A file photograph used to illustrate the article about post-World War II suburbs did not show the section of Bowie developed in the 1960s by Levitt and Sons. Instead, it showed the Northview section of Bowie, developed in the 1970s by a Levitt company.
'Burbs, Boomers And the Effects of Age
Updating the New-Home Developments Of Yesteryear
A section of Bowie developed by Levitt and Sons, builder of Levittowns. The development was built in the early 1960s.
(Photo by Ken Feil- The Washington Post)
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Saturday, April 11, 2009
Selma Jager stood in line just to look at the models offered by Levitt and Sons in the neighborhood it planned to build on a onetime horse farm in Bowie.
After she bought her three-bedroom Colonial in the development's "S" section in 1962, Jager said, "I remember bragging to my mom about my kitchen. It had all pink appliances."
"I thought I was the cat's meow," said Jager, a real estate agent who still lives in the house.
The original gold-flecked walls and turquoise toilets may be gone. And the roofs may have been replaced. But at their core, the "new towns" and other planned communities built in the decades after World War II are starting to age.
If you are a baby boomer born in those same decades, you may know from your own graying hair and aching joints what it's like to move from mature toward historic.
For those looking at buying the pre-owned American dream in these older suburban developments, it's prudent to look at how the housing stock and infrastructure have been maintained. And for those selling one of these classics, whether it's a Levitt rancher in Bowie or an original Reston townhouse, experts have tips for making your older house seem more fresh and modern.
"With aging, so much of it is perception, and it's not always accurate," said Deb Pestronk, an agent with Coldwell Banker in Reston.
Just because something isn't shiny doesn't mean it's not attractive, she said. Older houses often are in established neighborhoods with stable schools. Amenities are already there -- there's no waiting for a certain number of homes to be sold before the pool and clubhouse are built. And in some cases, the upgrades made by previous owners are less expensive than they would be in new houses.
Moreover, because planned communities established in the 1950s and 1960s were frequently built by a single developer, it's often easier to predict what problems may arise. For example, the asbestos shingles you see on a Bowie Colonial are bound to show up on a Bowie Cape Cod, unless they have been replaced.
Poor insulation, outdated electrical panels and single-pane windows -- all standard during that era -- are common complaints, regardless of geography or builder.
But not all of the issues will be identical, in part because these developments were built in phases. Levitt's construction crews, in particular, made slight adjustments from one section to the next. In Reston, although founder Robert E. Simon Jr.'s development company built many of the earliest townhouses and apartments, numerous builders have worked in the community.
To say those years were an era of mass-produced homes would be an understatement.
