Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:


Pages 49-122

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 49...
... 49 A Introduction to Postwar Suburbanization The post-World War II period was a boom for singlefamily residential construction, suburbanization, and the American dream of homeownership.
From page 50...
... 50 scale regional builders increased their volume from a few houses a year to full subdivision development, similar housing in the form of standard models prevailed. Distinction and individual custom design became less common.
From page 51...
... 51 War II. On February 22, 1942, the manufacture of automobiles for civilian use ceased altogether; tires and gasoline were rationed for the remaining war years and a 35 mile-perhour speed limit was imposed by the federal government.
From page 52...
... 52 With minimal funding for constructing primary and secondary roads and urban highways, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 did not do enough to solve the nation's transportation problems. It did not anticipate Americans' postwar financial prosperity, which dramatically increased auto mobile ownership, highway usage, and commercial development.
From page 53...
... 53 MacDonald envisioned that the urban Interstate Highway System would improve the metropolitan fabric by eliminating sub-standard housing and blight, while replacing it with federal redevelopment buildings. Ultimately, the urban renewal that occurred hand-in-hand with the construction of the urban freeway system contributed to the leveling of many close-knit neighborhoods and erection of high-rise towers in a failed attempt to meet the housing needs of the city's poor (see Section C.3)
From page 54...
... 54 passengers, a decrease of 33 percent. By 1960 only 8.2 percent of Americans rode busses or streetcars to work, and only another 3.9 percent took rapid transit.
From page 55...
... 55 to insure long-term loans on private homes, thus encouraging lenders to invest in residential mortgages. Amendments to the Act both before and after 1945 continued to stimulate housing development and home ownership in the postwar period through modifications to the mortgage insurance program and creation of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)
From page 56...
... 56 • Adequacy of transportation (10 percent) ; • Appeal (10 percent)
From page 57...
... 57 3. Continuation of Federal Housing Policies The FHA and VA mortgage programs had significant influence on housing loans and construction in the postwar period.
From page 58...
... 58 increase in large-scale builders. The influence of the FHA mortgage insurance program is undeniable as one-quarter of all new housing starts between 1934 and 1970 involved an FHA mortgage.143 By 1965 the FHA reported that it had written mortgage and loan insurance of more than $100 billion, covering 7.5 million homes.144 The efforts of the FHA and other federal agencies and programs allowed home ownership to increase to 63 percent by 1972, up from 44 percent ownership in 1934.
From page 59...
... 59 Postwar economic affluence in savings and income was influenced by the nearly full employment levels and relief from wartime spending constraints. During the wartime years, imposed rationing and the unavailability of many consumer goods caused Americans to save like never before.
From page 60...
... 60 road and highway network (see Section B)
From page 61...
... 61 ber had grown to 43 percent. The majority of the increase was the entry of married women into the workforce, and one of the largest increases in women's employment occurred during the decade of the 1950s.163 The modern home, which was influenced by demographic and economic trends, emphasized relaxation, children, and enjoyment.
From page 62...
... 62 Much attention has been given to the racial distribution of both suburbs and the central city in the postwar period; sociological studies since 1970 have made careful use of census data to analyze racial distribution and trends. In particular, between 1930 and 1970, the color composition of cities changed dramatically, with the proportion of whites living in the city falling steadily and the proportion of non-whites in central cities increasing considerably.
From page 63...
... 63 increased production, and technological improvements. For example, the city of Arlington, Texas, witnessed unparalleled growth in the 1950s when GM located a Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac plant on the eastern edge of town.
From page 64...
... 64 cons of building a home in established neighborhoods and new residential developments. Within established prewar neighborhoods, it was suggested that new or "infill" construction could result in reduced resale value since the house may not conform to the existing homes in the neighborhood.
From page 65...
... 65 dences were constructed from the 1970s through the present and a modern subdivision is encroaching on this collection. Postwar residences were also added to active farms during this period.
From page 66...
... 66 costs and dwelling floor areas and reservations of public utility easements. According to the FHA, these covenants would result in neighborhoods with a "harmonious variety" of homes on wide lots with similar setbacks and maintained yards, which would be more appealing to potential homebuyers and safeguard against decreasing property values.187 The ULI also provided recommendations for similar covenants.
From page 67...
... 67 which positioned them to take advantage of opportunities during the postwar residential construction boom. Although the average home builder continued the prewar trend of constructing only a few homes each year, a small number of builders were responsible for a large percentage of the homes constructed annually.
From page 68...
... 68 operation from land acquisition through construction but phased their home building as money became available.203 Their developments were often smaller than those of merchant builders due to the phased construction and lack of community facilities. Merchant builders' developments far exceeded the scale of pre-war subdivisions, and in some cases, they were larger than entire communities.
