LEVITTOWNBEYOND ADDS...
Like its predecessors, the fourth and final Levittown was planned as a community of several neighborhoods.  There are seven sections in Levittown, P.R.  However, beginning with the Third Section, the community was advertised as Levittown Lakes.  Along with that change, the houseline was also changed and all of the models were either redesigned or completely replaced by new models.  The addition of "Lakes" to the community name emphasized the recreational nature of the area, and the slogan "Donde la buena vida comienza" (where the good life begins) was adopted as part of the marketing of the community.  It is not known whether this change reflected the perception of the Levittown name in the United States, but the emphasis on the community rather than simply on an affordable house certainly follows the Levitt model of offering "complete" communities.  In this regard, Levittown, P.R. is very similar to Levittown (Willingboro), N.J.  Today, there is almost no distinction of Levittown Lakes from the larger community of Levittown.  In fact, there are no official references to Levittown other than as an exit from the autopista (freeway), as part of the name of many local businesses and the local Lions Club, and on maps (some maps actually show the numbered sections as well as distinguishing each as either Levittown and Levittown Lakes).  There are no signs welcoming visitors to Levittown (signs welcome you to Toa Baja at the municipal lines).  But Levittown is more than a dot on the map--everyone knows the area is Levittown, and that includes the sections developed as Levittown Lakes.  The lakes and waterways are there for everyone's enjoyment, enhancing the natural beauty of Levittown.

More about the 1964 Models
An interesting phenomenon occurred with the homes planned for Levittown, Puerto Rico.  A review of the renderings and floor plans will reveal the fact that the carport was intended to be accessed from the rear of the home, while a front walk led visitors from the street to the front entry.  However, actual construction of the homes, as revealed in the photos on the Levittown, P.R. Today page, shows that the carports are at the front of the home facing the street.  In addition, the street views barely--if at all--resemble the renderings.  Typical to Levitt, there is often an interesting twist between the planning and development of Levitt communities.  The initial homes offered and built at Levittown are, in fact, the homes shown in the brochure.  However, the homes were rotated 180 degrees on the homesites so that the carport would be accessible from the street--i.e., the back of the house became the front.  The front entry, therefore, was through the kitchen, which was nothing new for Levitt (the homes in Levittown, N.Y. and the initial Cape Cod model at Levittown, N.J. had the front entry through the kitchen).  To add an air of mystery, this interesting turn of events (and the houses) raises a question about the original plans for Levittown: was the intent to have an alley system running behind the homes to access the carport?  It's yet another interesting Levitt mystery!

Page last updated 31 October 2012.