They Built 17,000 Identical Houses. One Line Decided Who Could Live There. The Clock House: Old American Stories October 3, 2026 Leave a Comment on They Built 17,000 Identical Houses. One Line Decided Who Could Live There. Posted in Seen Them Share: XFacebookPinterestLinkedin 1947. Millions of veterans came home with nowhere to live. On the potato fields of Long Island, William Levitt started building … source Author: The Clock House: Old American Stories