COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 1521

Single Family Housing Construction

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

28companies1881–1999founding years28still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedJ.F. Shea Co., Inc.
1881
FoundedSkanska AB
1887
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGeorge Wimpey plc
1919
FoundedJohn Laing plc
1920
FoundedStarrett Corporation
1922
FoundedThe Drees Company, Inc.
1928
1931
EconomyThe Empire State Building rises in just over a year.
1937
EconomyThe Golden Gate Bridge opens as the world's longest suspension span.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedEmpresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedCentex Corporation
1950
FoundedU.S. Home Corporation
1954
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedHovnanian Enterprises, Inc.
1959
FoundedDel Webb Corporation
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedThe Ryland Group, Inc.
1967
FoundedLennar Corporation
1969
FoundedThe Rottlund Company, Inc.
1973
FoundedRedrow Group plc
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedMeritage Corporation
1985
FoundedWilson Bowden Plc
1987
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedBeazer Homes USA, Inc.
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

J.F. Shea Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1881
J.F.
Skanska AB →
Active · founded 1887 · Sweden
After helping to build Scandinavia, Skanska AB is ready to help build the rest of the world.
Weyerhaeuser Company →
Active · founded 1900
Weyerhaeuser Company is the world's largest private owner of softwood timber and the world's largest producer of…
George Wimpey plc →
Active · founded 1919 · United Kingdom
George Wimpey plc ranks among the world's oldest and largest private construction concerns, with operations in the…
John Laing plc →
Active · founded 1920 · United Kingdom
With over 150 years of experience under its belt, John Laing plc operates with two main divisions--the Laing Homes…
Taylor Woodrow plc →
Active · founded 1921 · United Kingdom
Taylor Woodrow plc is a major U.K.-based home builder and property developer and lessor.
Starrett Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Starrett Corporation is a construction manager or general contractor of buildings, mainly in the metropolitan New York…
The Drees Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
The Drees Company, Inc.
Bellway Plc →
Active · founded 1946 · United Kingdom
Bellway Plc is one of the top five home builders in the United Kingdom, selling more than 5,700 homes per year.
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1947 · Mexico
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A.
Centex Corporation →
Active · founded 1950
Centex Corporation is one of the most successful diversified building companies in the United States, with products and…
Dominion Homes, Inc. →
Active · founded 1952
Headquartered in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Dominion Homes, Inc.
U.S. Home Corporation →
Active · founded 1954
U.S.
KB Home →
Active · founded 1957
KB Home is the largest home builder in the United States, in terms of units built.
Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
New Jersey-based Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.
Del Webb Corporation →
Active · founded 1960
Once known for its hotels and casinos, Del Webb Corporation is one of the largest residential developers in the United…
AMREP Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
AMREP Corporation is the largest builder of housing in the state of New Mexico, and the 80th largest builder in the…
The Ryland Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
s: 23321 Single Family Housing Construction; 52231 Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers A leading homebuilder in the…
Lennar Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
Florida's largest home builder and one of the largest residential builders in the country, Lennar Corporation began as…
New World Development Company Limited →
Active · founded 1970 · Hong Kong
Since its founding in 1970, New World Development Company Limited has been a leader in Hong Kong's bustling commercial…
The Rottlund Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Through its subsidiaries, The Rottlund Company, Inc.
Redrow Group plc →
Active · founded 1974 · United Kingdom
Flintshire-based Redrow Group plc is one of the United Kingdom's largest home builders and developers.
Hillsdown Holdings plc →
Active · founded 1975 · United Kingdom
Hillsdown Holdings plc is a somewhat obscure holding company for a wide range of food, homebuilding, furniture, and…
Meritage Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Meritage Corporation, formerly Monterey Homes Corporation, is a leading homebuilder in the United States, designing,…
Wilson Bowden Plc →
Active · founded 1987 · United Kingdom
One of the United Kingdom's top home builders, Wilson Bowden Plc has targeted the upper end of the housing market,…
Standard Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1992
Standard Pacific Corporation is one of the largest homebuilders in the United States, operating in California, Texas,…
Beazer Homes USA, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
Beazer Homes USA, Inc.
William Lyon Homes →
Active · founded 1999
The merged companies, operating under the name William Lyon Homes, rebounded in 1999 and entered the 21st century…
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