Six decades of building South Florida; in the 1940s, a home with "modern amenities" had a telephone and radio. In the 1960s, it was in a subdivision with a community pool. Today, it's a landscape of choices that runs from single-family spreads to urban lofts

South Florida CEO, April, 2004 by Richard Westlund

Lenny Miller started building homes in South Florida back in 1959. After completing college and some on-the-job training, he teamed up with Adolph Berger to found Pasadena Homes, a company that went on to build more than 10,000 units in the following four decades.

"Back then, we were selling a two-bedroom house with a carport for $12,300," says Miller, who served as president of the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF) in 1969 and retired from home-building last year. "Our highest price was $13,900 for a four-bedroom, two-bath model. Today, we pay more for a sewer hookup than we paid for an entire lot back then, and lots now sell for $60,000 on up."

Along with the steady rise in prices over the years, the biggest change has been a reduction in the land available for residential development, Miller says. "Today we are running out of land. But with all the new infill development, South Florida is still enjoying one of the hottest markets in history."

While the South Florida landscape is far different today than it was in the 1940s and 1950s, one thing that has remained constant is the role of BASF, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2004. "The purpose of the association hasn't changed," Miller says. "It's there to provide support to builders, monitor what goes on in the industry and be an advocate for builders with governments and regulatory agencies."

BASF President Oscar Barbara notes that when area builders founded the association back in 1944, home "air conditioning" meant opening the windows a little wider. A modern house had indoor plumbing, a telephone and at least one radio. Many apartment buildings were being used as barracks for U.S. servicemen training for World War II operations. Nearly one in ten Floridians lived in overcrowded conditions (more than 1 person per room) and only about 45 percent of the state's residents owned their own homes, according to US Census data.

Things changed quickly in the post-war era. As returning G.I.s married and started families, many recalled their training days and moved to sunny South Florida. At the same time, price controls were being lifted and materials shortages eased. The result was a steep jump in the number of new housing starts in the region and nation-wide. "It is expected that the public will be home-conscious for many years, their appetites whetted by several years of shortage," noted an article in the January 1948 issue of American Builder, which also cautioned that construction costs for a new home in Miami had risen from $6,700 in 1946 to $7,700 in 1947.

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Tourists also began coming to South Florida in greater numbers, and seasonal visitors needed a place to stay. Among those catering to the "snowbird" market in the late 1940s was Wilbur Kroetz, a Fort Lauderdale builder who offered "mansionettes" on Miami Beach for $4,995. Situated on a 40-by 50-foot lot, each apartment included a kitchen, bath, "living-bedroom" and a tiled terrace.

By the 1950s, production home development was well underway throughout the region. Kilian-Craft Homes marketed its two-bedroom, 920-square-foot, $6,450 home to grocery shoppers in 1959 by building a model next to the big Stevens Market. On the luxury home side, Dave Fleeman, a North Miami Beach builder, added touches like decorative fencing to the $27,900 models at his Sky Lake community. "We wanted every house to be different," he said in a 1958 interview with House and Home magazine. "Luxury-priced houses shouldn't look like so many peas in a pod."

During the 1960s, some South Florida builders advertised homes "cheap as rent" with mortgage payments as low as $59 a month. Amenities entered the scene, as developer Herbert Heftler helped start a trend by opening a community pool and recreation center for one of his subdivisions. Structurally, Palmetto Country Club Estates builder F.B. Wagor noted that reinforced lath and plaster interiors "are a big sales feature in our homes."

By the 1970s, custom home prices had escalated to the $100,000 to $450,000 range as builders like Arthur Lazarus and Stuart Feder focused on creating neighborhoods, not just homes. "Custom buyers want something that sets their neighborhood apart," said Feder in a 1977 interview. "That's what we give."

Over the past two decades, the pace of change in South Florida's building industry has quickened. Residential buyers can now choose from suburban single-family home communities, town-home developments, waterfront condominiums, urban lofts and vacation homes. "South Floridians now enjoy far more housing and lifestyle choices," says Barbara. "A new single-family home, for instance, may include energy-efficient appliances, pool, home office, theater room, and high-speed cable TV and Internet connections."

While home prices have risen, so have wages and household income. With today's low interest rates, more than two-thirds of Floridians are now homeowners--a steady climb over the past 60 years.

Through the decades, BASF members have played a leading role in meeting South Florida's continuing need for new homes, stores, offices, schools, ware-houses, hotels and government buildings. With national studies showing that 250 local jobs are generated every time 100 new homes are built, BASF members continue to contribute to the health of the region's economy.