From page 69...
... 69 of housing, too many people still see builders as irresponsible exploiters of the consumer's need for shelter."212 c. Real Estate Companies Local and regional real estate companies were actively involved in the postwar housing boom, working directly with individuals interested in purchasing a home and builders who were constructing homes speculatively.
From page 70...
... 70 department stores to stage a model home to make it more appealing to prospective homebuyers. A furnished model house encouraged prospective home buyers to envision themselves living in the home, complete with novel appliances and sleek modern furniture, all the while encouraging domestic consumption.217 In addition to the model home, builders often had sales displays at the construction site for those interested families who were watching the construction process.218 Furthering builders' efforts to use model homes as a selling tool was the evolution of National Home Week, a festival sponsored by the NAHB and its affiliated local Home Builders' Associations.
From page 71...
... 71 Lansing suburb of Mason, Michigan, is an example of this marketing method: an area planned for a lifetime of pleasant living .
From page 72...
... 72 trends geared towards the housewife, while also taking into account the various stages of family life. The advertisement, which also noted that the house was featured in House Beautiful's "Guide for the Bride -- Summer Issue," reads: If you're about to be married, you'll like it because it's priced low .
From page 73...
... 73 Together these guidelines and ordinances, which were comparable nationwide, resulted in similar subdivision appearances.231 With the exception of regional topography, vegetation, and building materials, the curvilinear streets, lot sizes, setbacks, and circulation patterns, and building forms did not differ much regardless of location.
From page 74...
... 74 corridors and schools; creating ample lots that preserve natural landscape features; providing adequate streets and sidewalks; limiting through traffic; and including shopping centers and parks. To illustrate its guidance, the FHA provided before and after drawings of subdivision layouts that highlighted such issues as laying out economical street systems, conforming to the natural topography, and incorporating natural features and park land.234 Much of this early FHA guidance was adopted by ULI and promoted in its Community Builders Handbook publications during the postwar era.
From page 75...
... 75 When including parks and natural areas, developers were also advised to consider the overall maintenance costs associated with these spaces. For example, the irrigation costs to maintain grassy lawns were to be considered in arid climates.
From page 76...
... 76 builders during the development process. The FHA, ULI, and other groups provided guidance for how to incorporate these vehicular and pedestrian networks into the overall design.
From page 77...
... 77 were not needed: if lots are large enough that children will not play in the street -- typically 100 ft of frontage or more, and lots are large and spread out far enough from each other and amenities to discourage walking. Subdivisions that met these criteria were considered "open," "residential estates," or "country home" developments.262 By 1957 design standards were in place for sidewalks, with the American Public Works Association's Sidewalks and Curbs considered to be the standard manual.
From page 78...
... 78 Figure 91. Decorative signage at the entrance to the c.1960 Eastridge subdivision in El Paso, Texas (Mead & Hunt photograph)
From page 79...
... 79 could cause sidewalk heaving. If the streets were too narrow to accommodate tree plantings on each side, the south or west side was preferred as those sides provided the most opportunity for shading the walk and yards.
From page 80...
... 80 aluminum exterior panels and roof materials, as well as innovative interior features that reduced maintenance, making the homes "care free." The production cast was higher than anticipated and only 24 were constructed nationwide.273 Small-scale sheet aluminum houses were also developed by two prefabricated home companies: National Homes of Chicago and Reliance Homes of Philadelphia. National Homes fabricated aluminum houses at the factory and delivered the home in two sections to be joined on site.
From page 81...
... 81 The key product in the Reynolds Metals building material line was the clapboard-style siding with an 8-inch exposure. The siding came in either a plain or embossed (weatherboard)
From page 82...
... 82 panel systems were a popular, if somewhat limited, prefabricated house system during the period. Although steel supplies were tight immediately following World War II, the federal government would soon allocate its surplus to alleviate housing needs.
From page 83...
... 83 tremendously during the first two decades of the twentieth century. As portland cement became more available, block manufacturers organized to create standard block sizes, and the industry began to use testing to improve the material's reliability and durability.
From page 84...
... 84 efforts to imitate masonry. From late-nineteenth-century cast stone to early-twentieth-century rock-faced concrete block, numerous efforts had been made to simulate stone.
From page 85...
... 85 specific products for prefabricated housing. In particular, their products and structural system enabled the quick erection of wartime homes needed to serve the defense industry, including 977 homes constructed in 73 days in Vallejo, California, and 54 houses erected each day for a community of 5,000 single-family homes in Norfolk, Virginia.
From page 86...
