1950s: Building the American Dream

Step back in time to the 1950s inside a full-size Lustron home to explore mid-century family life, culture, and social issues.

Experience life in the 1950s by putting your feet up on the couch, playing a record, peeking in drawers and rolling in the grass in a full-size prefabricated Lustron home built inside the museum at the Ohio History Center. Expect to see items like a 1957 Chevy Bellaire, an Airstream trailer, Roy Rogers toys and decorations, a bomb shelter hatch, 1950s television news and programs, and a combination clothes and dishwasher! With the Lustron home as the literal frame to experience the decade, the exhibit invites visitors to explore the complex social environment of a “real” nuclear family from Central Ohio living in a Lustron home during the 1950s: a father, mother, boy, and new baby girl. Through this family, visitors can encounter three themes that define the decade: Family and Gender Roles: Traditional roles for men and women and fathers and mothers were redefined by the post-World War II boom and vastly different from previous and later generations. Social and Political issues: From segregated housing to the Civil Rights movement to the Cold War to McCarthyism, the 1950s was anything but ideal for so many Americans. Popular Culture: The popular music, literature, art, and design of the 1950s is undeniably alluring and retains devout followers 60+ years later. Exhibit Sponsors 1950s: Building the American Dream is supported by generous contributions from Conestoga; The Longaberger Foundation; The Ohio Humanities Council; The Greater Columbus Arts Council; The Gordon Chandler Memorial Fund of the Columbus Foundation; Columbus Truck & Equipment, Inc.; and Ronald J. Ungvarsky & Susan Tomasky Gorman Family Foundation Gordon Chandler Memorial Fund