The RFC foreclosed, and Lustron declared bankruptcy, leaving 8000 Still losing money on every house it produced, leaving it unable to repay its After 20 months of production, Lustron was In getting the business up and running, however, meant that the company had missed Relied on substantial government assistance to get the business going, securingĪ $37 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a Depression-eraįederal entity that made loans to banks, railroads and other businesses. Tract homes could be built much less expensively and were. Needless to say, it was neither easy nor inexpensive to ship individual
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Specially-designed trucks that could accommodate the full weight of an entire The LustronĬorporation was left to create its own shipping infrastructure, using Still require transport from railyard to the ultimate destination. The interstate highway system was yet to be built, and shipping by train would Their product from their Ohio factory to building sites throughout the country. The Lustron folks apparently didn’t consider the expense and complications of shipping In fact, Hess reportedly feltįortunate to get his house at all, given that the company was headed into With all of these advantages, why isn’t Lustron still inīusiness today? A litany of issues arose fairly quickly, due to poor planning that couldn't be overcome by the extensive sales campaign that had gotten so many people excited about the future of prefab steel homes. Rubbed down with a little wax when they needed touching up. Aside from the problematic ThorĪutomagic and some predictable wear on light switches and some of theĬabinetry, the place looks pretty darn good. The Lustron Corporation promised a low-maintenance house,Īnd apparently that’s what they delivered. Optional garage and enclosed connector corridor. One of its trademark tractor trailers, ready for assembly, complete with an TheĬompany delivered all the parts for its Westchester model home to the site in He got clearance to build at the corner lot at Durie Avenue and Legion Place. Six-month ordeal, he found building codes to be more lenient in Closter, where Planning and zoning boards less than receptive to an enamel-clad house. He originally hoped to build in Fort Lee but found local The house purchased, Hess needed a place to put it.
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Promised that a team of his workers could build the house in less than 360 man Palisades Amusement Park, where a model was displayed by the company's local dealer, Better Living Homes Lustron caught his eye during a 1949 visit to It might have been just the ticket for recently-married Harold Hess. A Lustron would haveįelt spacious for young couples relegated to living with their parents and in-laws The entire house is less than 1100 squareįeet: tight quarters for today’s McMansion families but pretty much the standard for starter housing in postwar America. Seems to be the sink and vanity combo, which ironically seems the most worn of As manufactured, the house wasĮquipped with radiant heat, which oddly worked through the ceiling panels, ratherĪpart from the large enamel tiles lining the walls, the soleīathroom in the house is pretty typical for a mid-century house. Metal house would feel antiseptic, but it felt cozy despite the metal walls andĬeiling, and the linoleum flooring underfoot. Room, tastefully decorated with 1950’s era furnishings. Walk through that door, and you’re already in a small living Pillar holds up the corner of the roof over a small concrete porch that leads To spot among the other homes in the neighborhood. The Lustron’s enamel-clad panels and boxy form make it easy I checked it our on a pre-COVID weekend afternoonĭuring one of its monthly open houses, announced on the Friends of the Hess Lustron House Facebook page. Of steel was scarce and regulated by the federal government.īefore we get to the business end, though, let’s take a lookĪt the Lustron House that’s been lovingly restored by dedicated friends and theĬloster Historical Society.
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Expanding into the post-World War II housingīusiness was one executive’s means of keeping the company in business when the supply Mind of mid-20 th century prefabricated structures like gas stations –Ĭhicago Vit made those, too. It would be no surprise if it puts you in the
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Prefabricated housing units made by the Lustron Corporation, a division ofĬhicago Vitreous Enamel Company. Originally owned by the Hess family, the house is one of the 2680 The one-story enamel-clad home and garage is one of a handful of still-extantĮxamples of a company’s efforts to overcome one post-World War II crisis by attempting Another example of ingenuity stands at 421 Durie Avenue inĬloster.