Atchison Village (Richmond, California)

 Second World War 1939-1945, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, residential neighbourhood, historic landmark

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On June 11, 1941, President Roosevelt approved funds for the erection of 450 units of housing for defense industry workers in Richmond, California, pursuant to the "Lanham Act." The Richmond Housing Authority was designated as the Agent of the Federal Works Administrator for the construction, having been chosen as the first Local Housing Authority in the United States to manage a defense project by the Division of Defense Housing.On October 30, 1941, Building permit #15777 was issued to the Richmond Housing Authority for a permit for the 450-unit Atchison Village (National Defense Project Cal. 4171-X) . On the same date, permit #15778 was issued to the Richmond Housing Authority for a permit of $290,000 for 100 units known as Atchison Village Annex.

The architects for Atchison Village were Carl I. Warnecke (father of Fred Warnecke, and grandfather of John Carl Warnecke) and Andrew T. Hass ; the structural engineer was R.J. Fisher and the mechanical engineer George E. Atkin. The architect for the Annex was Frederick H. Reimers. The construction contract for $1,490,877 awarded to Leo Epp of San Francisco on September 23, 1941. The order to proceed was issued October 16, 1941.

The property was purchased from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and was named "Atchison Village" in honor of its former president. It is situated east of and across Garrard Boulevard from the present Burlington Northern Santa Fe (formerly Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad) yards and the former depot. The combined site area is 56.63 acres with 15.4 per cent land coverage by buildings.

Atchison Village includes 97 one-story buildings containing 228 units and 65 two-story buildings containing 222 units. There is also a one-story administration building and park. The buildings are of five different designs, three of which are one-story buildings. The foundations are perimeter unreinforced concrete, 12 inches wide, with two rows of intermediate piers. The crawl spaces provide a 18-inch clearance, but the exterior grade appears to have been filled in after the foundations were set, resulting in drainage problems.

Atchison Village Annex has 50 one-story duplex buildings for a total of 100 units, each containing one, two or three bedrooms. The Annex buildings are of a lower standard of construction than the Village. The foundations are only piers and the framing undersized - 2 x 3 studs spaced 24 inches on center. Partitions and wall are "demountable" plywood. The Richmond Master Plan reported in 1950 that "permanent" public housing such as Atchison Village and Atchison Village Annex had "a structural life" of from forty to sixty years. After 60 years, Atchison Village in Richmond, California, continues to be a unique living laboratory for housing policy, planning, urban design - and historic preservation.

National Register of Historic Places # 03000473

Read more here: www.rosietheriveter.org/atchison.htm

www.atchisonvillage.org/