1950s House facts for kids
The 1950s House was a special exhibit at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. It was designed to let visitors see and feel what everyday life was like in Vermont during the 1950s.
This house opened at the museum in the year 2000. It helped people understand how America changed a lot after World War II. During this time, people started buying many new things, creating a lively consumer culture. The house itself was built in the 1940s. It was decorated with furniture, books, toys, food, and magazines from the late 1940s and early 1950s. This showed how industries grew quickly after the war. The 1950s House offered a fun look into the style and culture of that time.
Contents
History of the 1950s House
Building the House in Shelburne
Frank and Helen LaFlam, who lived in Shelburne, built the 1950s House. They bought the land in 1948 from a large farm that was divided up. In 1950, Vermont had lots of land and natural resources. The town of Shelburne encouraged new homes to be built. The town did not even have zoning rules until 1957. Zoning rules help control how land is used.
Modern Features of the Home
When the LaFlams designed their house, they included many modern features. These included central heating and public water. They also had up-to-date kitchen and bathroom appliances. These appliances included a refrigerator and built-in cabinets.
Prefabricated Home Design
The growing industries of the late 1940s made it possible for the LaFlams to buy a "ready-cut" house. This was a type of prefabricated home. It meant the house parts were made in a factory and then shipped to the building site. This made it cheaper and easier to build.
Style and Details of the House
The house had a simple, one-story design with an attached garage. It had plain, overhanging eaves and white clapboard siding. These were common features of house designs from the middle of the 20th century. The LaFlams added broad, stained wood trim around the windows and doors. This simple detail was easy to find in Vermont because it had a lot of lumber. The house was not a traditional Cape style or a typical ranch. It showed signs of being built by the owners themselves. It had a fun mix of new and old, common and unique details.
The House as a Museum Exhibit
In the summer of 2000, the house opened to the public. It was a temporary exhibit called "The Fabulous 50's: Welcome Home to Postwar Vermont." The exhibit was so popular that it was extended through 2005.
End of the Exhibit
On May 4, 2012, the 1950s House was taken down. This was done to make space for a new building. That new building is the Pizagalli Center for Art and Education.
See also
- Electra Havemeyer Webb
- 1950s
External links
- Shelburne Museum website
de:Shelburne Museum
