Lustron Home...What's That??

My kids call them the Chiclets houses, because the square panels that make up the walls of these houses resemble the Chiclet gum pieces.  In fact, the panels are porcelain-enameled metal.  These unique homes are called Lustron Homes.  The square, single-story houses were sold in the United States in 1949 and 1950 by the Lustron Corporation, during the post WWII housing boom. 

Manufactured in Ohio and trucked to building sites across the Mid-west, these homes were advertised as fire-proof, rust-proof, lightening-proof and interestingly, rodent-proof!  All interior and exterior surfaces are porcelain-enameled metal, including the roof and gutters.  They were also designed with space-saving amenities such as built-in bookcases and vanities in the bedrooms.


There are a half a dozen or so Lustron Homes scattered throughout Westmorland and Sunset Village, tucked among the typical cape cods and colonials.

John and Debbie Hanson have lived in a Lustron home in the Westmorland neighborhood for 10 years. Unlike most homeowners, they bought the house without ever setting foot inside. 

"It's cozy," says John Hanson.  "Our Lustron is 1,000 square feet, so it's small, but it has everything we need."


The Hanson's have made a few minor changes to the home.  They have added hardwood floors and updated the kitchen.  A few years ago they also changed the interior wall color from the original battleship gray to yellow, which took more than a trip to Home Depot!


"Since the walls are made from porcelain-enameled metal panels, you have to paint them like you would paint a car," explains Hanson.  "We found someone who had experience using the powder spray paint for metal.  It turned out great."

The initial Lustron Home, a two-bedroom, one-bath, 1000-square-foot unit, was a critical success with an efficient 31-by-35-foot floor plan.   

In the late 1940's, Lustron received orders for 20,000 homes through its nationwide dealership network, a testimony to the effectiveness of the company’s thoroughly modern advertising campaign...and to the scarcity of conventional, single-family housing in many markets.  Only 2,498 of those orders were filled, however, before the Lustron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1950.  The cost for a Lustron Home was about $10,000 - not including the lot.  Many believe the demise of the company was due to the high cost, (at the time) compared to a stick-built home.

For the Hanson's, They wouldn't live anywhere else.

"We love the neighborhood and the proximity it provides to the bike path, downtown, shopping and area parks," says John Hanson.  "It's prefect for us."

The Hanson's Lustron Home, and others in the neighborhood, are slated to be on the Alternate Parade of Homes in June.