... 86 also quickly developed from New York's Corning Glass Works, which developed the Pyrex construction block in 1935. Corning Glass Works and Pittsburgh Plate Glass merged to manufacture Pyrex blocks under the Pittsburgh-Corning Company name, and featured the block in their Manhattan headquarters building.305 Glass block was quickly adopted for residential use as manufacturers and architects developed applications for the home.
From page 87...
... 87 with the development of a mass-produced window frame, its innovations during the Great Depression and World War II contributed greatly to the period's architecture. After initiating standard window sizes across the industry, the Andersen Corporation began developing the first prefabricated window unit in 1932.
From page 88...
... 88 the company, this vinyl-clad window was its most important innovation, and became an industry standard.310 e. Plastics As with many of the materials previously discussed, innovations in plastics occurred during the Depression and World War II eras as manufacturers looked for cheaper and more durable building materials.
From page 89...
... 89 Mills, and Republic Steel used housing subsidiaries to develop steel housing suitable for prefabrication; the Harnischfeger Corporation, a Milwaukee machinery manufacturer, applied its manufacturing processes to attempt mass-produced housing; and plywood companies sought new ways to use their product (see Section G.3 for more information on the Harnischfeger Corporation)
From page 90...
... 90 moved past each home site in teams, each team repeatedly performing one of 26 operations. Each part of the house was pre-assembled, prefabricated, or precut to specification in the factory and then assembled on site.
From page 91...
... 91 1. Residential Design Characteristics As the FHA influenced the design of suburbs, it also greatly influenced standard residential designs of the period.
From page 92...
... 92 into consideration: minimizing the use of interior partitions to increase the room size; adding the appearance of height through the use of floor-length windows, skylights, and open ceilings; minimizing hall space by incorporating it into other rooms; utilizing built-ins and storage walls; grouping rooms by function; isolating the private "quiet" areas of home; and planning the circulation and zoning to include adequate receiving space at the main entrance.330 The FHA house types could be placed on lots as narrow as 35 ft, although 40 ft was the preferred minimum width. The 1936 version of Principles of Planning Small Houses included an illustrated layout for a two-story house with a detached garage on a lot measuring 50 ft wide by 100 ft long.
From page 93...
... 93 Although the public areas of the house featured minimal walls and openness, bedrooms in the postwar house were enclosed in the traditional fashion and discretely separated from the family area of the house. Split-level houses, in particular, segregated function by putting bedrooms on a different half-level up or down from the recreation room.
From page 94...
... 94 In 1940, nine out of 10 windows featured wood window frames, with steel windows accounting for the second most popular window frame material. By 1950 wood was still the most dominate material, accounting for 69 percent of windows, but steel accounted for 22 percent of windows, and aluminum represented 5 percent.
From page 95...
... 95 Figure 106. Typical Minimal Traditional floorplan, not to scale (Mead & Hunt)
From page 96...
... 96 storage. Although floorplans differed, the layout of components was important.
From page 97...
... 97 and dryer, furnace, and water heater. In some cases it had an exterior entrance open to the backyard, allowing the room to function as a mud room as well.359 The need for basements was debated during the postwar period, with the largest "detraction" being the increased costs resulting from excavation, building materials and labor.
From page 98...
... 98 subdivisions during the 1950s and 1960s (see Figure 109) .369 Eichler Homes was one of the few merchant builders to use architects on a regular basis.
From page 99...
... 99 3. Popular Architectural Styles and Forms of the Period A variety of architectural forms and styles were utilized for residential construction in the postwar era.
From page 100...
... 100 Rectangular in plan and boxy in appearance, the Cape Cod house is generally a one-and-one-half-story building with a steeply pitched side gable roof. Much like the Minimal Traditional form, the second story was frequently left as an unfinished space so that the house could be expanded later.
From page 101...
... 101 Figure 116. Cape Cod houses in Arlington County, Virginia, constructed c.1950, with one-and-one-halfstory massing, symmetrical facades, central entrances with pedimented stoops, and steeply pitched side gable roofs with dormers and double-hung windows (Mead & Hunt photograph)
From page 102...
... 102 Character-defining features of the Two-story Massed form include: • Rectangular plan and two-story massing and • Side gable or hip roof. Transitional Ranch Form.
From page 103...
... 103 Also referred to as a Rambler or California Ranch, the Ranch form had its origins on the west coast in the 1930s work of California architects. It was loosely based on the low, rambling courtyards of Spanish Colonial Ranch houses found in California and modified by influences borrowed from the Craftsman and Prairie styles.
From page 104...
... 104 Figure 126. Ranch house in Sparta, Wisconsin, constructed c.1960, with horizontal massing, hip roof, stone veneer, casement windows, wrought iron supports at the entrance, prominent chimney, and attached garage.
