WILLIAM J. LEVITT Biography - Bussiness people and enterpreneurs

 
 

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WILLIAM J. LEVITT

Name: William Jaird Levitt                                                         
Born: February 11, 1907                                                             
Died: January 28, 1994                                                             
                                                                                     
William Jaird Levitt (February 11, 1907 - January 28, 1994), is the real-estate     
developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He             
certainly did not invent the building of communities of affordable single-family   
homes within driving distance of major areas of employment; yet his innovations     
in providing affordable housing popularized this type of planned community in       
the years following World War II.                                                   
                                                                                     
As President of Levitt & Sons, the real-estate development company founded by       
his father Abraham Levitt near the start of the Great Depression, William Levitt   
oversaw all aspects of the company but design of the homes they built. Design       
duties were handled by William's brother Alfred.                                   
                                                                                     
Prior to World War II, Levitt & Sons built mostly upscale housing on and around     
Long Island, New York. After returning from the war, during which he served in     
the Navy as a lieutenant in the Seabees, William Levitt saw a need for             
affordable housing for the returning veterans.