What is the story of Levittown?
Levittown in Nassau County is a rather quaint hamlet that was planned and constructed from 1947 to 1951. Named after the firm Levitt & Sons, Inc. founded by Abraham Levitt, the settlement was built for returning World War II veterans and is today considered one of the first mass-produced suburbs in the country.
What was special about Levittown?
Levittown has been lauded for offering the American dream of homeownership, and derided as a model of suburban monotony and intolerance. But a key trait of the 71-year-old development in Nassau County is its stickiness. Many children of the original homeowners have grown up and grown old in these seven square miles.
Are Levittown homes still standing?
Short answer: Probably not. Long answer: The homes have all been altered, expanded or rebuilt since the first house went up 70 years ago, according to the Levittown Historical Society. Levittown began as the first modern suburb in the United States.
What was true about a home in a Levittown suburb?
Every house in Levittown was identical. The Levitt family called it “the best house in the US.” At first, all the homes were built in the same style, and some residents even admitted to walking into the wrong house at times because they couldn’t tell them apart.
Who was allowed to live in Levittown?
Levitt also allowed his upscale Strathmore community, on Long Island, to keep Jews out. Most notoriously, a few miles away from Strathmore in Levittown, “Clause 25” of the housing agreement forbade houses “from being used or occupied by any person other than members of the Caucasian race.”
Is Levittown segregated?
William J. Levitt refused to sell Levittown homes to people of color, and the FHA, upon authorizing loans for the construction of Levittowns, included racial covenants in each deed, making each Levittown a segregated community.
What was true about a home in Levittown suburb?