From page 105...
... 105 Revival. The various evolutions and subtypes of the Ranch form are discussed in the following sections.
From page 106...
... 106 bedrooms and baths on the upper level (see Figure 134)
From page 107...
... 107 However, the multi-floor plan resulted in more compact massing than the Ranch, and the forms were more economical as land for development was increasing in cost.382 Much like the Raised Ranch form, they were ideally suited for uneven and sloping building sites. Split-levels and Split-foyers gained popularity in the Northeast and Midwest in the mid-1950s and were widely distributed.
From page 108...
... 108 • Integrated garage; • Low-pitched roof with deep eave overhangs or a prominent roofline with "prowed" eaves, roof cutouts, or exposed beams; • Large expanses of windows, corner windows, bands of windows, or clerestory windows; • Combination of siding materials, including accent veneer; • Wide or prominent chimneys; • Prominent front entrances that may include twin doors, transoms, decorative lighting, or an exaggerated height; • Planters; and • Wrought iron or wood accents.
From page 109...
... 109 styles found throughout the country, but especially on the eastern seaboard, in the Midwest, and in the South. It was most popular in the early postwar period, but continued to be constructed nationally throughout the postwar period.
From page 110...
... 110 Georgian Revival Style. The Georgian variation of the postwar Colonial Revival style is based on the Georgian house of the mid-to-late eighteenth century and its twentieth- century revival in the 1910s-1930s.
From page 111...
... 111 Ranch and Split-level form. The popularity of the style may be due in part to House Beautiful magazine; their September 1960 issue had an article titled "How Americans are Using Japanese Ideas," which included exterior details used by merchant builders in residential subdivisions.386 Although most popular in California and the Pacific Northwest, examples are found throughout the country.
From page 112...
... 112 in the form of door handles, decorative medallions, and gates were often employed. The overall Asian theme of the house may be enhanced by Japanese-inspired landscaping.
From page 113...
... 113 privacy on the front facade. By contrast, large windows, glass curtain walls, and sliding glass doors are widely employed on the rear elevations, facing onto backyards or interior courtyards.
From page 114...
... 114 The main entrances are commonly recessed and obscured. While shed roofs are most common, compound shed and gable roofs are also common.
From page 115...
... 115 local dealers. The houses represented a new and innovative system of panelized prefabrication using steel framing and porcelain enamel coated steel panels that came in a variety of neutral and pastel colors, including surf blue, maize yellow, desert tan, and dove gray.
From page 116...
... 116 dation was in place, you could start construction on a Tuesday morning and eat dinner in the home on Friday evening.395 Gunnison manufactured 4-ft by 8-ft wood frames and heattreated plywood panels with door and window openings preinstalled at the factory. The panels could be assembled into a number of different configurations, and could be expanded in 4-ft increments, allowing the homeowner to customize the design.
From page 117...
... 117 National Homes manufactured prefabricated, panelized, stressed-skin plywood homes. Panels were produced as fullroom sized units with doors and windows pre-installed.
From page 118...
... 118 was located in Port Washington, Wisconsin, and sold prefabricated homes between the mid-1930s and mid-1960s. Harnischfeger subdivisions have been identified in Port Washington and Madison, Wisconsin, and Mason, Michigan.
From page 119...
... 119 For builders, the aspect of the width of the house to the width of attached garage was important to create an appealing entrance or view from the street. The architecture of the Colonial Revival, Ranch, Split-level, and Contemporary home was well suited to attached garages.
From page 120...
... 120 the magazine also provided guidance for accommodating such designs to subdivisions, where lots typically averaged 60 by 120 ft.413 The magazine also urged homeowners to add their individuality to the suburban landscape by creating a yard or garden that reflected their personality, while also conforming to the established neighborhood. Noted landscape architects of the period also provided guidance to the home owners, including Thomas Church and the Gardens Are for People: How to Plan for Outdoor Living, Garrett Eckbo and the Art of Home Landscaping, and Sunset Magazine's "Landscape for Western Living."414 Although developers were encouraged to incorporate overall planting plans into their developments, individual homeowners were also encouraged to develop individual landscape plans that fit with the overall neighborhood character.
From page 121...
... 121 the patio took the form of a screen porch, allowing for protection from mosquitos and other pests (see Figure 173)
From page 122...
... 122 Because fallout shelters and bunkers were intended to house only the immediate family or a small group of people, their locations were not made obvious. Oftentimes only a few elements, such as hatches or air intakes, are visible on the landscape, making them difficult to identify (see Figure 176)

Key Terms



This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.