Background
A Lustron House was a post-war innovation to make affordable and durable houses for growing families, many able to buy their first home via the GI bill. From 1947 to 1950, the Lustron company, from Columbus, Ohio, represented the future of housing. Based on a steel frame and porcelain enamel-covered steel panels, Lustron made these homes in a factory and shipped them around the country.
These modest houses were termite-proof, highly fire-resistant, and low maintenance on the exterior. They were complete with appliances and plumbing. Many mid-century gasoline stations used similar enameled steels exterior panels, which require no repainting and are clean and colorfast for decades.
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson has at least one steel Lustron House at 144 W. McDowell Road.
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| Lustron House, 144 W. McDowell Road, Jackson, Mississippi |
Preservation in Mississippi wrote about the McDowell Road Lustron house in 2010. Shortly after the article came out, I drove to McDowell Road to see the house. A neighbor said it had been unoccupied for two months.
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| Note raised slab foundation and gutter channeled down decorative overhang support |
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| Original front door matched exterior tile color; add-on burglar bar outer door |
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| Contrasting steel window trim and steel roof tiles |
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| Handsome bay window marred by ugly burglar bars and nasty awning |
I am awed by how well this house had survived the years. When I photographed it, it was at least 60 years old. The siding tiles are immaculate. Considering the neighborhood where it is located, I doubt the occupants do much maintenance or washing. The nearby conventional houses looked pretty rough in 2010. The April 2022 Google Maps photograph shows trash and filth strewn on the yard.
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| 1948 publicity photograph (from Flickr). Note modern fluorescent lights and linoleum floor |
Albany, New York
My friend in Albany took the following photographs of the charming block of Lustron Houses on
Jermain Street Historical District. They are on the National Register of Historic Places. A
Wikipedia article describes their history. The first one below has been re-sided, but the others have their original enameled steel panels. Seventy years later and they are still shiny and bright. Astonishing.
Closing Thoughts
It is a pity that this experiment in steel housing did not thrive. A
Flickr page shows Lustron houses from around the country. I do not know how many are standing.
The Wikipedia article notes:
The Lustron design was created to adapt it to mass production. A steel framing system was devised consisting of vertical steel studs and roof-ceiling trusses to which all interior and exterior panels were attached. The concept of prefabricated housing was well established by firms such as The Aladdin Company, Gordon-Van Tine Company, Montgomery Ward, and Sears in the early 1900s. These companies, however, used conventional balloon-framing techniques and materials in their kits. After World War II, the domestic demand for steel exceeded production and the federal government exercised control over its allocation. Strandlund had orders for his porcelain-enameled panels for use in construction for new gas stations for Standard Oil. He made a request for allocation of steel but was denied. However, he was advised by Wilson W. Wyatt, Housing Expediter during the Truman administration, that steel would be available if Strandlund produced steel houses instead of gas stations.
I would not be at all surprised if conventional builders lobbied municipalities to enact restrictive building codes or other impediments to these innovative housing concepts. And now we have houses built on site from bulk lumber and supplies by workers of varying skills and with huge waste in material (just look at the scrap lumber, sheet-rock, and debris at any McMansion construction site). The craftsmanship of many new houses is severely lacking; bling without substance. Caulk covers up a myriad of poorly cut panels and timber. Is it time to reconsider a concept like the Lustron Houses again?
3 comments:
We have a fair number of these in the Midwest. I can think of two in Indianapolis that I know where they are and can drive right to. A fellow I follow on Flickr (say that three times fast) has photographed a whole bunch of them, mostly in Indiana:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=58711154%40N00&view_all=1&text=lustron
The link to Preservation in Mississippi brought me to their link about the Hays Town-designed house in south Jackson. They mentioned that he was well known for Bailey Magnet, but didn't mention one of Jackson's lesser-known structures that he designed: the WJDX transmitter.
Immediately south of the building at 5830 N. State Street in Jackson is a small outbuilding that is apparently cast concrete in an Art Deco style; it was the original transmitter for radio station WJDX. The building at 5830, which is now a sign company, was occupied for many years by Sound and Communications (office now in Flowood), which in addition to their main business installing sound systems for gyms, churches, school auditoria, etc., had a small retail business that was one of the best places to buy cables and adapters (no longer operating; they only do contract work now). I had a good conversation with a long-time employee about 20 years ago about that Town-designed building; he knew quite a lot of history about it. You might see if anyone at S&C still knows his name, and if he's still alive - it was quite interesting.
Hi Anonymous, I see the building you are referring to in Google Maps. The upper section looks like Art Deco concrete, but the lower floor looks like it has a modern facade or addition. It rather resembles a mobile home or steel office shed. I'll check it out some day.
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