This 1949 M02 Desert Tan Lustron still stands in the Chicago suburb of Cicero. It appears relatively unchanged from the front. At some point, an addition was added to the back, but it is unclear how the back of the house was altered.
Albany, Georgia, is home to the state’s largest remaining Lustrons. There are eight homes, all in the M02 style. According to The Macon Telegraph, Tom Malone and Deming Whiting erected the first Lustron in Albany, Georgia, in May 1949. The home was shipped from the Columbus, Georgia Lustron Corporation.
The Albany homes are within a mile or so of each other. All but one are lived in or used as a business. Some have been modified, but the hallmark tripartite windows can be seen in all homes.
By using the Albany phone directory, I determined who the original owners were of each home. Their names are under each image with the original color.
This Macon Lustron is the remaining one in town. Lustron houses were prefabricated, enameled steel homes built for a short time between 1948 and 1950 to address housing shortages caused by World War II. They were designed with built-in cabinets and radiant heating, a method to deliver heat via the floor or walls.
Charles and Myrtle Constantine were the first homeowners of the MO23 model in desert tan. Cecil and Hazel Brickle purchased the home in 1960 for $8,750.
Lustron Houses were built to fulfill the demand for housing after the conclusion of World War II. The prefabricated metal homes rolled off the assembly line in 1947. Envisioned by Carl Strandlund but designed by architects Morris Beckman and Roy Burton Blass, the homes were in production only until 1950. The company could not repay its loan, so it folded.
The homes didn’t come to Georgia until Jafra Corporation. William Knight, an accomplished Atlanta realtor, served as president. His home was the first one built. He and his wife, Ruth, moved into the home, where it served as a model for potential buyers.
The home was the Westchester duplex. It had two bedrooms and was equipped with porcelain panels. The Knights lived in the home until the 1990s. It is now an AirBNB.
