Chapter 1
The butter salesman who built suburbs
Chapter 2
The anatomy of an Eichler
Chapter 3
Building communities without barriers
Chapter 4
The Silicon Valley connection and modern legacy
YOUR GOAL
Master of The story of Eichler homes
Ch 1 · The butter salesman who built suburbs
torito Joseph Eichler Mid-Century Homes
Eichler homes! / Open-plan, bringing outside in! / A vision from a butter man, so iconic.
torito Eichler broke industry norms by hiring prestigious architectural firms to design mass-market tract housing.
torito Millions of returning World War II veterans sparked an unprecedented demand for affordable family housing across the United States.
BETA
torito Build functional homes to discover Joseph Eichler's iconic architectural style.
Fun Fact
Wright inspiration: Renting a Frank Lloyd Wright house in 1943 inspired butter salesman Joseph Eichler to completely reinvent suburban American housing.
Glossary
suburb (noun)
An outlying residential district of a city. After managing a wholesale butter business, Joseph Eichler built thousands of modernist homes in California's postwar suburbs.
An outlying residential district of a city. After managing a wholesale butter business, Joseph Eichler built thousands of modernist homes in California's postwar suburbs.
Quiz
Which famous architect designed the house that Joseph Eichler rented in 1943, inspiring his love for modernism?
Quiz
In what year did Joseph Eichler build his first modernist tract homes in Sunnyvale?
Quiz
What career did Joseph Eichler pursue before founding his home-building company in 1947?
Quiz
In which U.S. state did Joseph Eichler build almost all of his iconic modernist tract homes?
Quiz
Which architectural firm did Joseph Eichler first hire in 1949 to design his affordable modern homes?
Quiz
What key legislation helped millions of WWII veterans buy homes in the postwar era when Joseph Eichler started building?
Quiz
What was the approximate starting price of Joseph Eichler's early homes in Sunnyvale in 1949?