Housing Programs Sites

"In 1934, under the Resettlement Administration, federal and state agencies united to buy 5,000 acres of this submarginal land to develop a recreation area. The Civilian Conservation Corps, as well as the Works Progress Administration, helped construct the site while providing much needed jobs. Four camps along with day-use and picnic facilities were built and the park opened to the public in 1937."

The Williamson Housing Authority built the Williamson Terrace Public Housing with aid from the Federal Housing Authority. The development consists of a single row of two-story, brick structures, with one structure set forward, closer to the right of way along Vinson Street. The back street appears on some maps as Smith Street. A retaining wall is to the rear of the projects holding up a steep hill and to the side allowing the forward building to be level. According to the Williamson Housing Authority, “On November 25, 1940, ground was broken in West Williamson and on Vinson Street for the construction of two...

Williston Apartments, consisting of two buildings with about 30 units, was an early project of the Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA). It was completed in 1937, and 265 families applied for apartments, highlighting the need for affordable housing in the nation’s capital. Williston Apartments underwent renovations in 2008-2009, but the exterior appears much as it did in 1937 (see two images below). The number of rentable units remains about the same, “28 units of affordable housing, including 3 units constructed for wheelchair accessibility” (DC Housing Authority). The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans....