Norris and Harriet Coambs Lustron House

The Norris and Harriet Coambs Lustron House is a single-story home with exterior and interior surfaces covered in porcelain-enameled steel sheets. The residence contains three bedrooms, a living room, dining area, kitchen, utility room, bathroom, and a detached two-car garage.

The house was built in 1950 as one of the final products from the Lustron Corporation, which manufactured around 2,500 homes across the United States. It represents the end of a unique period in American housing history when manufacturers experimented with new technologies for mass-produced homes.

The house displays post-war design choices with curved lines and modern materials that shaped how families thought about home living. Visitors can observe how residents adapted to compact, efficient spaces built with industrial innovation rather than traditional construction.

The house is located on Bowser Avenue and features a straightforward single-story layout with accessible spaces throughout. Visitors should keep in mind that the structure requires careful handling due to its specialized metal construction and limited modification options.

The original interior features battleship gray porcelain-enameled steel walls without any wooden trim, showing the radical approach to materials in the post-war era. This detail lets visitors understand how differently people thought about housing compared to traditional standards.

Location: Chesterton

Address: 411 Bowser Avenue

GPS coordinates: 41.60833,-87.05528

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:07