In
William Gibson's novel
Neuromancer, an orbital resort and spa that serves as headquarters for
Tessier-Ashpool S.A.
Freeside is described as a cigar-shaped satellite with a high-intensity filament running along its longitudinal axis to provide sunlight for the buildings along its circumference. It rotates around the filament, so that its inside surface has simulated gravity. The ends, which have very little artificial gravity, are used as velodromes and as Straylight, the private quarters of the corporate family.
Freeside seems to follow the ideas of Gerard O'Neill and the NASA Ames Research Center, which came up with concepts for space colony design in the 1970's, most of which involved rotating cylinders or toroids. Pictures of Freeside-like settlement designs from NASA can be viewed at http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Services/Education/SpaceSettlement/70sArt/art.html.