{"id":3303,"date":"2024-10-29T15:17:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T15:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/?p=3303"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:37:48","slug":"the-home-building-campaign-of-1929-1931","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/the-home-building-campaign-of-1929-1931\/","title":{"rendered":"The “Home-Building Campaign” of 1929–1931"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A variation of this article, in tweet-thread form, was originally published as part of the #LostEastLansing project in November 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Excerpt from Sanborn<\/a> (1951), v. 2, p. 275. Image source: LOC<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“The John Haarer.” Image source: BSAO<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The house on the corner of Grand River Avenue and West Oakwood Drive in East Lansing has a unique history. Notice how it stands out on the 1951 Sanborn fire insurance map. In a sea of yellow frame houses, some edged in red to signify a brick or stone veneer, it is the only one that is solid blue and denoted “C.B.” for “concrete block.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built in 1930 by the Ehinger Realty company, it was touted as “the first dwelling of ‘firesafe’ construction in Greater Lansing. Walls are of concrete block, the frame is steel, plaster goes on metal lath, floors are of concrete, and as a whole the home has very little wood construction.” From the outside, none of these features are immediately apparent.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The house even has a name: “The John Haarer,” named for the president of the Michigan Bankers Association. It is one of a series of houses in a Home-Building Campaign run by the Lansing State Journal<\/em>, which aimed to promote the construction of new homes in and around Lansing. Starting in the summer of 1929, the newspaper provided substantial press to property developers, builders, and home furnishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A full page of articles about “The Downer” and its features, fixtures, and subdivision.†<\/a><\/sup> Image source: LSJ<\/a>, 10 Aug 1929, p. 17.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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“The Fairfield.” Image source: Google Street View.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The houses were generally modest—two stories and three bedrooms at most—but decently stylish. Each house was given a grandiose name, which were initially derived from the subdivisions themselves: “The Downer” (named for the Ziba A. Downer plat in Lansing), “The Fairfield,” “The Westlawn.” This helped to promote the new subdivisions as well. These first three houses did not receive much publicity when construction began, only a brief mention in the paper stating that “work will be started at once.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the fourth house selected was also in the Downer subdivision, a fresh name was needed, so the Journal<\/em> chose a suitable dedicatee: Harry H. Culver, president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards. His name is still well-known today, as the developer and namesake of Culver City, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Groundbreaking ceremony for “The Culver.” LSJ<\/a>, 20 Jul 1929, p. 10.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Culver attended the groundbreaking ceremony for “the Culver” on July 18, 1929, a detail that was kept secret until his arrival at the Lansing airport. The surprise visit created quite a buzz, prompting the Journal<\/em> to ramp up its promotional efforts.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the first house, “the Downer,” opened three weeks after Culver’s visit, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was a gala event that attracted over two thousand people. Speeches by dignitaries including state Attorney General Wilber M. Brucker, live music from a brass band, and a splashy photo spread in the Journal<\/em> the next day highlighted the event.3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The splashy photo spread. Brucker appears in several of the photos. Image source: LSJ<\/a>, 12 Aug 1929, p. 10.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Following each house’s formal opening, it was open for a week of public “inspection,” and attendance at these open houses was reported daily. Given the publicity, it’s no surprise that all of the homes were sold very quickly after going on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The Brucker,” not to be confused with the Governor Wilber M. Brucker House<\/a> which was listed as significant by the East Lansing Historic Commission during its initial late-1980s survey but is no longer standing. Image source: BSAO<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The John Haarer, the “firesafe” house in East Lansing, was the eighth in the series. Other house namesakes were Paul A. Martin, publisher of the State Journal<\/em>; James W. Wilford, president of the Bank of Lansing and the Lansing Chamber of Commerce; and Brucker, who would soon be elected Governor of Michigan (1931\u20131933).4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The combined opening ceremony for the “Brucker” and the nearby “Wilford” on May 3, 1931, marked the peak of publicity for the Home-Building Campaign. It was filmed by a motion picture crew and featured in newsreels at local Butterfield theatres, shown before the popular gangster movie The Public Enemy<\/em> starring James Cagney and Jean Harlow. The subsequent open houses drew record-setting crowds.5<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The Westlawn.” Image source: Google Street View.