Designed by Charles M. Goodman and built in 1957, this single story ranch house is essentially a post-and-beam construction (with 2x6 wood joists resting on steel beams supported by steel columns in the basement and the foundation walls of concrete block) with a shallow pitched side-gabled roof and exterior walls constructed of prefabricated panels of textured aluminum interspersed with floor-to-ceiling windows. The house is largely surrounded by a six foot tall pierced brick wall, providing privacy for enclosed patios and gardens.
This is architecturally significant as an example of post-World War II efforts to create affordable, efficient and appealing modern housing for middle-class Americans by a major American corporation.
So what makes it carefree? Goodman wrote "Our goal is to endow the Home with a personality... delightful to be in, pleasant to live in, worthy of pleasure and pride in possession. The Alcoa Care-free Home satisfies every requirement laid down by the Women's Congress on Housing, which spoke for the nation's homemakers in setting the pattern of the perfect house." According to Alcoa's promotional material:
"Exterior wall panels and roof of aluminum are coated with colorful, Lucite acrylic film. ... No painting is required to maintain the distinguished good looks."
"wall surfaces of easy-to-clean vinyl plastic"
"Carpeting is recessed into the floor for easier cleaning, and rugged vinyl tile hall and trim surfaces bear the brunt of heavy traffic without showing wear. ... Floor coverings are trip-proof: a 5/8" recess accommodates pad and carpet at a level flush with the edging of vinyl tile."
"Laminated plastic (cabinets) lend gay informality along with the practicality of easy cleaning."
"Laminated plastic countertops are just the right height to minimize bending."
"polyethylene diffusers (in the bathrooms) make the entire ceiling a source of light to bathe the room. Wall panels of moistureproof laminated plastic and glass tub enclosure are both framed in aluminum for enduring good looks. Clean-up chores involve no more than the whisk of damp cloth."
"Cool or warm air is diffused through slender, unobtrusive aluminum outlet strips - only 1 5/8" wide. ...Aluminum heating diffusers are carefully placed in the vinyl floor section so that cleaning is easy, and heat need never interfere with draperies or furniture."
"Ceilings of cypress throughout the home, with its rich grain, never need care of any sort."
"The Alcoa Care-free Home costs less to heat and is cooler in summer because it is well insulated with highly efficient, economical aluminum-surface insulation. An aluminum termite shield in the foundation protects the house from damage and gives the builder valuable reference points for the supporting framework of the house. aluminum nails and fasteners are used throughout the home, because they never rust or stain."
"An aluminum fascia strip rims the eaves... Its novel design incorporates special rain diffusing slots that break up water flow from the heaviest downpour to eliminate erosion of flowers and splatter on exterior walls."
"Raised receptacles, housed in lustrous aluminum, provide ready access to electricity."
"Brushed aluminum forms the wall plates for remote control switches that flick on or off silently at the touch of a finger. ... It takes just four of these units to control illumination of the entire Care-free Home."
As a privately owned home, we don't have the opportunity to walk through, but the pictures submitted with the nomination form are available: (
visit link)
For more about how the aluminum industry evolved, more information is provided on the NRHP nomination form (
visit link) . Ultimately the cost was higher than Alcoa anticipated, and local house builders were not cooperative with the radical new building methods, so the experiment was dropped.
Changes to the house seem to be very limited. The built-in appliances were all originally GE manufactured, and have since been replaced. The kitchen counters were replaced with Corian, staying with the artificial materials theme (vs. granite tops) and garage doors were added to what was designed to be a two-bay carport. The pine tree privacy screen along the road was put in about the same time as the house, and so, are all over 50 years old. There is an underground sprinkler system, so that even the extensive lawns are low maintenance. Too bad no one has invented a built in lawn mower!