Levitt’s true genius was that he foresaw the unprecedented demand for middle-class housing that followed World War II, and by
applying a panoply of assembly-line techniques to housing construction
, positioned himself to make the most of the situation.
What did William Levitt do?
William J. Levitt, the Long Island developer who
built the prototype for the suburbs that would lure middle-class Americans out of cities by the millions after World War II
, died yesterday at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, L.I. He was 86.
How did Levitt change the home industry?
Levitt
revolutionized the process of home building with remarkable planning and brilliant control procedures
. These techniques made it possible to provide inexpensive, attractive single-unit housing for ordinary citizens, people who had never thought of themselves as middle class before.
How did Levitt and Kaiser help to meet the need of more housing?
Shops and businesses moved to suburbia as well as people. In 1947,
William Levitt used mass production techniques to build inexpensive homes in surburban New York
to help relieve the postwar housing shortage. Levittown became a symbol of the movement to the suburbs in the years after WWII.
What method did Levitt use to build his product?
To build houses rapidly and inexpensively, Levitt used the method made famous by Henry Ford:
the production line
. Levitt broke down the construction of a home into 26 separate steps.
How much did a house cost in Levittown?
Available only to World War II veterans and their families–and only white veterans at that–the first Levittown house cost
$6,990
with nearly no money down. Levitt built 17,447 houses in the next four years. On average, Levitt’s builders finished 12 houses per day , and the tract house was here to stay.
How fast did Levitt make new houses?
AlamyConstruction of Levittown was famously quick: a home was built
every 16 minutes
. In 1947, entrepreneur Abraham Levitt and his two sons, William and Alfred, broke ground on a planned community located in Nassau County, Long Island.
Who started the suburbs?
Techniques of mass production made it possible to build homes faster and cheaper than ever before. Using an assembly-line system,
the construction firm Levitt and Sons
built three giant “Levittown” suburbs in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Who caused the transformation of the building of homes in the suburbs?
Just when
many middle and lower class white American families
began their journey of upward mobility by moving to the suburbs with the help of government spending and government programs such as the FHA and the GI Bill, many African Americans and other racial minorities found themselves systematically shut out.
Who invented suburbia?
| William Levitt | Occupation Real estate developer | Employer Levitt & Sons | Known for American suburban development |
|---|
What did Levittown represent?
Levittown, Long Island, the most famous American postwar suburban development, was a household name,
the “Exhibit A” of suburbia
. It came on the eve of the baby boom and just before the 1948 Housing Bill liberalized lending, allowing anyone to buy a home with 5 percent down and extending mortgage terms to 30 years.
Why were Levittown homes so affordable?
Understanding such needs and desires and satisfying them at an affordable price was at the heart of the Levittown project; young US families starting out in life taking a stake in their community by buying their first
house
at a price they could afford, staking deposits they could save and relying on mortgage finance …
How many houses a week was Levitt building?
Since the war, Levitt & Sons have built over six thousand. The figure is as of the beginning of this month; in April they were finishing 60 houses a week; in may, 100 a week; and in
July, 150 a week
.
What allowed for the Levitt houses to be built cheap and fast?
To build houses rapidly and inexpensively, Levitt used
the method made famous by Henry Ford: the production line
. Levitt broke down the construction of a home into 26 separate steps.
How did Levitt keep housing costs low?
The Levitts’ methods kept costs so low that in the first few years, their cookie-cutter
two-bedroom houses
-which featured fireplaces, radiant-heated floors, up-to-date kitchen equipment, laundry rooms and televisions-could be sold for just $7,900. a price that still allowed the Levitts a profit of about $1,000.
What amenities did Levitt include in his community?
7) What amenities did Levitt include in his community? Why were the original residents upset? Initially, Levitt included
a free television set and a Bendix washing machine
in order to incentivize buyers. Most people were upset because only veterans were able to buy and many people wanted their own.
