Leisurama Now

In 2001, when graphic designer Paul Sahre rented a summer home in Montauk, his retreat turned out to be a relic: it was one of only 200 or so cookie-cutter beach houses built in the mid-1960s as part of the Leisurama housing project. Sold by Macy's, Leisurama homes were both affordable and all-inclusive; their boxy, simply designed interiors came fully furnished and accessorized -- all buyers needed were 'groceries and a key.' The houses were immensely popular but ultimately unprofitable, and thus sadly short-lived. Sahre's fascinating study of Leisurama's brand identity, marketing effort, and mid-century modern design presents a passionately visual and contextually dense study. All told, it's a revelatory history of how prefab became fabulous.