Transitioning back to normal life after WWII had its fair share of challenges for soldiers, one of which was a housing shortage. Lustron houses—prefabricated enamel steel homes—were a direct response to the dearth. This is a 1949 picture of all of the components of one of the cookie cutter abodes laid out like puzzle…
This Oak Park two bedroom, prefab Lustron steel home is being sold for the first time.
Built in 1949, this steel prefab in Minneapolis is a blast from the past—not to mention a rare midcentury gem.
Did you know that after world war II the Lustron corporation manufactured prefabricated, porcelain steel-enameled homes, referred to as ‘America’s Modern Metal Marvel’? These postwar prefabs presented a solution for affordable housing, between 1948-1950, as well as a better quality of living for middle-class Americans. Lustrons were one-story, ranch style homes, featuring a stylish open …
Dornob does not usually list houses that you can actually buy per say, but for this offbeat piece of prefabricated history (for sale by owner Steven Sparks) an exception just had to be made. ?The Lustron was a short-lived phenomena due to increasing material costs, and of the tens of thousands p ...
Built in 1949, this steel prefab in Minneapolis is a blast from the past—not to mention a rare midcentury gem.
Could you fall in love with a Lustron home? These prefab houses made of steel originated in the 1940s and are practically indestructible.
A ranch style home for sale on 4 Droms Road Extension in Glenville is a Lustron house, a...
Built in 1949, this steel prefab in Minneapolis is a blast from the past—not to mention a rare midcentury gem.
Did you know that after world war II the Lustron corporation manufactured prefabricated, porcelain steel-enameled homes, referred to as ‘America’s Modern Metal Marvel’? These postwar prefabs presented a solution for affordable housing, between 1948-1950, as well as a better quality of living for middle-class Americans. Lustrons were one-story, ranch style homes, featuring a stylish open …
The steel “Lustron” homes, built between 1948 and 1950, were supposed to be the housing of the future. Only 2,500 remain, and we found seven on the market.
Built in 1949, this Lustron house in Minneapolis is one of six such steel prefabs on Nicollet Avenue. Tagged: Exterior, House Building Type, Metal Siding Material, Wood Siding Material, and Gable RoofLine. Photo 1 of 11 in A Lustron Steel Prefab in Pristine Condition Lists For $350K.
Lustron Homes was the first attempt to mass-produce homes. The steel homes were well-built and revolutionary, but after just three years, the company went bankrupt. Find out why.
4956 N. 27th St. Photo taken June 8th, 2014 by Christopher Hillard.
Digital camera
Investors must view our property as the perfect tear-down. After all, it’s a strange, dated home on a large, attractive lot near Decatur Square. But this is a historical Lustron, a modular kit designed completely in steel—from interior walls to roof shingles—during the housing shortages following World War II, in an era when metal was reserved for commercial buildings and instruments of war.
Could you fall in love with a Lustron home? These prefab houses made of steel originated in the 1940s and are practically indestructible.
The original Lustron prototype--the "Esquire". Only one built. A Magnificent Folly—The Lustron What do Standard Oil gas stations, White Castle hamburger stands and post-World War II housing? The answer: Vitreous Enamel Products. (What’s Vitreous Enamel? Your great-grandmother had a shiny, slippery white kitchen table. Well, mine did. That stuff.) After the War, the Lustron corporation was formed (by way of Vitreous Enamel of Chicago and Porcelain Products Company) to mass-produce housing. From 1948 to 1950, over 2500 homes were cranked out in a factory in Columbus, Ohio that had been re-tooled from a wartime Curtiss-Wright factory. The houses looked like space age, highly polished enameled kitchen breadboxes with windows. In actuality, this is not that far from the truth. Re-Tooling and Money Special machines and tools were needed to get the Columbus factory up and running. Carl Strandlund, the brains behind Lustron, lobbied successfully to get a $15,500,000 loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC). This was in 1947 to re-tool ONE FACTORY!!!! Over time, the Lustron Corporation would eventually owe $37,500,000 at the time of foreclosure…in 1950. The Internet tells me in today’s dollars, this would be almost $360,000,000 in today’s dollar. It was the company’s government reliance (and the shady, back-room lobbying by which some of the loans were obtained…) that would be its undoing. Materials Problem After World War II, the idea of using the “miracle material” steel for housing seemed like a great idea, except for one thing: steel was still a heavily rationed material controlled by the Department of Commerce, and they were not about to release it for “non-essential” projects. After much wrangling and with the approval of President Truman, 59,000 tons of steel were initially released to get the company up and running. A fully-loaded Lustron truck containing an entire house. How To Get It There The third major problem was shipping. The railroads were not helpful. The big trucking companies quoted an astronomical sum to transport one house, due largely to the weight. The company settled on a unique solution that also helped their marketing—they had the White tractor company produce 200 special, yellow-enamel trucks that they then leased. Only 160 were ever delivered, but the company kept paying for 200. (Wonder why this company failed?) 