Many home builders, because of the large-scale projects they were able to sustain in the 1950s and `60s, became associated with specific regions of the metropolitan area.
Cambridge Homes Inc. is identified with the north suburban Lake County area. Coming from a marketing director`s job in the lumber industry, Richard Brown started his company in Libertyville in 1961 in what he called ”an entirely different market with entirely different buyers.”
Prior to World War II, homeowners were in the minority of the population. But in the late `50s that began to change. A tremendous number of young men were returning from the war and the possibility of home ownership became a reality with the introduction of the Veterans Administration and Federal Housing Administration.
”The main thing was to own a home, own a piece of land,” Brown said.
”We as builders began to fill that gap by grinding out houses. Fabricated houses came into being, but it was basic shelter that was being attempted-the simple box type, rectangular house usually 40-by-30 or 30-by-30 feet. No garage.
”So when we started, we were still meeting that pent-up demand. There wasn`t much imagination in housing. Subdivisions were built with all the same exteriors. But in the early `60s, a change was beginning to come. More builders were being established. That immediate vacuum was getting filled and we were beginning to get into different kinds of housing,” he said.
Brown`s first project was in northwest suburban Wheeling and was called Westbrook Farms. The prices ranged from $16,990 to $21,990. The top-of-the-line model was a two-story with a garage.
It was about this time that Brown said he believed bigger and better houses were needed to make a neighborhood look more attractive. He did that by being one of the first builders to offer two or three exteriors for each of his homes.
”I remember we used to think that the woman was solely responsible for the home-buying decision. So we named the models for women: the Betty Ann, the Mary Ann, the Kathleen-which was my daughter`s name-and the Diane.”
”The little one, the Betty Ann, was a 1,000-square-foot house, a rectangle with no garage. We brought a driveway to the front of the house, so later people could extend it and put in a garage. There were no basements-very seldom would you put in basements in those days. But we mixed up the exteriors so the area, which was about 400 homes, turned out to be a very attractive looking neighborhood with homes now selling in the $100,000 range.”
Brown said the early `60s were not depression days but they were not boom days either. The economy was fairly stable. Homes were selling primarily to young, first-time buyers.
”From a housing standpoint, there was stability. There was no such thing as ups and downs in interest rates. We started in the early `60s, I recall, and we were nudging the 6 percent interest range and everybody thought the housing market would stop if we ever hit 6 percent,” Brown said. ”The important thing was that there was no variation. Interest rates might have a half-percent or a quarter-percent fluctuation over a whole year.”
Brown said the major difference in home building between today and 25 years ago is in the time it takes to start a project, think it through, present it, get it underway and build it. He said the problem now is the result of an attitude change by governing bodies.
”Back then there was a desire for growth,” Brown said. ”Most builders were responsible and did excellent jobs. But there were some who cut corners. However, in later years municipalities over-reacted and put in so many rules that today what used to take a couple of months can take a year or more.”
Brown said he remembers when counting a wife`s salary toward a mortgage was prohibited by government regulations unless it was documented by a physician that the woman could not bear children.
”Today the vast amount of housing sold depends on two incomes. In 25 years, the average age of Americans will be much older. Because of the tremendous federal debt problem, the taxation situation is going to be very difficult. We`ve got to be able to create the type of housing people need. We can`t keep moving farther and farther out, creating more highways, more driving time, more pollution. We have to get better use of our land and to be able to build on smaller areas with great density.”
Next: Dick Van Schaardenburg.
