Lustron House at 711 Ninth Avenue
Why it's listed
This one-story ranch-type house in Albany, Georgia, was built in 1949 by Hav-A-Home, the local Lustron dealer. It is a Westchester Deluxe two-bedroom model of 1,085 square feet, one of 2,498 produced by the Lustron Corporation and one of 22 built in Georgia. Its walls, roof shingles and interior panels are porcelain-enameled steel on a concrete slab. Distinctive features include a front bay window, rounded corners, sliding closet doors, and built-in steel buffet and bookcase units. Some changes have been made, including an enclosed side porch, a carport, a gas furnace and central air conditioning, but most original fabric remains. The house was listed for its role in postwar prefabricated housing, which used new materials and dealer franchises to address the housing shortage after World War II, and as a good example of modern, ranch-style prefabricated design. Because it was under fifty years old at listing, it also met the exception for recent research on Lustron houses.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact example of the Lustron Westchester Deluxe two-bedroom model and of post-World War II prefabricated housing using porcelain-enameled steel panels. It meets Criterion A for its link to postwar efforts to ease the housing shortage and Criterion C as a good example of creative prefabricated house design of the late 1940s.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 96000213, listed March 18, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 711 Ninth Ave., Albany |
|---|---|
| County | Dougherty County |
| Listed | March 18, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000213 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1949 |
| Architect / builder | Roy Blass and Morris Beckman, Illinois architects (designed prototype for the Porcelain Products Company, later Lustron Corporation); built by Hav-A-Home, Albany Lustron franchise |
| Architectural style | Other: Lustron |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Engineering |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single dwelling; alterations include an enclosed side porch, an added carport, a gas furnace replacing the oil furnace, central air conditioning, and removal of the combination dishwasher/clothes washer. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.59838, -84.16667 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 96000213.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134297740
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.