Maxon, Margaret and Vernon, House

The Maxon House, built in 1950, is significant for its association with the mass production of post-World War II housing and construction method innovations. It is also a significant example of new and innovative construction method for residential housing. The frame and body of these houses are constructed entirely from porcelain enameled steel and include a modern "ranch-type" design and open layout.

The Lustron Corporation was formed in response to the growing national demand for increased affordable housing in the United States. In some areas, demand was generated before the war ended. Often these demands were concentrated in areas where production for war materials or military schooling was located Housing was crowded and rents became inflated. To counter this problem the War Production Administration placed price controls on housing costs. Another reason for the scarcity of housing was the decrease in building projects in the 1930s due to the depression. Also, during the war, materials that could have been used for housing were reserved by the government for war-related needs. For almost seventeen years housing production came to a standstill. After the war, returning GIS needed affordable housing for themselves and their new families. The United States government tried to ease the situation by continuing price controls, offering low-interest housing loans, and encouraging the development of moderate-priced housing. The government estimated that over three million new housing units would be needed, with an additional twelve million needed over a ten-year period. To deal with the problems of housing, the Veterans' Emergency Housing Program was established with Wilson Wyatt appointed Housing Expediter in January 1946. To quickly expand housing production the Veterans' Emergency Housing Act was passed to set up a program to increase housing production by utilizing surplus war plants, guarantee markets for new types of materials and prefabricated buildings, setting aside materials to be allocated to residential construction efforts, and guarantee loans to finance new projects under the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

It was in this atmosphere that the Lustron Corporation was formed. In 1946, Carl Gunnar Strandlund, vice-president and general manager of Chicago Vitreous Enamel Products Company went to Washington, D. C. to request steel to produce all-steel gas stations for the Standard Oil Company Strandlund's plan was rejected on the basis that materials were needed to go toward housing and not gas stations. He was encouraged to develop a plan for a house instead. Later that year, Strandlund returned with plans for an all-steel house designed by Illinois architects Roy Blass and Morris Beckman. Not only could the house be constructed of available materials, but the manufacture time and price were also well within an accepted range. It was estimated that one hundred houses could be produced per day within nine months at a retail price of $7,000. Finally in late 1946 the Reconstruction Finance Corporation committed a $12.5 million dollar loan to production. The location for the production of the new Lustron houses was a vacant Curtiss-Wright factory near Columbus, Ohio. Strandlund invested in state-of-the-art equipment and based production on the automobile assembly line. This was supposed to make manufacturing more time and cost-efficient.

The major design element of the Lustron was the all-steel parts, which included studs, trusses, wall frame assemblies, exterior walls, roof shingle panels, rain gutters, window and door frame panels. Wall and ceiling panels were entirely encased in porcelain enamel, as were sliding doors, built-in cabinets, closets and every other surface. The concrete slab floor was covered with resilient asphalt tiles.
The prototype Lustron house designed by Blass and Beckman was known as the "Esquire." This design was never actually used in the construction of any of the homes. Instead the Westchester model, which contained slightly more living space by removing a jog in the rear wall which enlarged the bath and master bedroom, was used.

The Lustron came in three models which were the Westchester (the most popular), the Newport, and the Meadowbrook. The majority of the houses built were the two and three-bedroom Westchester and Westchester Deluxe models. The two-bedroom plan measured thirty-one feet by thirty-five feet on the exterior, with a 6' x 12' corner recess for an entrance porch. The three-bedroom model measures thirty-one by thirty-nine feet with no corner cutout and is entered directly from the gable end under an attached canopy.
This plan with built-in amenities was later designated the Westchester Deluxe. Two and three-bedroom Newport and Meadowbrook models were a response to the desire for a less expensive model, but very few were ever produced. One-and-a-half and two-and-a-half car garages with connection breezeways were made available in 1949-1950 and are also more elusive. Unlike the houses the garage packages did not include framing; the steel panels were fastened to light wood framing procured locally.

The Lustron Corporation operated from 1946 to 1950 before government loans were recalled and their business came to a halt. Unfortunately, many outside factors affected the success of Strandlund's project. Pressure from lumber and concrete companies fearful of losing their business cast a negative light on the future and competition for loans became fierce. After only four years of production and approximately 2,500 houses manufactured the Lustron Company folded despite the technological advances in production and standard design ideas. These included built-in combination dishwasher-clothes washer, built in cabinets, and construction methods that allowed the house to be erected in about one to two weeks.

All surfaces of the house were made of the same enameled steel, which made it durable and gave it a singular look.

There are approximately thirty-eight Lustron houses in South Dakota, including two and three Westchester models and one Newport model. Not all of the Lustrons in the state are eligible for listing due to distracting alterations and additions; however, the Maxon House is a good example, retains a high degree of historic integrity and represents a typical three-bedroom Westchester model. Architecturally the house is illustrative of the technological advancements in housing construction and the use of new building materials.

The Maxon House is located in Huron, South Dakota. Huron lies in the northeast section of the state and is one of the larger towns in this area. The house is located in a subdivision on the south side of town. This residential neighborhood is bordered by Huron High School, Washington School, and Huron College. The Maxons were not the original owners of this Lustron. Yale Charbonneau, a physician, and his wife built the house in 1950. The second owner was Ross Rhoades, a mechanic foreman for the Chicago & North West Railroad. Vernon W. Maxon and his wife Margaret bought the house in 1956, and have lived there ever since. Mr. Maxon worked as a soil scientist for the United States Conservation Service. Originally he bought a Lustron in Redfield, South Dakota. However, later he was transferred to Huron and bought one that was available there.

The Lustron was offered as a total package distributed through a dealer with pre-planned site layouts for maximum success of the setting of the house. The builder of the Huron Lustron was Fred W. Weisenburger. The Weisenburger Construction Company franchise constructed Lustron houses in Huron, Miller, Pierre, and Martin. Unfortunately, information about Mr. Weisenburger's building company and history as a Lustron dealer is unknown. The Weisenburger Construction Co. is no longer in business.

Lustron houses are significant because of their association with broad trends in United States architecture development. The origination of the Lustron Corporation and houses was the direct result of the housing shortage after World War II. Although the Lustron Corporation was not as successful as other companies, such as Levitt & Sons, it played a major role in developing post-war housing.

The Lustron home was an innovation in housing design born from necessity. It was developed to meet specific needs; low cost, quick production, and the employment of available post-war materials. The use of built-in cabinets, recessed drawer handles, and sliding pocket doors made more space available. This allowed a smaller, less expensive house to be built that retained a feeling of spaciousness. Contributing to this feeling was the architects' use of an open floor plan and large picture windows. Also important was the use of the assembly line to manufacture and package the total house for quick assemblage on site. Most important was the application of porcelain enameled steel to the construction of housing.