xt75dv1cnj14 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt75dv1cnj14/data/mets.xml  United States Housing Authority 1940 v.: ill.; 29-40 cm. UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Library Program libraries and the Federal Information Preservation Network. Call Number FW 3.7: 1/34 journals English Washington, D.C.: Federal Works Agency, U.S. Housing Authority: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Works Progress Administration Housing Publications United States Housing Authority -- Periodicals Public housing -- United States -- Periodicals Public Housing: Weekly News from American Communities Abolishing Slums and Building Low-Rent Housing April 2, 1940 text Public Housing: Weekly News from American Communities Abolishing Slums and Building Low-Rent Housing April 2, 1940 1940 2019 true xt75dv1cnj14 section xt75dv1cnj14 l ’ ,
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' Vol. I, No. 34 Federal Works Agency, U. S. Housing Authority—Nathan Straus, Administrator April 2, 1.940
' ' " S ' h F '1 ” C
Sun Heats W atel‘ F01“ Rehousmg of 1n1t aml y osts
Tenants “1 M1311“ USHA $6 30 M thl B kl t Sh
Tenants at Edison Courts, 345—unit low- ' 0n y9 00 e OWS
’ rwe:t::10:isglllltg 3:12:65: 3:111:13:sz ,lgilflfivewéffi h’laximum Federal Contribution Not $5-50- Thus, 0f the total rent ($35-25), the
’ ., Sn ’th F '1 19.25, 55 er ent.
never a stove or a furnace. The sun heats Blore Than 30 Percent Of Rental This] localitglpyaylsal: p$ercent :hd thepUSHA
it. Result: No fuel bills, no smoke, no un— A question uppermost in the minds of pays 30 percent However’due to a profit
. welcome fires to heat water on scorching many people is “What Does the Housing on the loans (USHA borrows at 1% percent'
summer days, plenty of hot water, and more Program Cost?” USHA’s latest publica- lends at 3 percent) the net cost of USHA’s
living space inside. Reason: The entire tion, which bears that title, contains a prac- share may be as low as 18 percent instead
heating apparatus is outside, on the roof. tical demonstration of what the costs are, of 30 percent ’
’ Solar heat is not new. The sun has been and who pays them, in a typical USHA— P t I dII f th b kl t ' 1 i1 th
heating our part of the universe for about aided project. {i ”.51 an . . o fethooUSHijp a 1 r:
' 500,000 centuries. But the idea of utilizing Part 111 Of the booklet is entitled, “The iianma provtismns ll d fer in ndprogi‘a
the sun’s rays to heat water for domestic USHA Plan: A Family Example.” It pre- .311 presen Aan- is cat'e {9 t rpe 1.1;: 5%
use has been developed only in the last quar- sents a cost break—down of the new dwelling 1.5 ihwli; E H; eres mg ea u .e 0 t r f
ter of a century. . of the Smith Family in the Anytown Hous- 15 e1 Fche arl' iomfgimrg varllttmi .Vpetshot
The system generally employed is simple. ing Authority’s project. The Smith home Ennua ual raste olieth ‘ijgsflA :0 01:11 :5
Shallow, glass-covered trays are built into has an over—all cost of $4,500. To amortize e ”and c3 d? l , lpti i wduld
the roof surface so as to obtain a maximum it over a period of 60 years and pay taxes, ebxpanl e 31151105501831]. mg egr}: a O ’ .
of sunlight exposure. Inside the trays are utilities, operating costs, maintenance, re— fiefny $1 ’ ’ t in ha pea year,dan 1:;
tubes of copper (an excellent heat con— pairs, replacements, etc., would mean that 3533:3132)"; 00a)moun 1‘” :n :giflfiaref Wille-
. ductor) resting on a copper base. The tubes the economic rent, including utilities, would 1, f Vii 1f, 331118113, fspe ‘t 6 $5610
run from the heaters to a well-insulated total $35.25 per month. Although a very Ole ,OOOef arr; 3:} Tcfiaf ecuri ”311006000"
storage tank, also on the roof. Water, sun— 10W rent for a $4,500 house, this is Still t00 ogo’f Aor . alitona $163135? orlflaR, ’ ’—
' ' heated in coils, is stored in the tanks. high for the Smith Family, who are DOW AO Hi” 'gtricu ture ail t a ura estiurge:
(Continued on page 2) paymg all they can, alliout f$21 a montlir. ml; $212153? 61:: :Oafhec%r:§:::lsGof/em‘
. gases” eggéwfifégfiyflfigzmgfiyfl gig/4%.? the local govern- one person on relief, one veteran pension to
‘ hiyxgfifgjfiggwfifia I; “fag” ment supplv contri— one person, agricultural benefits to one
.-, “um—5t; 599: .__~__._. ‘ fin? butions to inake up farmer, decent housing, under the USHA
, A E’éfiéié—‘L—Emfii-g :31“: ,5? ' the difference. The plan, for one person. (See chart on p. 2.)
