Prefabrication and Levittowns
After our brief discussion on prefabrication in the 19th Century, I immediately thought of Levittowns in America. Levittowns were suburban developments built post World War II that had identical houses constructed in an assembly line fashion. Levittown, New York was the first of its kind, and homes like the ones here were needed because of the influx of veterans coming home from the war. William Levitt and his company came up with the idea to have all of the homes look the same and have all the same features inside and out. Every house had modern appliances, a white picket fence, and a nice green lawn. They were built in this similar manner to cut down on building and labor costs, since having the same design allowed for easier repetition. After the success of the first Levittown in New York, others popped up in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.