Arlington Farms was a temporary housing complex for female civil servants and service members during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Built in 1942–1943 by the
United States Government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
's
Federal Works Agency The Federal Works Agency (FWA) was an independent agency of the federal government of the United States which administered a number of public construction, building maintenance, and public works relief functions and laws from 1939 to 1949. Along wit ...
(FWA), Arlington Farms was located on the former site of the
United States Department of Agriculture's Arlington Experimental Farm
Arlington Experimental Farm was a former federal agricultural research farm in Alexandria, Virginia that opened in 1900. It was established by an Act of Congress, moving the Department of Agriculture's main research from the National Mall to Arl ...
on the grounds of the historic 1,100-acre
Custis-Lee family estate in
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a County (United States), county in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the Washington, D.C., District of Co ...
, outside
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Construction
The federal government began planning for an influx of wartime workers years before the United States officially entered World War II. In late 1940,
President
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*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
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Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
signed a law to move the Department of Agriculture's Experimental Farm from Arlington, adjacent to
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
, to its
current location
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Science and technology
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*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (stre ...
in
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...
to allow for an expansion of the military
cantonment
A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...
at
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, t ...
.
The Arlington Farms land was originally considered for the new
War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* Dep ...
building. However, when construction of
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
began in 1941, it was on the nearby site of the old
Washington-Hoover Airport
Washington-Hoover Airport was an airport serving the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States from 1933 to 1941. It was created by the merger of Hoover Field and Washington Airport on August 2, 1933. It was in Arlington, Virginia, near the ...
. In April, 1942, the
National Capital Park and Planning Commission selected numerous sites around the city for construction of temporary war housing. In addition to plans in
West Potomac Park
West Potomac Park is a U.S. national park in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Mall. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monum ...
, near the
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...
, on
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
, near present-day
RFK Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...
, and in
Suitland, Maryland
Suitland is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Prio ...
, some 7,000 units were slated for Arlington Farms, just over the
Arlington Memorial Bridge
The Arlington Memorial Bridge is a Neoclassical masonry, steel, and stone arch bridge with a central bascule (or drawbridge) that crosses the Potomac River at Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. First proposed in 1886, the bridg ...
.
Five months later, the FWA, one of the forerunners of the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
(GSA), awarded $4 million in contracts for the construction of dormitories at Arlington Farms. The contractors were Philadelphia's John McShain, Inc., and two Virginia-based companies, Doyle & Russell and the Wise Contracting Company. The three firms were also partnered on the nearby Pentagon construction.
John McShain
John McShain (December 21, 1896 – September 9, 1989) was a American building contractor known as "The Man Who Built Washington".
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants, McShain graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory S ...
's company was the most prominent in Washington at the time. Besides the Pentagon (1943), they were the primary contractor on
National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , sometimes referred to colloquially as National Airport, Washington National, Reagan National Airport, DCA, Reagan, or simply National, is an international airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across ...
(1941) and the
Jefferson Memorial
The Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial built in Washington, D.C. between 1939 and 1943 in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, a central intellectual force behind the Am ...
(1943).
Construction began almost immediately and on March 1, 1943, the first occupants of Arlington Farms moved into their wartime homes.
First Lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
played a role in the design and construction of the residential housing project. She toured the facilities when they first opened and presided over the formal dedication on October 15, 1943.
Life at Arlington Farms
The ten
dormitories
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
, each named after a U.S. state, and auxiliary buildings, including an infirmary and a recreation hall, covered approximately 28 acres of a 108-acre site. Six of the dorms housed civilians;four were designated for female members of the military. The dorms were "gray and extremely temporary in appearance", set on masonry foundations with exterior walls made of
cemesto
Cemesto is a sturdy, light-weight, waterproof and fire-resistant composite building material made from a core of sugar cane fiber insulating board surfaced on both sides with asbestos and cement. Its name is a portmanteau word combining "cem" fro ...
. Each dorm opened up into a lobby and various common areas, including game rooms, lounges, and a service shop, which sold food, drinks, cosmetics, and other sundry goods.
The walls were brightly painted, furniture was "bamboo in the modern motif", and decorations were provided by
Works Projects Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
(WPA) artists. Jane Watson, art editor for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', proclaimed it “remarkable how much thoughtful architectural designing and planning, judicious use of color, and the introduction of cheerful fabrics in the interior furnishings have done to lighten the barracks-like effect of these dormitories.”
Off of the main lounge and common areas were ten two-story housing wings with single- and double-occupancy rooms. There were laundry areas and a
kitchenette
A kitchenette is a small cooking area, which usually has a refrigerator and a microwave, but may have other appliances. In some motel and hotel rooms, small apartments, college dormitories, or office buildings, a kitchenette consists of a small ref ...
on each floor. Rooms were “small, but pleasantly furnished, with bed, dresser, mirror,
chaise longue
A chaise longue (; , "long chair") is an upholstered sofa in the shape of a chair that is long enough to support the legs of the sitter.
