Victory Housing

Today’s Photo Du Jour covers Victory homes. In Canada theses homes were built and owned by Wartime Housing Ltd. The crown corporation bought materials and land and followed through with orders for homes across the country. Victory Homes came in two models: a two-room bungalow or a four-bedroom, one-and-a-half storey house. They were tiny by today’s standards – and without basements and furnaces – but they met the need.

After the war, many veterans moved into Victory Homes after the war and renovated them. Some of them, enlarged and updated, are standing today. But there was still a post-war housing crisis. The entire economy was affected by a continued scarcity of materials and of the money to acquire housing. In 1946 the federal government responded by creating the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (now the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation). The assets of Wartime Housing Ltd. Were transferred to CMHC in 1947 (including the responsibility of housing veterans) through the Veteran’s Rental Housing program.

(info above from this link)

Between 1941 & 1945 – 19 000 of these houses were built across Canada. In 1946-47 – 13 000 more were built to house returning servicemen. Of the 32 000 units built in Canada, 2500 were in Windsor. Many of these local units still survive today.

Giradot St. Windsor’s West side – 1940’s.

Photo above from the Bernie Drouillard Collection.

Street scenes in the Memorial Park area of Windsor.

A good textbook example.

One still sporting the faux stone siding.

A pair, each with a different look.

Two for the price of one? A horrible second story addition.

Another example.

The images below are from “Building Canada – Small Homes – 1946”

For a higher quility copy of the images below – Click this link for 5 mb .pdf file.