800 trailers were custom-designed by Frueheuf. The trailers, emblazoned with the Lustron name, waited at the plant until they were full of a complete house, then were shipped to the site and remained there while the house was put up. This was great advertising for the company. The Construction The houses were erected on a slab. Prefabricated steel-studded walls and roof trusses were put up—all with self-tapping sheet metal screws. The outside panels were enameled squares that fit together in a tab-and-slot method, with a plastic gasket sealing out the weather. All of the components inside the house—doors, cabinetry, interior wall panels, were all of enameled steel. The ROOF was of enameled steel. The kitchens were of built-in cabinetry and did not include appliances, except for a curious Thor combination dishwasher/clothes washer. (Side note: these did not last. If you find one in-tact, they’re worth a lot of money.) If you wanted to hang pictures, you needed to use magnets. The floors were asphalt tile. The colors? You could pick from eight outside colors—surf blue, blue-green, dove gray, maize yellow, desert tan, green, pink, and white. The insides were usually gray. The houses were equipped with a surprising amount of insulation in the walls and attic for the time period. The living room of a Lustron. Notice the ceiling. Living in One Enameled steel is quite hearty, and rarely needs painting. Most homeowners found that their maintenance costs were very low. The windows were casement and sometimes leaked, but were reliable. The house was virtually fireproof, termite-proof, and lightning-proof. None of the models were large, but were adequate for a small family. The strangest thing about these homes was the heat—it was in the ceiling. Literally. A forced-air furnace blew heated air up into a space between the ceiling and the attic floor. The porcelain ceiling tiles acted as radiators and “radiated the heat downward”. Knowing anything about elementary physics, you realize this was less than effective. The Models The “Esquire” was the prototype model—only one was built. The most popular model was the Westchester—this was available in a 2 or 3 bedroom configuration and either a “standard” or “deluxe” model—the deluxe model had more built-in features. The “Newport” model was a smaller home, and it was usually turned 90-degrees, with the gable end facing the street. The “Meadowbrook” came later and was essentially a slightly larger Newport model. Info below. A Lustron today (windows replaced) Lustrons Today The company folded and was sold off in 1950. Nevertheless, many Lustrons remain today, many with architectural designations protecting them from destruction. They also have a devoted following—check out www.lustronconnection.com and www.lustronpreservation.org. Lustron Preservation has many of the original construction specifications and manuals for viewing. Thomas T. Fetters’s The Lustron Home is also an excellent resource. The houses have blended in to other post-war suburbs, but the space age candy-colored panels are unmistakable. 2,600 homes in less than two years is a great output—imagine what could have been had the company survived. An almost in-tact Lustron (original windows). The porch has been enclosed. The signature support/downspout. A telltale feature of Lustrons everywhere. Floor plan of the "Esquire" model. The "Westchester" Model - 2 and 3 Bedroom The "Newport" Model - 2 and 3 Bedroom View of the utility room. Notice the heat mounted to the ceiling.
Lustron Home New Orleans, Louisiana
Truck carrying Lustron house sections to be assembled on a building site.
The LumiPod is equipped with Rockwool insulation, exterior rain sheeting, and a moisture protection film. A Toshiba reversible air conditioning system is installed by default for heating and cooling. Tagged: Exterior, Flat RoofLine, Wood Siding Material, and Prefab Building Type.
5200 12th St. S., Arlington, VA (surf blue) Serial #465, demolished master bedroom built-in vanity
Le Corbusier’s and his book, “Vers Un Architecture (Towards a New Architecture)” ” A Great new epoch has begun. There exists a new spirit. Industry, overwhelming us like a flood which rolls on toward…
The History of Lustron homes - many are still standing in Illinois. (1947-1950)
Using insulted metal panels that were rejected from the construction of a tennis center nearby, this sustainable home in Kansas by Studio 804 was inspired by the prefab Lustron houses that were developed in the United States after World War II. Tagged: Exterior, Flat RoofLine, House Building Type,...
By Jim Smith for The Tuscumbian In 1948, the Catholic Church in Tuscumbia built or erected a new home for the Priest. He previously lived in the old School building at the corner of Hick…
The last Lustron Home ever built is on the market. Located in McHenry, IL, the $125K home offers a buyer a chance to own a rare 20th-century artifact.
Took more shots of the Lustron House. One of the last Lustron homes in Florida. There are probably only a handful if that many left in Florida. One of the original prefab houses. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_Corporation
The durable steel Lustron homes in Minneapolis are a blast from the past— surviving examples of a midcentury design innovation.
