Knight, William and Ruth, Lustron House
Also known as: Jafra Inc. of Georgia Lustron Demonstration Home
Why it's listed
This small ranch-style house at 1976 Northside Drive in Atlanta was built in May 1949 from porcelain-enameled steel panels. It served as the original demonstration home for the Atlanta-area Lustron franchise run by Jafra, Inc. of Georgia. It is a Westchester Deluxe two-bedroom model of 1,085 square feet, with light green exterior panels, a bay window, a heating system that warms the ceiling panels, and built-in steel furniture, sliding doors and rounded corners inside. Lustron houses were marketed as a modern answer to the severe housing shortage after World War II, and only ten were built in metro Atlanta. The house keeps most of its original fabric, with changes limited mostly to cosmetic items such as carpeting, curtains, gutters, bathroom fixtures and the large picture windows. A 1960s guest house and garage stands at the rear. It was listed for its role in postwar prefabricated housing and for its distinctive design, with an exception allowed for its age.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact example of post-World War II prefabricated housing using porcelain-enameled steel panels, meeting Criterion A for its link to postwar efforts to ease the housing shortage. It also meets Criterion C as a creative, modern prefabricated design with built-in features, sliding doors and a radiant heating system. It was the first demonstration home for metro Atlanta, which supports the exception for properties less than 50 years old.
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 96000208, listed March 18, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 9166 Northside Dr., Atlanta |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | March 18, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000208 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1949 |
| Architect / builder | Roy Blass and Morris Beckman, Illinois architects (designed prototype for the Porcelain Products Company, later renamed Lustron Corporation) |
| Architectural style | Other: Lustron |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Engineering |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; retains its structural and architectural integrity with minor alterations such as replaced picture windows, gutters, bathroom fixtures and floor carpeting. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.81851, -84.40761 (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 96000208.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134346762
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.