. ‘— r at“ 4 I ’ '3. f . / ' share of the Federal Part IV discusses seven fallacies concern-
, . Mg; 1 _ Governmentis $10.50 ing the financinghplan of th: UfSlflA}.aifid
'35, ‘_ W” ‘ , k... -. K‘snzr‘zsfiww ’ per month (with a Part V rev1ews t e pos1t1ve ene s o t e
' , «:2; MM”: ’”§§§$Z®MMW . net cost of $6.30); program to the Nation, the City, and the
-M. ’:,.'M.,._“L. '9‘W .5?” .. that of the local zov— indiVidual-
V , .«M . 5‘1 I ernment (through Copies are available upon application to
»._ '. ' . 3* . . .. ~ " tax exemption), the United States Housing Authority.
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Above is a laundry unit at the Miami project. The 34%;” . ' '
glass-covered heating tray, containing the corls which “j”? M _._,W‘.;_r, .
circulate water to the storage tanks, occupies about is “I I l "I! M W ' “"77" H H
one-half the roof area. The chimneylike structures at , ‘ 3+ "‘ ., . I . M 71,4, Egg??? . ,' (a, . i ./
either end of the roof enclose‘ the storage tanks, In -- ' ' :‘W 1' 4;- ' 5‘53“; @321???" if}. ’W; i
. the picture at the right, heaters and storage tanks are "r” ‘f‘ ' . - . ., Mai? )wri' .. ‘1.) - r
clearly visible. Solar water heaters are used exten- , M 3‘ i i . - .nf'gflam ~ .
sively in both Florida and southern Callfléipgfimrr. ‘1 . . p . ., m. ”1.‘ .
rugs are constructed of 8—inch conogetefblo 's,stuccoed. - . ', 'f ; ,2 _ ~ ' . . . L." ' ‘ ,. .
Roof covering is cement shingle tile. , ' ' . . . 1' A . . » ‘ . .. .. ‘ ' .
‘31

 0 0 with the first two projects emphasize the im-
Constructlon and Mamtenance Costs portance of careful preparation of, and rigid
. adherence to, splecificatiogs. 1‘Sléchbcarle 115
essential for pro ucing a nis .e jo w1ic1
Are Lowered by USlng cement Floors will be satisfactory from both an economic
Approximately 63 percent of the 163 Preconceived opinions and experience with 2111251113323?ailigaiizfiigmgl' cement finish
USHA—aided projects on which contract poorly constructed cement floors have re— floors in no way restricts subsequent placing .
awards had been authorized by January 1, sulted in some opposition to their use. T0— of ail additional floor covering should this
1940, will have cement finish floors. The day satisfactory living conditions plus )rove highly desirable Covering material
comfort and livability of dwelling units with attractive treatment of concrete floor sur- lcan be added after occupancy at little more
floor surfaces of this type, particularly in faces with integral colors, granolithic fin— ex ense than would have been involved dur-
the South and West, have been indicated by ishes, etc., are rapidly altering unfavorable ingI') initial construction
a general acceptance on the part of tenants attitudes. '
in a number of projects, such as Liberty Whatever may be the objection to concrete —
Square (PWA) in Miami; Chalmers Street, floors, it is interesting to note that a definite _ .
Rosewood, and Santa Rita in Austin, Tex.; majority of tenants cover the floors with SI}? Pcfis water
Westlake Terrace in Youngstown, Ohio; and rugs or linoleum mats regardless of the type on ”we 10m page l .
Brewster Addition in Detroit. of flooring. anh heater serves only one family. Ten-
The use of cement finish floors permits Actual experiences at several of the proj— ants report excellent results. Only during
savings in construction and maintenance ects with concrete floors are interesting. extremely .longtperiods 0f cloudy weather
costs, which are reflected in lower rent One Negro tenant in the Anson Borough (unusual ln Miami) would there be any
schedules. Cement finish floors are lower in Homes project in Charleston, S. 0., ex- Shortage 0f hOt water. Because Of the effi-
first costs than concrete floors covered with plained “I don’t care what the floors are; clent insulation around the tank, hOt water
other finishes such as wood, linoleum, or they suit me fine because there ain’t no ls available bOth C15le and nlght. .
asphalt tile, and when properly constructed cracks for the wind to blow through.” The The heaters not only Pronde for the 1m-
they require practically no maintenance or Resident Manager at Westlake Terrace in mediate needs 0f the family but also heat .2
repairs. Youngstown, Ohio, lives in one of the dwell- water for central laundry unlts. So success—
From the health point of view, concrete ing units and reports that his two small ful have the heaters proved in Miami, that
floors are considered equally as satisfactory children have never been uncomfortable other housmg authorities in the sonth and
as other types. There is no evidence that playing on the cement finish floor and that Southwest are studying the poss1b111ties 0f
well constructed concrete floors will disinte- they notice no appreciable difference between usmg them. _ _ .