In modern French the term ''chaise longue'' can refer to any long reclining chair such as a deckchair. A ...
, floor lamp, ash tray, waste basket, and two pillows.” The girls could exchange their linen twice a week and had weekly maid service.
The housing at Arlington Farms, which was
segregated, was managed by the
Public Buildings Administration and designated for select government workers with yearly salaries of $1,260 to $1,620. Four of the dorms housed military servicewomen, primarily Naval Reserve
WAVES
Waves most often refers to:
*Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass.
* Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water.
Waves may also refer to:
Music
* Waves (ban ...
(Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services), and six were civilian. Single 8-foot × 10-foot rooms rented for $24.50 and doubles for $16.50 a month.
The women who lived at Arlington Farms came from all over the country, recruited by the
U.S. Civil Service Commission
The United States Civil Service Commission was a government agency of the federal government of the United States and was created to select employees of federal government on merit rather than relationships. In 1979, it was dissolved as part of ...
or into the WAVES, to work in government jobs in and around D.C. at places such as the nearby Pentagon,
Navy Annex
The Navy Annex was a building near the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia mainly used as offices for the United States Department of the Navy. The facility was also known as Federal Office Building 2. It was demolished in 2013 to make room for an ...
, or
Arlington Hall
Arlington Hall (also called Arlington Hall Station) is a historic building in Arlington, Virginia, originally a girls' school and later the headquarters of the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) cryptography effort during Worl ...
, home of the
Army's Signal Intelligence Service
The Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) was the United States Army codebreaking division through World War II. It was founded in 1930 to compile codes for the Army. It was renamed the Signal Security Agency in 1943, and in September 1945, became th ...
. When they were not working, the women could be found engaged in a variety of recreational activities on the campus or around town with the many young servicemen stationed in the Capital area.
The "28 Acres of Girls" became famous, so much so that in early 1945 when a group of four American
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
who had recently escaped from a Japanese prison camp came to Washington for debriefing, they made Arlington Farms one of their first stops.
File:LC-USW3-025729-E.jpg, During intermission at one of the bi-weekly "open house" dances held in the main lounge of Idaho Hall, Arlington Farms.
File:Waiting for the bus at Arlington Farms LC-USW3-026037-E.jpg, Waiting for the bus at Arlington Farms.
File:LC-USW3-025745-E.jpg, Rear view of Idaho Hall, Arlington Farms, showing the windows of the main lounge.
File:LC-USW3-028271-E.jpg, The main street at Arlington Farms is lined with huge shade tree.
File:LC-USW3-029050-E.jpg, Reading the Sunday comics in a single room in Idaho Hall, Arlington Farms.
Postwar use
After the war ended in September 1945, Arlington Farms continued to operate for the next five years. Occupancy rates began to decline in the late 1940s, and buildings were consolidated and some transferred to the military for enlisted and family housing. By early 1950, fewer than 1,800 girls remained at Arlington Farms and the government began planning to shut down operations and transfer all the buildings and land over to the military as of July 31, 1950. The Army officially moved into the former “G-Girl Haven” in September 1950 and began using Arlington Farms as a draft center supporting the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
The military maintained control of the site and the dormitories remained in use until they began to be demolished in the mid-1960s. A couple of the auxiliary buildings remained intact until the mid-1970s. The Arlington Farms site is currently part of Arlington National Cemetery.
Notes
References
* Carl M. Brauer, ''The Man Who Built Washington: A Life of John McShain'', (Wilmington, Hagley, 1996)
* Edwina V. A. Avery, comp., ''The Arlington Experimental Farm: A Handbook of Information for Visitors'', (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1928), pp. 1–5.
* Ethel Standley Collection (AFC/2001/001/38211), Veterans History Project, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/38211, (accessed June 10, 2011), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
* Jackie Lyn, ''All In A Lifetime: True Experiences and Miracles'', (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2007), pp. 68–73.
* Joan Baxter Dunlap, “Donʼt Cry, Honey. Heʼs Home Now,” in ''An Honor To Serve'', ed. Richard David Wissolik and Barbara J. Wissolik, (Latrobe, PA: SVC Northern Appalachian Studies, 2007), pp. 89–94.
* Zula Dietrich, ''Zula Remembers: South Arlington in Earlier Times'', (Fort Valley, VA: Loft Press, Inc., 2005), pp. 71–72.
External links
{{Commons cat, Arlington Farms
U.S. Library of Congress - Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: ''Additional Arlington Farms photographs as part of LOT 763 (M) [P&P].''U.S. Library of Congress – Veterans History Project''Online transcripts and video interviews of World War II veterans, including various service women stationed at or around Arlington Farms.''
— ''access to intermittent, historic aerial photographs of the Arlington Farms site, beginning in 1934.''
Apartment buildings in Virginia
Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia
Public housing in the United States
Demolished buildings and structures in Virginia
Former buildings and structures in Virginia
United States home front during World War II
Residential buildings completed in 1943
1943 establishments in Virginia
1960s disestablishments in Virginia
New Deal in Virginia