Overmyer, Beverly; Coambs, Norris and Harriet Lustron House, Coambs-Morrow House; 92001165; National Register Inventory—Nomination Form, September 17, 1992, in digital files of National Park Service, Washington, D.C. Boyd, Michelle Anne. Rust has often led to removal of the trellis by owners. The largest assembly of Lustrons in one geographic location was in Quantico, Virginia, where 60 were installed at the U.S. Marine Corps military base. An enameling department used a 14-step process to create the coatings that, in the end, equaled the weight of the steel in a house. Identification of the type of metal is also critical to differentiate between metals prior to work. Window surrounds were primarily ivory-colored, although early models used yellow trim on "Surf Blue" models.[12]. I cannot imagine how in, say, 1980 one would have been able to properly restore a Lustron. About the time that the worst of the housing shortage passed, unexpected factory delays emerged. But with production and financing problems, the home of the future, became a home of history. For all its potential, the Lustron home ran into immediate problems. A complex integration of materials-handling equipment ensured a steady and smooth flow through the plant’s nearly eight miles of automated conveyors and reduced the need for warehousing. Consumer appeal came from the homes’ openness and flexibility, and they featured postwar innovations for comfort and convenience, including an efficient heating system and built-in storage in the form of kitchen cabinets, bookshelves, china closet and a bedroom vanity. […] [13] In Westchester Deluxe two-bedroom models, additional tripartite windows were located in the dining area and bedrooms. The interior panels were even embossed to resemble wood graining. And restoring a Lustron is also MUCH easier by having the original erection manuals easily on hand, here. Lustron planned to build tens of thousands of homes in the United States, but despite their supposedly streamlined manufacturing and construction process, the company was beset by delivery, distribution, and funding problems, as well as conflicts with … We aren’t sure if we’ll keep this house forever, but we are happy for all the good things this house is providing for us. On the Lustron order book were contracts for more than 8000 housing units, which were never shipped. “Lustron could have been the silver bullet that solved social problems by providing quality affordable houses for the common man.” Porcelain-enameled steel, the same resistant finish found on bathtubs and appliances, covered all surfaces of the Lustron house. And there’s a lot of people that have posted pictures of theirs and some people talk about poor manufacturing with the union that were putting the houses together. In the two-bedroom Westchester models, the downspout attaches via the trellis to a pillar that supports the open porch. RESTORING A LUSTRON. Interest in metal-framing then waned but was renewed in the 1990s. The tripartite consisted of a central light flanked by two four-light casement windows. “The importance of this venture is, if it works, you will get cheap housing,” argued RFC Director Harvey Gunderson before a Senate Banking and Currency subcommittee, in June. Only 3,000 were ever built, with 2,000 of those surviving; a decent number are in the Midwest. However, about 40 Lustron homes have been reported to have basements. The porcelain enameled-steel readymade homes were a modernistic solution to the housing shortage many folks, especially GIs, faced after returning home after World War II. A Lustron was, advertising claimed, a custom-built home that was produced in a factory with high-quality, precision tolerances. He hoped to apply the continuous production lines of the automobile industry to “Fordize” the housing industry and make Columbus, Ohio, “the Detroit of the housing industry.”. 1. Repeat this with every device, checking everything’s working each time, until you find the one that’s causing the problem. Before the end, nearly 2,500 homes were sold. We are happy for our new experiences and are content with this house even as we continue to find more problems. They were delivered by train or truck and bolted together.Slab foundations and single story. The cost to produce the homes turned out to be greater than anticipated, as … [12], The Ohio History Connection recognizes four exterior colors: "Surf Blue," "Dove Gray," "Maize Yellow," and "Desert Tan." Aurora, Illinois, is home to a block of Lustron homes in its historic district. A foreclosure and liquidation sale was held in 1951 and the plant was converted back into defense production for the Korean conflict. "Compact, Beautiful Lustron Homes: Newport Two-Bedroom and Three-Bedroom Sizes." However, some were constructed in Venezuela for families of oil industry employees.[4]. Still unaccounted for in North Carolina: according to Lustron expert Tom Fetters, there is a third Lustron in Nashville NC, #2127; four more Lustrons in Wilmington. However, it was Lustron's promises of assembly-line efficiency and modular construction that set it apart from its competitors. [5], Lustron established builder-dealers, which in turn sold and erected the house package on a concrete foundation. Newport two- and three-bedroom models, which had no bay windows, offered tripartite windows in the dining/living room area. Buffeted by problems including an erratic post-war steel supply, reportedly poor distribution systems, higher prices than existing fabricated homes and resistance from traditional builders, Lustron filed for bankruptcy in 1950, long before most of the 20,000 orders for homes it had taken between 1946 and 1948 could be filled, according to historical accounts. In 20 months of production and sales, Lustron lost money on each house, and in turn, was not able to repay the RFC loan. According to Lustron Corporation documents prepared in late 1949, thirty-nine Lustron Homes were sold within the state of North Carolina. Production delays, the lack of a viable distribution strategy, and the escalating prices for the finished product all contributed to the failure. Not unexpected was difficulty with many local building codes. Almost every day, by foot or car, I pass by a stretch of egg-colored Lustron houses with square steel exterior tiles in pale yellow, Robin’s egg blue, and dove grey. 