grate and dust sufficiently to make them the floor and room temperature. Three hun— , The M1amrauthor1ty was not experiment-
troublesome. Resilience tests made by the dred applicants for a Columbus, Ga., project mg when-1t installed the sun heaters 1n ltS
National Bureau of Standards indicate that were interviewed in one of the dwelling units first project. They had. already been 1n—
there is not a great difference between con- in which the rental office had been set up to stalled in some 18,000 private homes in the
crete, asphalt, or hardwood surfaces. In give applicants a chance to examine a sam- Clty‘ . , ,
this connection, fatigue is closely associated ple unit. Not a single applicant raised an The Muflml prOJect was opened last De-
with psychological reactions and is depend- Objection to the cement finish floor. A simi— cember, Wlth average shelter rents 0f $11-90
ent on shoe materials to a much greater ex— lar experience was encountered in Macon, per month. It serves families whose annual
tent than on the walking surface. Floor Ga. incomes average $750- The dwellings are
surface temperature is directly related to Objections to concrete floors are often due one-story row houses and two-stow, flats. .
the conductivity of the materials used, and to experience with poor construction or in- Ind1v1dual lawns and back yards fac1htate a
there is no great difference in the conduc— ferior materials. Unfavorable experience high degree of tenant maintenance. The
tivity of concrete and wood floors in corre— on two projects was traced to faulty con- pI‘OJeCt was built on vacant land, at an over-
sponding types of construction. struction. In the face of this experience, h“ COSt 0f $4419 per uhlh Cooking, hght'
but understanding the causes, the local au— mg, and refrigeration are by electr1c1ty.
thority is planning to use cement finish The average cost to the tenant for rent plus
$ LO49 floors in a third project. The difficulties all uhhtles 1s $15195 _ _
V Edlson Courts is one of three prOJects 1n
// Miami. The other two are now under con-
struction.
/ Annual Per Capitol Cost Index NOW Ready
An index of material appearin in PUB~
/ /732 1'0 Federal Government LIC HOUSING from August 11,gdate of v
. . the first issue, through February 6, date
/ / OF VGI’IOUS ExPend'lures of issue No. 26, is being distributed with
. this issue. Printed on heavy buff paper,
and punched to permit filing in folders
with regular copies of the weekly, it is
/ / $464 being sent to all regular receivers of
/ 7/ PUBLIC HOUSING.
/ // The Index has been prepared in re—
sponse to many requests from readers
/ / / who have found the magazine valuable
for reference purposes, and who desired
a quick method of locating articles in
/ / / which they were interested.
Only a limited supply will be available,
and difficulty in obtaining extra copies is
/ / $lll anticipated. For that reason, and be-
/ / // %/ caulse such an index will become increas-
in im ortan as time oes on, it is su —
' % //A % /A ”ax/201””. gegsltleld tllfat precautions fie taken to avoigd
' . . losing individual copies.
One CCC One Person, Veteran Agricultural To Prowde With the completion of Volume 1 of .
Boy on Relief Pensuon To Benefits To Decent Housmg PUBLIC HOUSING, in August of this year,
One Person One Former for One Person a second edition of the index will be dis-
tributed in similar fashion.
From What Does the Housing Program Cost? (See story, page 1)
2

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1g ' 0 ture included 1 couch and easy chair, slip
3r I§IIOXV1H€ Authorlty and Tennessee U. covered in small check of green and orange;
1y 1 desk and 2 ladder back chairs stained
i— ' ' maple; 1 square table and 1 drop—leaf table—
31' cooperate 111 Home DemOIlStI'athIlS natural finish with covers of green denim;
blue glass bowl with ivy on table near win-
1- How to furnish a 5-room dwelling with This included a studio couch, rust with dows; draperies of cretonne in black, green,
at , attractive and useful furniture for as little beige stripes; draperies of seersucker, and rust floral pattern; 1 floor lamp; and rug
5- ‘ as $134.71 was demonstrated recently at striped Orange, green, and yellow; book— of green chenille. On walls, 1 pictorial road
it Western Heights and College Homes, USHA- shelves, enameled aqua; 1 high backed settee map mounted and 1 pictorial textile mounted.
