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Prior to the second World War, many Canadians
lived in large 19th century homes either as the owners or as one
of a variety of servants, gardeners, maids, cooks and nannies.
All of this changed during the 1940s when the Canadian government
made a concerted effort to supply housing for the men and women
who worked in defense-oriented industries and later for veterans
returning from the war. The working classes began to get homes
of their own. Much legislation, including The Veteran's Land Act,
provided funding for such projects, and small subdivisions sprang
up in virtually every major town or city in Canada. This was the
first step towards the suburban movement of the 1950s and thereafter.
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Victory housing was designed to be permanent and
comfortable, large enough for a single family. Most of this housing
was prefabricated - walls and roofs constructed at a central factory
then shipped to the final location for assembly. Once a street
was constructed, it was neat, tidy, and uniform. The houses were
generally one-and-a-half storey with a steep roof
, shallow eaves and no dormers. Multi-paned
sash windows supplied light to the first
floor and through the gable ends. The
finish is different in every center, but clapboard was the most
common. If you find yourself on a street that might appear to
be Victory housing, the street name - Victory, Churchill, Montgomery
might confirm it.
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