National Register Listing

Bowden, Faye, House-Agnus Saunders

a.k.a. Carol C. Wallman/Jean Tonneson House

669 Dakota Ave. N., Huron, SD

The Bowden House, built in 1949, is significant for its association with the mass production of post-World War II housing and construction method innovations. It is also significant under Criteria "C" as an example of a 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 areas demand was generated before the war ended. Often these demands were concentrated in areas where the production of 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 within a ten-year period. To deal with the problems of housing, the Veterans' Emergency Housing Program was established by 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. It also guaranteed markets for new types of materials and prefabricated buildings, set aside materials to be allocated to residential construction efforts, and guaranteed 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 by Wyatt 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 from available materials, but the manufacture time and price were also well within an acceptable 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 house was the all-steel parts, which included studs, trusses, wall frame assemblies, exterior walls, roof shingle panels, rain gutters, and 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 in 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 houses. Instead, a modified version classified as the Westchester was adopted as the standard. The difference between the two was the removal of a rear jog in the Esquire that allowed the bathroom and rear bedroom to be enlarged.

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 tow-bedroom plan measure thirty-one by thirty-five fee exterior with a 6' x 12' feet entrance porch. The three-bedroom model measures thirty-one by thirty-nine feet and does not have a corner cutout porch. Instead, the house is entered directly from the gable end under an attached canopy. This plan with built-in amenities was later designated the Westchester Deluxe. Smaller, less expensive two and three-bedroom Newport and Meadowbrook models were later offered. However, very few were produced. One-and-a-half and two-and-a-half car garages with connection breezeways were made available in 1949-1950, but only a minimal number were produced.

The Lustron Corporation operated from 1946 to 1950 before its government loans were recalled and its 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 from loans became fierce. After only four years of production and approximately 2500 houses manufactured the Lustron Company folded despite the technological advances in production and standard design ideas. These included a 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 in the house were made of the same enameled steel, which made them durable and gave them a singular look.

There are approximately thirty-eight Lustron houses in South Dakota, including two and three-bedroom 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 Bowden House is a good example, retains a high degree of historic integrity, and represents a typical two-bedroom Westchester model. Architecturally the house is illustrative of the technological advancements in housing construction and the use of new building materials.

The Bowden 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 on a busy street. Mrs. Bowden was not the original owner of this house. The original owner was Mr. John Parish trainmaster for the Chicago and Northwest Railroad from 1949-1953. In 1953 Mr. Norman Blunt, who was the vice-president of the National Bank of South Dakota, purchased the house. In 1963 Mrs. Faye Bowden bought the house and lived there until 1983. The house was rented out until 1988 when it was purchased by Carol J. Wallman and Jean Tenneson.

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 Company 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.

Lustron houses are also significant under Criteria "C." 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.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.