1d aided projects in Knoxville, Tenn. The (from kitchen set) enameled aqua; 2 ladder A 3-room unit at College Homes (pic—
)f Knoxville projects, soon to be opened, have back chairs, stained maple; 1 floor lamp; 1 tures below) was completely furnished for
been the objects of special study by the picture made from scenes cut from tourist only $75.31. Furniture for the living room
t— University of Tennessee. map; and 2 pillows of blue floral print. (lower center) cost $33.67. This pays for
ts Under the direction of Miss Jessie Harris, The bedroom at Western Heights Apart— black leather couch; easy chair, slip covered
1- head of the Home Economics Department ment No. 1 (see picture upper left) was in green plaid; morris chair with natural
ie of the University of Tennessee, two demon- furnished at a cost of $25.78. Furniture linen cover; draperies of red, black, natural
stration units were set up in each of the consists of 1 double bed in walnut finish; woven plaid; 2 fern stands enameled black;
2— Knoxville projects. At College Homes, Negro bedspread and drapes in brown denim with 1 bookcase desk with ladder back chair (both
’0 project, the demonstration units were in one— orange stripe; chest in walnut finish with natural finish); square corner table, mahog-
al bedroom dwellings; i. e.,living room, kitchen, green oilcloth cover; Windsor chair in wal- any finish with cover of fringed feed sack-
‘e and bedroom. Total costs of furnishing nut with green oilcloth pad; bookshelves ing; and floor lamp. On the walls were:
s. . . these units were $91.77 and $75.31, respec- made from orange crates and enameled red- 1 picture above desk; 1 mirror above couch;
a tively. At Western Heights, white project, orange; closet curtains of red-orange crash; and 1 plaster plaque (made by students).
19 each unit contained a living room, kitchen, and braided rug in brown, white, and On the couch, 2 gold colored pillows.
t‘- and three bedrooms. Total furnishing costs orange. The bedroom (lower left), furnished at a
t- were $134.71 and $146.62, respectively. The living room at College Homes Apart— cost of $27.50, has: Trundle bed, chest, and
V. In the four demonstration units the aver- ment No. 1. (see picture upper center) was stool, stained gray; dressing table and beds
lS age cost of furniture per living room was furnished at a total cost of $45.78. Furni— covered with blue crash; curtains of un—
' $37.98; per kitchen, $15.05; and per bleached spun rayon; closet curtain
n bedroom, $29.89. In every case the z ’ 7}" ii,“ 3%“ 1 0f blue and gray plaid; textile pic—
1— figures represent the cost of acquir— . h ' figrfllé‘ui - ture above dressing table; mirrors
ing and remodeling or making the '3 ~£§V€§J§§ifii ' for dressing table (3 individual
furniture, draperies, pictures, pil— l gfiggg’ée mirrors placed together); rag rug
lows, etc. t QEEfifl‘fi-‘ifl of blue and white plaid; and pillow,
Apartment No. 1 at Western a. - Ԥ%%::: hand blocked on feed sack.
Heights (living room, kitchen, and l ' jigfifllggfi Furniture for the kitchen (lower
3 three bedrooms) was completely l . ”$43.53;: right) cost $14.34, and includes:
furnished for $134.71. The cost of " 3 @413 33!?” Table and 5 chairs enameled chi—
furnishing the living room (see I! 3i}; _: :_-;¥ nese red with black trim; high
picture upper right) was $35.95. .. , j» :l'fl!!! , chair; curtains of unbleached spun
\vr. ¢... _, . “my. 3,, 3-3,... *3, .,.w.m
j . . - , 2.1 , ,. " x”- '
. These three pictures .., ,‘p _- 3:53,»,
. 1 f .. 15,h9w furnituri (in the ‘ "if " 2
3 ,- .3.2_ . g 1v1n room, e room 4 . . ”
. . i ' i F: “ ‘ and gkitchen Of a 3: , : .5425”! ' - i i - ‘3’ ~
~ 3’ ’ Emii" arfifrtment at '- ' ' 4 42“”; ‘3 , * “\w - , a
- - ' : .2 ’f ' o e 'e omes com- , . . . 1:2;
”«wx/ .~ i i 42‘ -. ‘ pies—tel}; furnished for i m t \‘”\“": "i 22%?
3

 C O .
Building Permits Up Calif. Housing Authorities Two New Booklets By
30.9 Percent 111 F61). Organize State Assocmtion P ubllc Affairs Comm.
Building permits issued in 2,123 principal Meeting in Sacramento recently, l'eD' The two recent publications of the Public
cities of the United States during February I‘esentatives of five California housmg Affairs Committee seem des1gned_as “ques—
provided for 22,472 dwelling units, according authorities formally organized the Cal}‘ tion and answer.” “Can America Build .
to a recent release of the U. S. Department f01'h1'd ASSOCIathh 0f Housmg Authori- Houses?” is the title of Miles L Colean’s
of Labor. This total shows an increase of ties. pamphlet. “The Homes the PUth Builds,”
30.9 percent over the 17,172 dwelling units TWO officers were elected: M13 Albert by Edith Elmer Wood and Elizabeth Ogg, is
included in the January building permits. J EverS.Ei