Laura - The Suburban Kitchen in Levittown, PA
The kitchen, as a domestic space in a home, was advertised for women in suburban, single-family homes in Levittown, Pennsylvania. It was publicized as the central hub of efficiency, both with its spacial layout and the modern appliances. But the advertised kitchen clashed with the reality of the kitchen in Levittown. As a single family home, space was limited. In some cases, there was no room for both a washer and dryer, never mind the money to pay it. The kitchen became a fashion trend, but only because it was perceived as a woman's space.
History of Levittown, Pennsylvania
Post WWII, the 1950's suburban community rose in America. Designed and developed by William J. Levitt, "Levittown, Pennsylvania was the largest planned community constructed by a single builder in the United States" (The State Museum of Pennsylvania). Completed in 1958, 5500 acres housed 17,311 single-family homes. The appeal of having an affordable home with a backyard for the kids attracted families from in and around the state. Levittown in Pennsylvania wanted to emphasized youth, leisure, consumer goods, and easy living for the family.The Dream Kitchen
Advertisements were attempts to placate woman to get excited about the home. They advertised abundant space, seasonal color, and efficiency, therefore easy-living. But what was being advertised conflicted with the reality of these domestic spaces. As a single-family home, there was only so much space that could be dedicated to kitchen.
Prefabricated kitchen designs were implemented in the United States with rational-space and labor saving principles. These spaces were designed specifically with the suburban housewife in mind. The form and function of the advertised kitchen conflicted with the reality of a housewife. Levittown kitchens used commercialism and capitalism to promote domestic life.
Citations:
"Building the Suburban Dream: The Levittown Kitchen." Levittown, Pa. Building the Suburban Dream. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, 1 Jan. 2003. Web.Harris, Dianne. "9. Pink Kitchens for Little Boxes: The Evolution of 1950s Kitchen Design in Levittown." Second Suburb: Levittown, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, PA: U of Pittsburgh, 2010. 243-80. Print.
Hellman, Caroline. "The Other American Kitchen: Alternative Domesticity in 1950s Design, Politics, and Fiction." Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture (1900-present). 1 Sept. 2004. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Kelly, Barbara M. Expanding the American Dream: Building and Rebuilding Levittown. Albany: State U of New York, 1993. Print.
Lane, Barbara Miller. "Mass Housing as a Single-family Dwelling: The Post-war American Suburb." Housing and Dwelling: Perspective on Modern Domestic Architecture. New York: Routledge, 2007. 272-309. Print.
Meck, Stuart. “Reflections on Levittown.” Planning 75, no. 2 (February 2009): 54–54.
Image Citation:
1. http://statemuseumpa.org/levittown/images/lg_jpegs/GE-ad.jpg2. http://statemuseumpa.org/levittown/images/lg_jpegs/colorful-kitchens.jpg
3. http://statemuseumpa.org/levittown/images/lg_jpegs/open.jpg
