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Lustron house

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The Lustron houses were prefabricated steel houses developed in the post-World War II era in response to the shortage of houses for returning GIs.

History

In 1947, Chicago industrialist and inventor Carl Strandlund, who had worked with constructing prefabricated gas stations, obtained a multi-million-dollar Reconstruction Finance Corporation loan to manufacture steel houses with porcelain-enamel-coated panels. The steel in the houses was an original design, including both steel framing and steel interior walls and ceiling, while most houses were constructed with wood framing and plaster walls on wood. The promise of steel included sturdier construction, reduced maintenance, and ease of pre-fabrication. In addition, the houses were pitched as rodent-proof, fire-proof, lightning-proof, rust-proof and maintenance-free.

Strandlund's Lustron Corporation constructed 2560 Lustron homes between 1949 and 1950 in an adapted aircraft plant in Columbus, Ohio. (The plant would later be returned to aircraft production by North American Aviation as Air Force Plant 85.) The houses would sell for between $8500 and $9500, according to a March 1949 article in the Columbus Dispatch, about 25% less than comparable conventional housing; by November 1949, the average selling price had come up to $10,500.

The Lustron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1950, despite being an extremely well-funded, well-publicized, government-supported enterprise manufacturing a desperately needed product. Production delays, the lack of a viable distribution strategy, and the escalating prices for the finished product all contributed to the failure. Some accounts suggest an organized effort from the existing housing industry to stop Strandlund, comparing him to Preston Tucker.

Preservation

The largest collection of these 1,800 or so remaining historic homes is in Quantico, Virginia, where 60 are still at the U.S. Marine Corps military base. In January 2006, it was announced that the homes would be eliminated from base housing at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, and would be given away. Applications were via the web site at Request for Proposal with a deadline of April 12 2006. The homes at the base are on the National Register of Historic Places.

See also

External links



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Last updated on Sunday March 09, 2008 at 04:58:53 PDT (GMT -0700)
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