founded in 1947.
A story about the first Acorn House appeared in the July 24, 1974, issue of Life magazine under the headline "Unfolding House."
"Inside are walls, roof, partitions, bath, kitchen and one of the new Jet-Heet furnaces. Once at the building site, the box unfolds on giant hinges to become, in the space of a few hours, a complete house 23 by 35 feet," the Life story said.
"Both Koch and Bemis were pioneers in the idea of industrialized housing," said Arthur Milliken of Concord, who worked with Mr. Bemis.
"John Bemis was both a very bright and very gentle person who was really a forward thinker," he said. "His ideas were way ahead of their time."
He was, as his son, Gordon H. of Concord, described him, "a dreamer, an innovator, and a forever tinkerer."
Mr. Bemis, who brought architects, scientists, artists, and engineers together around dining room tables in the 1960s to brainstorm ideas for offbeat inventions, died at his Concord home Nov. 6 of liver failure, according to his daughter Ellie of Concord. He was 90.
"Dad loved creative problem-solving," she said. "When we were children, he built us treehouses, a cement-block and tar paper swimming pool, and imaginary boats. He was always experimenting with new materials. Some worked. Some didn't. He was always interested in the idea realm."
That trait led Mr. Bemis to cofound the group that became called the "Lazy 8's," after the symbol for infinity, which resembles the number 8 on its side, according to artist Robert Tannen, formerly of Cambridge and now of New Orleans.
"John founded the group to encourage innovative thinking and invention," Tannen said. "There were maybe 20 members. We had an office in Harvard Square but met in members' homes."
Among the concepts the group developed were a self-propelled vacuum cleaner and lawn mower that followed a rope laid down to its destination.
"John had a great sense of humor and came up with the concept of an expandable bag, a one-size-fits-all bag," Tannen said.
Mr. Bemis looked the part of an inventor, his daughter said.
"He was sort of a thin, wiry guy, who didn't care much about clothes or paying a lot of money for them," she said.
He preferred sneakers from the bargain counter of a Concord clothing store, she said, a tweed jacket, and in the winter a woolen cap.
Mr. Bemis was born in Newton to Albert Farwell and Faith (Gregg) Bemis. He and his twin sister were the youngest of seven. He probably got his love for building and architecture from his father, who was also involved in that field. He graduated from Milton Academy and earned a bachelor's degree in geology from Harvard College in 1939.
In his Harvard 25th reunion report, Mr. Bemis wrote that he studied architecture and building construction at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 2 1/2 years although his studies were "interrupted by war activities. Mine consisted of research work on missiles at MIT."
He married Charlotte (Hutchins) in 1943.
For a while, his son said, he worked for American Standards Association on standards for sizing lumber and with
In the 1960s, Acorn Houses became Acorn Structures, which has since merged with the former Deck House of Acton, now
During retirement, his son said, Mr. Bemis became passionate about creating improvements in education and founded the Creative Learning Exchange in Acton to foster a challenging learning environment for kindergarten through 12th-grade students.
"John was a man of wide interests," said Jay W. Forrester of Concord, a trustee of the exchange. "He cared about people and was interested in progress. He wanted to improve the world."
In his Harvard reunion report, Mr. Bemis wrote, "I'm still trying to figure out a formula for determining the right number of irons to have in the fire to keep me busy, but not so busy that I lose track of where I'm going and why and when."
In addition to his wife, son, and daughter, Mr. Bemis leaves another son, John G. of Concord; two other daughters, Jeri of Cambridge, Idaho, and Alice B. Bueti of Ojai, Calif.; four granddaughters; and four grandsons.
A memorial service will be held Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. in Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord. Burial will be private.
