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 In 1964, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) turned one, having been incorporated the year before as the American Institute of Kitchen Dealers, a small group of kitchen specialists. Today, NKBA serves more than 30,000 members, underscoring the importance of kitchens and baths in modern homes.
The typical kitchen in 1964 was isolated from the rest of the home and largely the domain of the stay-at-home mom. Today, with dual working parents and children loaded up with after school activities, mealtime is often the only time families are together, and the kitchen has expanded to accommodate multiple activities — cooking, homework and bill paying — and opened up to the family room so parents can keep an eye on the youngsters. According to American Woodmark, a leading manufacturer of kitchen cabinets, the family hub-styled open kitchen has become even more popular since the events of 9-11.
Forty years ago, hailed as “the miracle laminate of the Space Age,” Formica was igniting excitement in the American kitchen. The Formica kitchen in 1964’s Formica World's Fair House in New York showcased such futuristic features as “the double stainless steel sink with built-in disposer, the dish sprayer and the built-in dishwasher,” and the manufacturer predicted they would become quite popular.
With global headquarters in Cincinnati, Formica Corporation has seen its predictions come true. Today, it is a leading manufacturer of high-pressure laminate, solid surfacing, laminate flooring and other decorative surfacing products. The company employs more than 4,000 workers at operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
California Car Culture
 Forty years ago, color TV was making its way into American homes, and an estimated 850,000 “war baby” freshmen entered college, many of them bunking in emergency living quarters set up in lounges, hotels and trailer camps. At the same time, the first Ford Mustangs were sitting in the driveways and garages of the few lucky buyers who were able to score one right off the assembly line.
The demand for bigger garages is rooted in the 1960s, when rising numbers of women were joining the workforce and the ranks of the nation’s commuters and teenagers were given access to car keys in unprecedented numbers as the California car culture spread across the country.
Attached to these garages and driveways were homes that embodied the new modernism, and would continue to do so for a decade — the split-level ranch. Perhaps not today’s most popular house plan, in the 1960s builders across the nation were embracing open-plan interior design, and many property developers used it for their new homes, especially for combining living and dining rooms.
In 1964, many homes were single story and no bigger than 1,500 square feet, and nobody had even heard of a super bath. Today’s homes, by comparison, are bigger than ever on average at a time when households are becoming smaller. Flexible space for home offices, gyms and state-of-the-art media rooms is in heavy demand and prospective buyers are shopping for homes in which they can make a personal statement.
Innovative Construction Techniques
But floor plans and amenities are not the only characteristics distinguishing homes built today from those that were built four decades ago. Construction elements have also undergone radical changes, and NCHI members have been in the forefront of developing products and techniques that focus attention on energy-efficiency, streamlining and sustainability.
One of the new applications of the latest technology on residential construction — insulated concrete forms (ICFs) — has grown from 3% to 15%-20% of the market over the past 10 years, according to the Portland Cement Association (PCA). Today, ICFs are increasingly being used for above-grade exterior walls, enhancing the energy efficiency and durability of housing in the process.
In conjunction with several allied industries, PCA partnered with NAHB in the mid-1960s to sponsor Concrete Industries Horizon Homes. In addition to exterior walls, the program showcased cladding and decorative concrete applications. Forty years later, PCA was a sponsor of The New American Home (TNAH) 2004 in Las Vegas, a prototype for using concrete for most of a home’s structural elements, including the envelope, flooring, decking and exterior finish.
Research and Development
Simpson Strong-Tie was the first hanger/connector manufacturer to obtain published code listings for its products. By 1964, it had developed a core of some 50 code-listed hangers and connectors, including the HD5 Holdown, the first connector specifically created to address seismic issues. Many of today’s universally recognized generic products — such as hurricane ties, post caps, purlin anchors and welded holdowns — were developed in Simpson Strong-Tie laboratories.
On Nov. 29, 1963, a research and development team at Noveon subjected a piece of PVC pipe to more than 10 times the amount of water pressure in a typical American home. The pipe sample — which would become the forerunner of today’s FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing system — remained under 791 pounds of pressure for nearly 40 years before failing just last year.
In addition to long-term pressure testing, Noveon’s state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar pipe testing laboratory has the ability to conduct tests on impact resistance, crush resistance, high-pressure burst, pressure cycling and thermal cycling.
Windows and Roofs
Popular flat roof lines in 1964 in single-story construction used such materials as slate, tile, metal and wood. Today, asphalt has become a widely used roofing material, according to the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, thanks to innovations in style, texture and color, providing builders and home owners with more options than ever before.
 Today’s roof windows and skylights offer features and consumer benefits that were unimaginable when VELUX, a leading specialty glass product company, emerged. Skylights featuring durable glass with energy efficient Low-E coatings, argon gas-filled double-pane construction and special glazing techniques have replaced inefficient, unsightly plastic bubble skylights. Modern roof windows, skylights and sun tunnels offer home owners and commercial property owners better use of space; energy savings; attractive, functional and versatile window treatment options; and the health benefits from natural light and ventilation
In 1964, Marvin Windows had 307 employees; today, its workforce has grown to 4,500. A family-owned business founded in 1912, Marvin was originally a lumber and cedar company; it entered the window and door-frame manufacturing business to fill idle capacity during the quieter winter months. Today, Marvin offers 11,000 different standard window sizes and shapes.
For Andersen Windows, another window manufacturer, its Perma-Shield® Cladding System was big news in the mid-1960s. The patented, tough vinyl exterior for wood windows was low-maintenance, and coupled with the company’s insulating glass, eliminated the need for storm windows. In 1964, the company introduced patio doors, and their windows were featured in the Formica World’s Fair House. Andersen survived two major floods, one in 1965 and the other in 1969. (Floods devastated Formica’s Cincinnati-based plant in 1939.)
In 1961, Builders’ Showcase, a local TV show produced by Andersen, Northern States Power (now Xcel Energy) and U.S. Gypsum Corporation, was featuring three homes a week, along with their builders and the Andersen products going into them. Today, that news beat has been taken over by HGTV, DIY, the Style Network and others, who feature nearly every conceivable aspect of home building, design, decorating and landscaping.
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New Single-Family Home Characteristics
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Mid-1960s |
2003 |
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Homes Completed (thousands) |
970 |
1,386 |
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One Story |
72% |
47% |
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Two Stories or More |
18% |
52% |
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Split Level |
10% |
1% |
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Central Air |
25% |
88% |
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2.5 Bathrooms |
19% |
56% |
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4+ Bedrooms |
24% |
88% |
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1+ Fireplace |
44% |
59% |
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2+ Car Garage |
48% |
85% |
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Average Square Feet |
1,470 |
2,302 |
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Average Value of Lot |
18.3% |
23.5% |
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As Share of Sales Price |
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|
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Average Sales Price |
$20,500 |
$246,000 |
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Value of Construction (billions) |
$31 |
$476 |
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Remodeling Expenditure (billions) |
$11 |
$177 |
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Total Number of Households (thousands) |
56,149 |
109,297 |
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(2002) |
*Source: NAHB Economics Group. Data for mid-1960s spans 1964-1969 based on available research. |
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In 1964, 10 years after the debut of the TV dinner, families were still gathering in the kitchen, but fondue was hip; Tang was making a splash; and consumers embraced the blender as the essential tool for mixing cocktails and preparing healthy drinks — the smoothie was born.
