Centennial Photo of the Week - Moving Up and Moving Out

Promotional photos like this one inspired
U.S. military men and women returning home from
Germany and Japan to invest in a new home with funds
collected through the G.I. Bill. 

"Soldiers were returning home, and aided by G.I. loans, they purchased homes, returned to work and started young families in new, larger neighborhoods. There was a sudden housing shortage across the nation. A builder by the name of William J. Levitt attempted to answer this demand by constructing a number of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania neighborhoods, working with prefabricated materials and a limited number of home models. These typically were ranch homes that had three bedrooms, an "open-plan" living room, dining room, entrance hall, eat-in kitchen and one bathroom. These homes typically ranged in price from $10,000 to $15,000. The home went up quickly and filled up quickly. Soon the model for such neighborhoods, known at "Levittowns," spread across the nation, including central Indiana. New subdivisions in Indianapolis quickly expanded the city limits with developments north and west of the White River, along Allisonville Road and east to Fort Benjamin Harrison, east and west Washington Street about four miles from the city center and along the main southern arteries." -- Excerpt from "REALTORS®: Opening Doors for 100 Years" by Todd Gould (Chapter 6)

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