Relocating to the Washington-Baltimore area from another part of the country?  You may notice that many Bowie homes are similar to other neighborhoods in Maryland including nearby Crofton, Largo, Laurel, Columbia and Wheaton. 

In fact, Belair at Bowie may resemble a place you previously lived in New York or New Jersey, Virginia or Pennsylvania - literally hundreds of communities, with many of the same floorplans and architectural designs, were built in hundreds of communities by Levitt and Sons.  In fact, the company is still in business as Levitt Corporation, 36 years after the family company was sold.

Few current Bowie residents are old enough to remember Pete Seeger's hit recording in 1963, Little Boxes, but you may get a kick out of reading the lyrics of Little Boxes.  Lots of fans thought of Levitt homes when they heard it, but composer Malvina Reynolds' inspiration was actually Dale City, California. By the way, it was performed more recently in the 2005 movie, The Californians, in case it sounds familiar and you're not old enough to remember Pete Seeger.

Okay, Bowie, here's some history about the developer and builder who gave you Belair at Bowie:

Levitt and Sons was established in 1929 by the son of immigrants, real estate attorney Abraham Levitt and his sons William, as President, and Alfred, as Chief Architect and Planner.  They started construction the same year on their first community at Rockville Centre, New York, and expanded to several other states over the next four decades. 

From the Levitt Corporation website: 

William Levitt anticipated a pent-up demand for housing after World War II, and the company started acquiring land while he was still serving in the Pacific with the Seabees, the U.S. Navy's construction unit.  The company came up with a design for a basic house, together with a way to reduce construction procedures to 26 steps. This process, together with their mechanical and technical innovations, revolutionized the home-building industry.

Levitt actually created an assembly line to build houses on the site, using men and equipment much as they do in the auto industry. The essential difference between Detroit's methods and Levitt's was that auto makers moved materials past a waiting line of men in a factory, whereas the Levitt system moved the workmen from house site to house site past a waiting line of material in the field. Thus, in an industry notorious for wasted time, motion and material, the company introduced previously unheard-of logistics, timing and efficiency. 

William took over the company in 1954 and continued to operate it until 1972, even after selling the company to ITT in 1968 and ITT's subsequent loss of the company in 1971 due to an anti-trust ruling. 

Levitt homes were built in Bowie from 1960 to the mid 1970's

Over the years, Levitt companies established a modular home building subsidiary, expanded overseas, and changed hands several times.  The Levitt Corporation and many of its subsidiaries are still in business today, even after the 2007 bankruptcy filing by Levitt and Sons, LLC and 37 subsidiaries.  While Bill Levitt did return to the building industry in the late 70's, he was barred by the courts from using his own name, a trademark of the company he sold.  

Levitt homes sold for less than $20,000, back in the day, and you can see the line which wrapped around the block on opening day when you visit LevittownBeyond.com.  This website also displays a copy of the original renderings for Belair at Bowie. 

Bowie Homes for Sale today are priced from the $200,000's to the $400,000's, depending on the degree to which they've been added to, updated and upgraded.  Here are some of the home styles available in Bowie (scroll your mouse over the photo to see the model name):

Ardsley - 4-bedroom cape cod style

Buckingham - 3-bedroom ranch

Cambridge - 3 bedroom 2-story colonial style 

Canterbury -2-bedroom townhome

Devon - expanded 3-bedroom ranch style 

Dorset -3-bedroom townhome

Enfield  -3-bedroom townhome

Gibbon- 3-bedroom townhome

Gladstone - 4-bedroom 2-story colonial style

Jamestown -2-bedroom one-level townhome

Roxbury - 4-bedroom colonial

Severn / Susquehanna - 4-bedroom colonial

Tred Avon - 4-bedroom "California-style" rancher

Wicomico - 3-bedroom rancher

 

RELATED LINKS:

• Top 3 Reasons to Buy a Home in Bowie, Maryland 
• Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland 
• Find out how today's mortgage interest compares with the rates last week and last month