Since we talked in class about a 800 sq. ft. house as being somewhat adequate in the 1950's, I thought this article was interesting- How the idea of spaciousness has changed over the past 50 years, how people in Levittown have tried to meet their unlimited wants and why there are so few "original" Levitt houses.
21 comments:
it's pretty amazing how much the average size of houses has increased, when there used to be entire communities of those little box houses for families. it's also a shame that landmarks from the period of time that suburbs were created have almost all been changed. it obviously means a lot to some people to preserve them, which is hard to do because the current owners of some originals can not afford to sell them
There are few people that say "smaller is better", you mostly only hear "bigger is better" the truth is most of the time it is. people have needs and wants that need to be fulfilled. times have changed and the housing is included. the families need more space. the people from Levittown have realized that they can't live their life in a small house. they need a house with a garage and bigger rooms. they need to have a "better" house. if you were to ask anyone which house, an original levittown house or a renovated one, they would prefer to live the majority would pick the renovated one. it not that hard to see why people have chose to change the house. they need to fulfill what their hearts desire.
it really is amazing that 800 sq feet used ot be a luxury. it goes to show how much america has jumbo sized everything. bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger paychecks, bigger portions, bigger people. it's a shame that levitown has changed so much from its original state, but i also understand why. like the shrader man said, "you just can't raise a family in a house that small."
this article ties into that game we played: "consumer consequences." No wonder we need more than 5 earths to sustain our lifestyles--they are excessive! We waste everything: water, gasoline, and space itself. i mean, who really needs all that space. its not like we all hold lavish banquets in our houses every weekend. In my oppinion, we should all downsize. Its more practical and more sustainable--and less to have to clean! It is also more energy efficient... Unless you have a family of four or more, 800 sq. feet is really all you need.
it doesnt suprise me that they're aren't many box houses left. with today's society super-sizing just about everything, i dont see why families wouldn't want to upgrade their tiny levitown homes. its just a shame that they can't find one thats still in original condition to preserve for display. it would be nice to show people how much housing has changed over the years. maybe then people wouldn't take things for granted so much.
its quite revealing towards the differences in the quality of goods from the 1950's to now. then it was considered substantial to have a house pf even that size and there was little else people made investments into nowadays a large number of investmentsare put towards uneccesary but conveinent sales
Too bad there isn’t a levitt house that can be kept in its original state. People could have seen the life style of past generations. We can’t blame the residents for changing their houses. We hold more commodities in houses now compared to people who lived in the 50’s. They didn’t buy luxury goods as much as we do today. We need more space to store our processions.
it definitely isn't surprising that over the years people have wanted and built bigger homes. some probably needed such an extension to better fit their family but there are so many people that build a big house jus because they can. people believe that a bigger house shows there wealth and a stronger sense of power amongst their community. its a shame that there aren’t real original Levittown houses still in tact. they seemed to be a big part of history and should be on display.
It is inevitable that new homeowners of originial Levittown houses are expanding and reconstructing the 800 sq. ft. house into one of a more pratical size. In present times, a 4 room, 1 bathroom house would not work out for most families. I for one, know that if my family had to share 1 bathroom amoungst 4 of us, there would be many dilemas. Some people even make a living by purchasing and flipping houses to make a profit, and I'm sure people see Levitt houses as a perfect opportunity to do so. Although Ms.Dwyer is doing a good deed to try to preserve Levittown and it's original houses, it is a given that most of the houses from the 50's would be refurbished. As time goes on, people's preferences in interior and exterior change, more space is needed, and it can even become a danger to not fix a house, such as the termite issues. Levittown kind of reminds me of East Hampton, how the unique character of East Hampton is also fading with the huge mansions and designer stores in replacement of the local boutiques.
For many people it's hard to imagine how anyone was able to live in a house that size. It is understandable that people have made changes to the original Levitts, because of different necesities. At the same time people with small families don't really have the necesitiy to increase the size of the house, things to like these show just how much people are willing to fulfill their wants and not their needs. In this case it is a shame that there isn't one a original Levitt left to be put on display.
dwyer's crusade to preserve america's emblem of plebianism is really sweet. i hope it all works out for her.
sadly mcmansions will continue to flourish, this new guilded age is characterized by upper-middle class proliferation.
That's crazy that 800 sq. ft homes were seen as luxury only 50 years ago. Today if someone said that their home was that size you would see them as a low-end family. These homes however were a wonderful design, housing all of the returning soldiers in suburbs for cheaper prices. Also, they helped move people out of the cities into affordable homes located near cities.
i think mrs dwyer's goal to preserve an original levittown house is a little too idealistic- who can blame people for wanting to expand from the original 60-by-100 ft houses? it would be nice to have one original levittown house as a museum but it's really unfair to expect people to live in the original levittown houses.
It's not surprising that not many real Levittown orginal houses are left. An 800 sq ft house, with four rooms and one bathroom seems way to small for a family to live in. My family of four would defintly not be able to live in a house so small. I understand why families buying these houses are remodeling them, and although Ms. Dwyer wants to perserve these houses it just seems impossible.
I think that its nice that this lady is trying to preserve there houses.there are no more house now i think that size because people want bigger homes to support there familys and different lifestyles. Also everything now is bigger such as more people buy big tv's and other different goods that take up much more room. I think that its a shame that their these houses on display for people to come and see.
It is sad that people aren't wanting to preserve the "original" Levitt houses, but it's completely understandable that people aren't wanting to live in them. I think it should be the town's government to step in and preserve one, for museum-like purposes, and not Mrs. Dwyer's. I think these houses should be used as an example to show how people lived in the 50's and for us to appreciate how lucky (spoiled) we are.
it is a shame that small levitt houses arent being preserved. they display the past how much it has changed. GDP is based on the BIG MAC, the bigger the better. these luxery homes are what people are looking for. today peoplel wouldnt be able to live in an 800 sq ft house. this shows how much people take for granted these days.
i understand Mrs. Dwyer's perspective for wanting to preserve these houses. but with the relestate demanding luxery homes it is going to be hard for her to preserve these homes.
I think that it is fine for people to build additions on to their homes in Levittown. Life has changed alot since 1947. People are buying and making bigger houses to satisfy certain needs. I dont think that everything that is in most people houses are needed but if they can afford to buy it then they can do what they want. I dont think a Levittown house will be preserve. Sorry Ms. Dwyer
These old houses should go. No one is going to live in them because there are bigger families nowadays and most people want bigger houses.
Sorry Mrs Dwyer. It's the 21st Century.
"Out with the old in with the new"
If the houses all looked the same wouldn't it be hard to give direction because you could say my house is white with the red windows but there would be 50 houses with that description.
6,990 and 7,990 is pretty cheap for a house.
After growing up in the Hamptons, it is hard to believe that someone can actually live in a house that is only 800 square feet. I am really surprised that they found a some-what original Levitt house. The article mentions house with several children living in these small houses. It is sad to here about these stories where parents hold several jobs a day to support their families and still do not make enough to expand their tiny house. Honest folks like these should be able to expand their house and not wory about preserving history.
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