Have you heard of Lustron houses? When one hit the Indianapolis housing market last month, we did some research to learn more about the unique homes — only 159 of which were ever constructed in Indiana.
Here’s a brief history on Lustron houses + where you can see them for yourself around Indy.
The lustrous history of Lustron houses
When World War II ended and members of the US military began returning home, some communities suddenly realized they had a housing shortage. Coupled with the surge of women who had entered the workforce and were no longer strictly homemakers, the demand emerged for modern, low maintenance, low cost homes.
To meet this need, Chicago-based inventor Carl Strandlund developed prototypes for prefabricated enameled steel houses — aka Lustron houses. 2,498 of these homes were constructed in 36 US states, but their success was short-lived, with the Lustron Corporation shuttering in 1950 after only three years in business.
Where can I find Lustron houses in Indy?
Want to see one of these unique homes for yourself? Here are the locations of a few of the remaining houses. Please respect the privacy of the owners and do not enter their private property.
- 8081 West Crawfordsville Rd.
- 1029 Hawthorne Ave.
- 6212 South Action
- 5402 S. Shelby
- 3623 Gladstone
- 1728 N. Leland Ave. — added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997
- 2079 E. Broad Ripple Ave.
- 3821 E. 42nd St.
- 3819 E. 42nd St.
- 3880 W. 92nd St.
- 5636 Indianola
- 3101 Campbell
- 1908 E. Kessler Blvd.
- 5340 E. St. Joseph St. – includes interior
- 3646 N. Denny
- 3920 Denwood
- 3825 N. Sherman
- 6452 Broadway
- 6212 Central – includes interior
- 6466 N. Central
- 6435 N. Riverview Dr. (Central) – includes interior
- 1299 N. Elmhurst Dr.
Want to make a Lustron house your own? This one, located at 6321 Central Ave., is currently on the market.
Know anything else about Lustron houses, or own one yourself? We’d love to hear more.
