MOUNT VERNON – The historic Lustron House, located at 6 W. Lamartine St., has transformed into an AirBnB and it’s open for business.
The Landmarks Foundation has owned the historic home since November 2018. It has contemplated various uses, including potentially moving it to Ariel-Foundation Park to function as an exhibit.
It is one of approximately 86 Lustron houses remaining in the state, according to Ohio History Connection, with roughly 2,000 remaining nationwide.
Lustron houses were post World War II era homes, made to address the housing shortage after the war. Designed and engineered by Carl Strandlund, they stopped production after demand decreased in the 1950s.
Mount Vernon’s Lustron House was originally established in Sept. 17, 1950, according to historic records.
A dedication was read on Sept. 17:
“Dear Lord, before we enter in
Go Though before us
Opening the door
First give Thy blessing
E’re the good friends come
To bless it.
First Thy Spirit pervading all
Giving us precepts to follow”
When the Landmarks Foundation arrived to claim the house and restore its historical roots, the previous owner left and didn’t return, Cindy Sperry said. Squatters took over and ravaged the house, leaving trash on the floors.
But then the roughly $100,000 renovation project began in earnest.
The house remained mostly intact, with improvements made to the toilet, stove and refrigerator. All of those items are new, but the bathtub is original, Sperry said.
The idea is to walk from 2022 into the 1950s, she added.
Folks who are interested in staying in the Lustron house for the weekend can go onto AirBnB and check the availability, with a night starting at $155. So far, it’s been rented four times after being on the market since May, Sperry said.
The two-bedroom house doesn’t have a TV, internet or Wi-Fi, but Landmarks Foundation is looking into a TV with an 1950s aesthetic.
Work on the house is still being completed with the roof coating ongoing and a wooden patio planned around the yard.
When asked why not demolish the property, Landmarks Foundation President Carol Rine replied, “Why would we want to destroy our history?”
“If you destroy what’s there (…) it’s like the dinosaur,” she said. “We cannot continue in Knox County to destroy our history.
“You’ve got to preserve it.”
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