Levittown essays

Levittown essays In the 1950s, Abraham Levitt had a dream. He dreamt of building an organized social community in response to the post WWII population boom and the urge to rebuild social connections. With the mindset of its creator and his familys business, his communities called Levittown grew to be thriving social centers and examples for the ideal American suburb that still stands today. However, there were some discrepancies and minor failures in the roots of Levittown, NY, and other Levittowns to come. Their tendency to stress conformity and the racial segregation that occurred would be viewed negatively today. Levittown's place in American cultural history of post war America is assured in part by the way each part of it was constructed: the site and the neighborhoods, but most importantly the construction of society and the community that resulted. The key figure in the construction of Levittown was Abraham Levitt. He and his sons ran a construction company known as Levitt and Sons. Abraham was born on July 1, 1880 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of 10, Abraham quit school, despite his avid passion of Philosophy and his astonishing ability to read above his grade level. One of his hobbies was gardening, and his love of foliage and horticulture was later reflected in Levittowns agricultural setting. Abraham did however return to school at the age of 20 and received his education at New York University Law School, and finally earned his degree in real estate law in 1902. Abrahams abilities as a facilitator of land acquisitions by building contractors would lead him to create Levitt his youngest son, Alfred, would be the designer of the homes. William Jaird Levitt, who later became president of Levitt and Sons, was born on February 11, 1907. Just as his father he was educated in New York public schools, and took after his father, being an avi...