From Carports to Garages: The Evolving Charm of Harmony Lane

Harmony Lane: A Quiet Street Echoing Post-War Growth

Nestled at 4800 West and 3700 South, Harmony Lane represents a modest but telling chapter in West Valley City’s post-World War II suburban expansion. This subdivision of 45 lots began with its very first home in 1950 — an era when returning veterans and young families were eager to settle into affordable, modern houses on peaceful streets like this one.

Between 1950 and 1958, sixteen more homes were added to Harmony Lane. These houses reflected the popular Early Ranch style of the time — practical, single-story homes with low profiles and open floor plans that spoke to the casual, optimistic lifestyle of post-war America. Many featured the quintessential mid-century carport, which has since been enclosed on most houses, turning open breezeways into garages or extra living space as families’ needs changed over the decades.

Though newer homes built into the 1960s now outnumber the original historic homes, the neighborhood’s story still captures the essence of a community shaped by mid-century growth. Harmony Lane reminds us how farmland gave way to tidy streets lined with family homes, each contributing to the patchwork of development that defines West Valley’s enduring suburban character.

In 1962 Growth in Hunter

In the early 1960s, the Valley Center Building Company of Hunter, operated by E. Verne Breeze and Clarence Lowder, was at the forefront of neighborhood growth. They developed about 40 new brick and block homes, priced between $13,700 and $18,500—a solid investment for young families of the time.

The new subdivisions included:

• Harmony Lane – 3700 South & 4000 West (10 homes)

• Jonesdale – 3550 South & 5650 West (4 homes)

• Western Acres – 3650 South & 3900 West (10 homes)

• Fairlane Heights – 4100 West & 4300 South (10 homes)

These subdivisions mark an important chapter in the area’s transformation from farmland into thriving residential neighborhoods