MOUNT VERNON – The year is 1945. The U.S. has just won World War II and soldiers are returning home. They’re expecting a fresh start – the opportunity to reunite with their stateside lovers, find a job and begin a family. Only, there’s one problem: the U.S. is experiencing a housing crisis. With the influx of home-bound soldiers, the demand for housing quickly outpaced the supply.
So, what was the U.S. to do?
Luckily, a Swedish-born engineer by the name of Carl Strandlund had an idea. What if we manufactured quick-to-build, relatively inexpensive, all-metal houses, funded through government loans, which could be distributed across the country?
It was a grand idea, this factory-built house, and Strandlund ran with it. He established the Lustron Corporation, headquartered in Columbus, and his concept blossomed. Backed by government support, the Lustron Corporation distributed over 2,000 homes across America from 1947-1950. It helped patch the nation’s housing crisis, as young families were able to begin new lives in the trendy, brightly colored bungalows.
Over time, Lustron’s success faded. Various factors led to the company’s demise. But even after Lustron Corporation folded, the homes remained, scattered among neighborhoods across the country, a metallic emblem of post-war ambition.
Over the years, many of these properties have been sold, or demolished, or taken to the scrap yard. In Ohio, the Lustron Corporation’s home state, only 200 or so remain, according to the Ohio History Connection. There used to be several in Knox County – now, there is only one.
This week, we spoke with the man most involved with preserving this local historic relic. His name is Jeff Gottke, board president for the Knox County Landmarks Foundation, which currently owns the property.
What’s the history behind Mount Vernon’s last remaining Lustron Home? What kind of condition is it in now? And what are the Landmarks Foundation’s plans for it?
We answer those questions and more on this edition of Stories from the heart of Ohio.
For more information on Carl Strandlund and the Lustron Corporation, visit the Ohio History Connection’s website: https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/exhibits/ohio-history-center-exhibits/1950s-building-the-american-dream/lustron-about/help-for-lustrons/meet-the-lustrons/meet-history
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