Arlington Park residents hope to relocate historic home

Tom McArdle bought a home at 1956 Rose St. in 2018 with the intent to demolish it, but he has spent the past two years trying to find a way to make sure it stays standing.

McArdle was in the process of getting the necessary demolition permits when he discovered the house, built in 1949, was listed on the Florida Master Site File, a database of older properties in the state. Although the designation doesn’t necessarily confer historic significance, it did get McArdle to further research the story behind the structure.

He learned the 982-square-foot building was a Lustron house. After World War II, the Lustron Corp. produced prefabricated steel homes that could be shipped throughout the country and assembled on the homeowner’s property. He learned his “surf-blue” home was one of fewer than 3,000 ever produced and the last remaining structure of its kind in the region.

“The more I looked into the history of the house, I realized it probably was worth saving,” McArdle said.

And so, in 2018, McArdle began searching for a way to relocate the Lustron house before beginning construction on a new home on his property. Now he might have found a partner: the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association, which hopes to place the structure in or near Arlington Park as a community center.

The group notes that a 2005 city-adopted strategic plan for the neighborhood identified a community center as a need in Arlington Park. The neighborhood association has traditionally met in the community room at the Waldemere Fire Station, but it sees the Lustron house as a potential dedicated space for people in the neighborhood.

“That’s what we’re looking for — to bring the community together,” said Terry Langlois, a neighborhood association board member.

Before the neighborhood can move forward with its plans, it first has to get the city’s support for moving the building onto public property. That’s why, ahead of the May 18 City Commission meeting, two members of the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association submitted letters asking officials to back the proposal. Langlois said the group has gotten a positive response from the city thus far, but no official action has been taken.

There are also some financial questions surrounding the plan. McArdle said the home is in need of some refurbishing. That includes getting rid of rust on the panels of the metal home; McArdle joked some of the improvements were more suited for an auto body shop than a traditional home repair company. It also must be moved to a new site — potentially by disassembling the structure and reassembling it.

McArdle estimated the home could be moved and restored for less than $100,000. If an arrangement can be sorted out, he has agreed to sell the home itself for $1. Langlois said McArdle has agreed to contribute another $12,000 toward the relocation efforts. The neighborhood association has applied for a $58,900 grant from AARP that it believes will pay for the adaptive reuse of the structure.

Time might be somewhat of an issue. McArdle has also posted about the Lustron house on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s website, and he’s received interest from people who would like to relocate it as far away as Palm Springs, Calif. Still, his preference is to preserve the structure locally. Both McArdle and the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association are hopeful they’ll find a way to make the Lustron house a community asset for years to come.

“If we can make it work, that’s obviously the best option for the city, to keep it here — and put it on public land where it’ll have a public purpose,” McArdle said.