Friends of The Lustron House in Closter, NJ, has debuted its new website.

A Lustron house, developed by swedish-born American inventor and entrepreneur Carl Strandlund, was an affordable model of prefabricated, enameled steel homes that were meant to meet postwar housing needs. In 1947, Strandlund formed the Lustron Corporation and received an initial $12.5 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) to begin production. Almost 2,500 homes were produced and sold between 1948 and 1950. They were considered innovative for their steel framing, enameled steel paneling inside and out, and open floor plan. The venture eventually proved unprofitable and the RFC foreclosed on the company, leaving over 8,000 home orders unfulfilled.

The Harold Hess Lustron House (1950) located in Closter, NJ, was saved from demolition when it was gifted to the borough as part of a developer’s deal to purchase a neighboring property. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 25, 2000. The two-bedroom, one-story house is owned by the town, managed by the Friends of The Hess Lustron House, and opened for viewing every second Saturday of the month from noon to 2 pm.

Visit the Lustron House Museum website.