| Additional Information: | A 'site file' titled "Marion Baker House" exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. In 1951 the occupant was Marion Baker and in 1952 it was Robert Pater.
Interior retains a significant degree of integrity.
2018 survey report write-up: Measuring 31 feet x 35 feet and rising from a concrete base, this 1,021-square-foot, one-story, side-gabled house is constructed of “desert tan” porcelainized enamel steel panels and its roof is covered with enameled steel tiles. Aluminum-frame windows are located throughout the house; either larger tripartite examples or smaller, multiple-light casements. A small porch at the northeast corner of the house is sheathed with vertical board; a small amount of additional vertical board is located beneath the living room bay window along Ethel Street. Known as the Westchester [Deluxe] model, it includes a kitchen, dining room, living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. The Deluxe model included built-ins in both the bathroom and the bedrooms. An interior inspection of the home confirms that it is largely intact, including all of the built-ins that make the home the “deluxe” model. Original asbestos flooring, however, has been replaced with wood laminate.
This Lustron house, known as the Westchester deluxe model, was built in 1949 by Leroy Zahn of Rothschild. Zahn operated the local agency for Lustron homes. Built on speculation, the house is identified as No. 880 from the Lustron plant in Columbus, Ohio. Actual construction of the prefabricated house took less than three weeks and under 350 hours. Upon completion, the model house was open for public inspection, in the hope, no doubt, that additional orders would be made from visitors through the home. Unfortunately for Mr. Zahn, production of Lustron homes came to a close quite rapidly (as a result of the bankruptcy of the Lustron Corp.) and no additional Lustron homes were built in Wausau. Zahn sold the house on land contract in July 1950 to Edwin and Hildred Baker for a total sum of $10,700 and, for the next two years, it was occupied by their son Marion Baker. The house sold again in 1952, to Robert and Lois Prater. The home’s current owner is aware of its significance and is interested in maintaining the home’s original features. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Citations for 2018 survey report information below:“Wausau’s First Lustron House is Constructed,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 17 August 1949, 21/1-3, including photo; Leroy and Wanda Zahn to Edwin and Hildred Baker, Land Contract, signed 25 July 1950 (rec. 29 December 1950), vol. 367/page 390, this and all other deeds referenced in this report are on file at the Marathon County Courthouse; Wausau City Directory, 1952. |
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