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At that same ceremony, a representative from the Battle Creek Enquirer<\/em> announced the launch of a similar campaign in that city. A week later, the State Journal<\/em> indicated that its own campaign would continue, stating that “plans are now underway for ground-breaking ceremonies for several additional modern, practical, and moderate-priced homes. They will be built during the summer for opening early next fall.”6<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, that State Journal<\/em> article is the last mention of either campaign. Most likely, the Great Depression finally caught up with the Lansing-area program and it was quietly closed down. It appears that the Battle Creek campaign never got off the ground; the Enquirer<\/em> itself never mentions it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The Reaume,” named for Leonard P. Reaume, who succeeded Culver as president of the National Association of Real Estate Boards. Image source: Google Street View.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In total, thirteen homes were promoted under the Home-Building Campaign between 1929 and 1931. Three are in East Lansing, the rest in Lansing. All of them are still standing today, more than nine decades later, and all appear to be in good condition externally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image source: LSJ<\/a> “Old Newsboys” edition, 22 Dec 1931, p. 2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This story has an off-beat denouement. In December 1931, the Journal<\/em>‘s annual “Old Newsboys” spoof edition offered a satirical “glimpse into 1950.” One article, rife with topical in-jokes, humorously predicted that the promotion would continue for another two decades, despite the fact that it was already defunct. The article described “The Chic Sale,” 245th in the series of State Journal<\/em> sponsored homes, as “appropriately furnished with all modern conveniences.” The accompanying photo showed an old outhouse.7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. LSJ<\/a>, 23 Aug 1930, p. 11. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. LSJ<\/a>, 20 Jul 1929, p. 10. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. LSJ<\/a>, 12 Aug 1929, pp. 1, 10. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. LSJ<\/a>, 20 Jun 1930, p. 1; 31 Oct 1930, p. 2; 21 Nov 1930, p. 8. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  5. LSJ<\/a>, 4 May 1931, pp. 1, 13. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  6. LSJ<\/a>, 11 May 1931, p. 1. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  7. LSJ<\/a> “Old Newsboys” edition, 22 Dec 1931, p. 2. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n

    1. † Oddly, the large image at top is not the Downer, but a similar house with subtle differences from the Downer as built.\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/span><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A variation of this article, in tweet-thread form, was originally published as part of the #LostEastLansing project in November 2022. The house on the corner of Grand River Avenue and West Oakwood Drive in East Lansing has a unique history. Notice how it stands out on the 1951 Sanborn fire insurance map. In a sea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a>, 23 Aug 1930, p. 11.\",\"id\":\"2cf92170-00d2-4097-a26e-7c81a0d8c5d1\"},{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a>, 20 Jul 1929, p. 10.\",\"id\":\"25ece728-96db-4a64-b4f0-f5b60cbcc463\"},{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a>, 12 Aug 1929, pp. 1, 10.\",\"id\":\"8af91be2-2738-4305-93a7-a2b63337b28e\"},{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a>, 20 Jun 1930, p. 1; 31 Oct 1930, p. 2; 21 Nov 1930, p. 8.\",\"id\":\"a452e640-bec9-48c6-a3c9-0a5f73d72aa4\"},{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a>, 4 May 1931, pp. 1, 13.\",\"id\":\"a57deb6c-c350-43a9-a8cc-cf29b9764bc5\"},{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a>, 11 May 1931, p. 1.\",\"id\":\"11cfa66c-5ade-4bf4-ae45-abf50e0ffae0\"},{\"content\":\"LSJ<\/a> \\\"Old Newsboys\\\" edition, 22 Dec 1931, p. 2.\",\"id\":\"d32199f0-4b1f-448a-8179-5d2c706d75a3\"}]"},"categories":[10,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-losteastlansing","category-in-and-around-east-lansing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3303"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5192,"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3303\/revisions\/5192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}