A Home for Gary

[Music] Newcastle Pennsylvania in the heart of steel producing country this city of 45,000 is about 50 Mi Northwest of Pittsburgh near the Ohio border its Industries coal Pottery manufacturing Newcastle is similar to many Midwestern towns even to the Civil War Monument of the downtown square and like many communities Newcastle was caught in a housing squeeze a high residential occupancy rate coupled with new family formations aggravated the situation many existing houses were substandard the city's approach to the problem Urban Redevelopment built by skilled Craftsmen of another era these houses still showed Trace bis of their former opulence the neighborhood now had very little to recommend it there was a period when an address in this area along nanic Avenue was a mark of gracious living and status that time had long since passed Gary had lived all his 10 years on this block in a house more than half a century older than he now the house would be torn down the Redevelopment Authority had been explicit about Gary's home it was not fit for human habitation what Gary needed now was a place to live he hadn't really noticed before that his house was in such poor condition it was no worse than the ones around it he remembered when the man came to paint the big white X on the front of the house marking it for demolition the place had all the infirmities of architectural old age the floors creaked wind blew in around the Warped window frames the water had an orange tinge from the rusty plumbing and the wiring was archaic even dangerous Gary's dad called the place a fire trap the insurance investigator wasn't quite that diplomatic every house on the Block had heating bills which could only be called staggering now after years of hard use these places had to come down oh they would be replaced by new homes in time but Gary and his family had to find a place to live in the interim they couldn't afford a motel and living with relatives for the length of time it takes to build a house was out of the question housing was needed immediately this was the Redevelopment authorities problem too under present law families and urban renewal areas cannot be forced to move from their homes unless other homes are made available to them and the rent charged for these can be no greater than the rent paid for the old homes staff Executives of the authority visited the homes of the families to be relocated and discussed plans to revitalize the area during one of these visits Gary found out where he would live until the new houses were built on nanic Avenue the city was going to put up manufactured houses to serve of the families which would be temporarily displaced at the Redevelopment Authority plans had to be completed on specifications for the manufactured houses not the least among these was cost they had to work within a realistic budget houses had to be built in accordance with building plumbing and electrical codes they also had to meet the zoning regulations of the area where they would be located ritzcraft Incorporated of Argus Indiana a subsidiary of the Wix Corporation was the successful bidder ritzcraft had demonstrated its ability to produce lowcost sectional housing quickly to meet an urgent need after the contracts were signed it would be only four or 6 weeks until the new houses all 18 of them would be ready for occupancy at the ritzcraft plant in shimoken Pennsylvania modern assembly line techniques applied to the the construction industry answered the twin demands of speed and economy plans called for 18 sectional houses to be built on what had been a baseball field now unused The Authority bought the 3 and 1/2 acre site with ideal terrain and good drainage very little sight preparation was required and so the groundbreaking got underway staff Architects had laid out the houses so they would be placed on foundations strategic ially located to give each house the maximum amount of land with an open area in the center as the excavations were being dug and block laid the authority maintained a close watch on the operations they filed frequent photographic reports on the progress timing was critical the foundations must be prepared by the time the first houses began to arrive when one excavation was completed concrete was poured and block laid then the process was repeated on the next unit each phase of sight preparation was checked and rechecked the houses were already under construction at the plant some 200 mil away in shimoken steel frames to transport the sections are being welded these will be returned to the plant the completed floor frame is hoisted on its steel carriage and the unit prepares to move down the line at the same time in another part of the plant special wooden members are cut in quantity for use later farther down the assembly line Plumbing fixtures are put in place and connected 2x4s are placed in the truss jig nail plates are then put over the joints and hydraulic presses nail the entire truss in a single operation this process and many others are vital for fast economical [Music] production as the wall sections move down down the line workmen forego the claw hammer and shoot Nails into the studs but hammers are used when drywall is nailed to the wall sections while the drywall is being applied workmen route out the predetermined window openings when the interior drywall is installed and the openings routed out the now completed deck section moves into position overhead hoists are employed an entire 52t wall section is raised and secured to the deck again timing is critical in the manufacturing operation Windows frames glass the entire unit is installed doors paneling spackling interior painting and appointments even draperies are added at successive stations along the assembly line exterior siding and Roofing go on then modern well-built imaginatively designed sections roll out of the plant at the rate of six a day the 52t long completed sections are hitched to a ritzcraft tractor to begin the 200m hall from shimoken to Newcastle while construction was underway at the plant workmen at the Newcastle site were completing their jobs supporting members were secure to the foundation conduit was laid for electrical and telephone lines as well as television cables water gas and Sewer lines were installed work begins immediately to get the homes out of their foundations as quickly as possible as soon as it arrives this ritzcraft tractor is unhitched and returns to the plant for another section meanwhile another tractor pulls the sections into position for the final move onto the foundation protective plastic sheeting is removed bearing the open side of the section at the site for the first time rollers are placed under the section and the job of rolling it off at steel carriage and out of the foundation begins adjustments assure true positioning on the foundation assured of a true lineup workmen continue to roll the section with the first section in place the rollers are removed and it is permanently secure to the foundation a detailed inspection assures that the first section is properly placed and secure before work is begun on the final half of the [Music] structure only then is the second section moved into position beside the foundation Minor Adjustments again assure the section is lined up the rollers are put into position and much like a ship being launched the second section of the house begins to roll and the two sections are now joined for the first time the second half is secured to the foundation and sealed at each end flashing is nailed over the seal and the final panels of siding are nailed into [Music] place ridge cap work is completed utilities are hooked up and the house is ready and a New World opens for Gary Moving Day marks the beginning of a new way of life modern technology imagination and Innovation coupled with sophisticated manufacturing methods have met a critical need houses such as Garry's are permanent structures which meet the temporary housing needs of relocated families when Gary house on nanic Avenue is completed he and his family will return to a better life than the one they left there meanwhile they can live with dignity in the ritzcraft manufactured house which has all the advantages of conventionally built housing and the added feature of immediate availability the 18 homes in Newcastle will be used to temporarily house displaced families until the urban Redevelopment program is completed they will then go to a nonprofit group and be rented as housing for lowincome families a number of problems still face the manufactured housing industry the wide disparity in building and zoning regulations makes standardization of the product Troublesome standardization of these regulations could make hundreds of thousands of new homes more readily available almost immediately the scarcity and high cost of financing housing is another difficulty which faces the conventional Builder as well as the manufacturer of sectional and modular [Music] structures but a start has been made ritzcraft and the City of Newcastle have proved that in manufactured housing this is only the beginning oh