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. “Here was this little gem of a Lustron, original to the day it was constructed in 1949, and people couldn’t see its value,” says Zeiger. Problems solved, and hard feelings smoothed over, the building of the first Lustron continued. All models featured metal cabinetry, a service and storage area, and metal ceiling tiles. To find out which is the culprit, plug in one device, then check for a dial tone. A bank of enameling furnaces applied and cured the finishes on the panels at speeds reaching 20 feet per minute. For all its potential, the Lustron home ran into immediate problems. Despite production problems, once it was shipped a Lustron could be assembled in just two weeks; and even with only two years of production they were built in 35 states. There are Lustron homes … "Lustron: How an Ohio Company Almost Changed American Housing." [19] Many have been modified with additions, remodeled kitchens, vinyl windows, composite roofs, new heating systems, sheet rock interior walls, painted exteriors, and siding. Strandlund knew a major investment would be required to achieve the efficiencies necessary for financial success, so he heavily lobbied the federal government for support. Add-on storm windows were available for residents in colder climates. Among noteworthy Lustron exterior features are the siding consisting of square segments of material, followed by a zig-zag downspout trellis on the buildings' front and rear corners. Lustron houses are prefabricated enameled steel houses developed in the post-World War II era United States in response to the shortage of homes for returning GIs by Chicago industrialist and inventor Carl Strandlund. Many of the Lustron homes left standing after 50 years still bear their original siding and roofs as well as many inside features such as built-in cabinets. For that reason, you will find must more variation between garages than houses. "There's a wide choice of pharmacy medicines for heartburn, indigestion and similar problems that are very good for short-term relief of symptoms," he adds. The political ramifications are as fascinating as the engineering of the Lustron homes. … Over time, Lustron owners often removed the "Thor" brand combination washing machine/dish washer, and in cold regions, the ceiling's radiant heat systems were often replaced. The Truman administration saw the potential of his concept and, in 1947, helped him secure a $15.5 million dollar loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a government agency formed to assist industry during the Depression. Banks also were hesitant to give loans for factory-built homes. For individual houses called "Lustron House", see, Reiss, Robert. As seen in the chart above, floors in the Westchester Deluxe models were asphalt tile, but in other models (Westchester Standard, Newport, and Meadowbrook), floors were installed as a “builder's option.”[6]. [5], Arguably the most popular of the Lustron homes was the two bedroom, 1,021 square feet (94.9 m2) "Westchester Deluxe" model. Each met… [11] Their sturdy steel frame was constructed on-site and the house was assembled piece-by-piece from a special Lustron Corporation delivery truck. Jan 2, 2014 - Explore Melodee Weaver's board "Lustron homes" on Pinterest. A model of the Meadowbrook home shows that the design would have provided two tripartite windows, both in the dining/living room area, similar to those in the Newport line. Other major threats to Lustron homes' integrity include: severe weather (tornadoes, hurricanes), vehicular or other impact, and lack of local zoning/preservation/aesthetic legislation. More than 40 prefabricated model homes made of gleaming porcelain-enameled steel opened for previews in cities all across the U.S. Concurrent with the unveiling of the series of model homes was a major print and radio ad blitz. Lustron homes were usually built on concrete slab foundations with no basement. [16] Twenty-three of Quantico's Lustrons were demolished in 2006, and an additional thirty-four homes were razed in 2007. With the exception of the Esquire (which had been the prototype's name) each Lustron type was available as either a two- or three-bedroom model.[6]. In January 1947, the newly formed Lustron Corporation announced that it had received a $12.5-million Reconstruction Finance Corporation loan to manufacture mass-produced prefabricated homes that featured enamel-coated steel panels (U.S. Patent 2,416,240). There are 3 houses in Warren, Illinois. The plant would later be returned to aircraft production by, Lustron Homes: The History of a Postwar Prefabricated Housing Experiment by Tom Fetters. The middle of the article discusses Lustron homes and gives a brief overview of details. One street in Galion, Ohio, Maple Heights Drive, has 4 Lustron houses. Lustron clerical workers were swamped by the letters and telegrams that resulted from a Life magazine ad in 1948, sending them begging for help. The problem’s wiring, microfilters or your equipment. It would, however, take more than federal support to encourage American home buyers to invest in a Lustron. Despite production problems, once it was shipped a Lustron could be assembled in just two weeks; and even with only two years of production they were built in 35 states. Demolition continues to threaten Lustrons where rising property values attract buyers who desire larger homes of newer construction. The assembly team, who worked for the local Lustron builder-dealer followed a special manual from Lustron, and were supposed to complete a house in 360 man-hours. @martinthorne @LinksysCares I'm looking to get a velop mesh wi-fi shortly (two of my hotspots have failed now causing issues with home learning + working), I have 2 questions: do they support PoE (some say yes, some say no); is Amazon built in or can Amazon talk to them (it's not clear) Today, there is a wealth of information available, notably at Lustron Preservation. 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. Lustron metal homes — made with enamel-covered steel panels over Macomber Co. steel frames and trusses — were meant to help solve the country’s housing problem after World War II. A small group of Lustron owners are preserving the original condition of their homes and are urging others to do the same, and a significant number of entirely original Lustron homes exist. Specially designed trailer trucks were used as the final assembling point where the manufactured parts came off the assembly line. Prefabricated housing had existed before the Lustron home came on the market. In turn, Wyatt resigned his post, but other influential members of Congress were successful in getting support to finance the production of Lustron homes. Surprisingly, 50+ years later, that bold claim has proven true. Carl G. Strandlund, an executive with Chicago Vitreous Enamel Products, saw an opportunity to use the porcelain-enameled steel panels popular for filling stations to create mass-produced steel houses. 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