Luster On Steel: The History Of Lustron Houses

The early 1940s marked a period of significant change, not only for the nation, but for communities across the country, including Grant County, Kan. With the outbreak of World War II, many young men left to fight in the European and Pacific theaters, while the local economy shifted to support the war effort. Families received ration books, farmers were urged to grow more grain to supply the front lines, and the local gas industry flourished, driven by the increased demand for carbon black production. This wave of change persisted even after the war's conclusion in 1945.

Before the war ended, Columbian Chemicals had already sought permission to build its third carbon black plant in Hickok, Kan. This would be Grant County's third such facility, sparking an influx of workers into the area. By December 1945, nearly 700,000 U.S. veterans returned home, leading to a surge in population and a housing shortage across the country. One solution came from a Chicago-based inventor named Carl Strandlund.

Originally from Sweden, Carl Strandlund had moved to Moline, Ill., as a child, where he began a prolific engineering career. He held nearly 150 patents from his work at John Deere and Minneapolis-Moline, including pioneering the addition of rubber tires to tractors. His innovations eventually led him to the Chicago Vitreous Products Company, where he designed non-warping enamel plates for tanks, air conditioning systems, and retrofitted factories for defense production.

After the war, Strandlund applied his expertise in enamel panel production to address the postwar housing crisis. Initially, he had developed a method of fabricating gas station panels for Standard Oil. However, the Truman administration informed him that steel would only be allocated for housing, not commercial projects. In response, Strandlund adapted his idea, using enameled steel panels to create low-maintenance, affordable homes. In 1947, he founded the Lustrong Corporation (short for "Luster on Steel") and secured a $12.5 million loan to manufacture prefabricated homes. His goal was ambitious: 15,000 homes by the end of 1947 and 30,000 by 1948.

The Lustron houses were manufactured on an eight-mile-long production line and were marketed at a price between $8,500 and $9,500, complete with built-in cabinets and enameled steel furnishings. Homes arrived at construction sites on single truck trailers, containing nearly 3,000 parts for assembly on a concrete foundation. Most houses were either two or three-bedroom models, ranging from 713 to 1,140 square feet. The homes came in three styles: Westchester, Newport, and Meadowbrook - designed by Chicago architect Morris Beckman.

Lustron houses were available in four colors: Surf Blue, Dove Gray, Maize Yellow, and Desert Tan. The interiors were also composed of steel panels, with built-in features such as doors and kitchen appliances. A standout feature was the Thor combo washer and dishwasher, uniquely incorporated into Lustron homes. Despite the promising start, disorganized distribution and other setbacks led Lustron Corporation to bankruptcy in 1950.

By the time the company closed its doors in June 1950, Lustro had produced only 2,498 homes, which were distributed across 36 states and even Venezuela, where they housed oil workers. In Kansas, Lustron homes were sold through eight dealerships, including Don Brack of Great Bend, Atwood Implement in Smith Center, and Hughes McOllum IA Sauer Construction in Garden City. However, sales were often challenging, as banks hesitated to finance steel homes, leading most buyers to rely on FHA, VA, or personal savings.

When Lustron went into receivership, records showed that 78 homes had been delivered to Kansas. However, it is believed that an additional 22 homes were sent to the state in the company's final months of operation, bringing the total to about 100 Lustron homes. Today, roughly 30 of these homes remain. Great Bend, once home to 18 Lustron homes, is known as the "Lustron Capital of Kansas." Other Lustron homes can still be found in towns like Larned, St. Francis, Atwood, Norton, Johnson, Ulysses, Garden City, Fowler, Ashland and Liberal. The company only delivered to towns with fully paved highways, which explains why Lustron homes are often found along major U.S. Routes like 36, 40, 50, 56, and 160.

In Ulysses, two Lustron homes are known to exist. One, built in 1949, stands on Baughman Street, painted in a Desert Tan color scheme. The second, located on Missouri Street, features a Dove Gray exterior. These homes remain rare, yet they offer a glimpse into a postwar era where innovation sought to solve pressing national problems.