51 Years Ago In Time

The renovation boom of the past few years is not a first for the U.S. In 1954 TIME celebrated an earlier DO-IT-YOURSELF generation.

In the postwar decade the do-it-yourself craze has become a national phenomenon. The once indispensable handyman who could fix a chair, hang a door or patch a concrete walk has been replaced by millions of amateur hobbyists who do all his work–and much more–in their spare time and find it wonderful fun. In the process they have turned do-it-yourself into the biggest of all U.S. hobbies and a booming $6 billion-a-year business … The meaning of the tasks performed by white-collar employees and executives often becomes lost in the complexities of giant corporations; it is hard for them to see what they are really accomplishing. But in his home workshop, anyone from president down to file clerk can take satisfaction from the fine table, chair or cabinet taking shape under his own hands–and bulge with pride again as he shows them off to friends. –TIME, Aug. 1, 1954

Read the entire article at time.com/years.TIME’s complete archives can be found at timearchive.com