From the "Village of Westchester -- 1925-1975 -- Golden Jubilee", 1976.

The "Building Boom" Starts

(Photo, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. James Burke, shows a Nixon-built home on Portsmouth Avenue.
Open prairie extends eastward to Gardner Road.)

In 1940, real estate men began to promote Westchester.  The delinquent taxes and the overdue contract payments had been paid, so Westchester had a clear title.

During wartime, defense workers built two hundred homes between Roosevelt Road and Harrison Street.  Also, seventy homes were built in the southern part of the Village.  By 1940, the population of Westchester had grown to six hundred twenty residents, with a school enrollment of eighty students.

By the end of World War II, people were beginning to move from the city to the suburbs.  Home building industries began buying improved subdivided areas in Westchester and its surroundings with help of financial programs that the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration made available.

In the 1950's, Westchester was still expanding.  There were 180 homes built in 1949, and Mr. Baltis planned to build another two hundred homes in Westchester in 1950.  These homes were built of brick or a combination of brick and frame.  These homes were offered from $9,800 to $15,000, depending on the lot and the location of the property.

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Last Modified:  03/26/2005