12400 Shadow Lane (House), Bowie, Prince George's County, MD

Significance: The house at 12400 Shadow Lane is a representative example of the three-bedroom variation of The Colonial model constructed at Belair. It occupies a high-profile corner lot in the Somerset section and is virtually unchanged on its exterior from the time of construction in 1960-61. The three- and four-bedroom options for The Colonial model at Belair, each with a distinctive façade, were carryovers from Levittown, New Jersey, although Levitt and Sons did redesign parts of the floor plans and elevations when devising the 1961 model line. The Colonials shared an identical first-floor plan that featured the increasingly popular family room. This feature was bigger and more centrally accessible than the one in the comparable two-story model built in the first sections of Levittown, New Jersey, which, notably, was the first "true" family room offered by Levitt and Sons in any of its models. Less overtly "colonial" than the four-bedroom version, the house still has the traditional form and detailing that characterizes most of the houses in Belair.
Survey number: HABS MD-1264
Building/structure dates: 1960-1961 Initial Construction