“The Village Beautiful”

“THE VILLAGE BEAUTIFUL” What got constructed… What didn’t get built… What else got erected… Introduction… “The Village Beautiful” was a slogan adopted by the Hilton Civic League when it was organized in 1919. The story of Hilton Village’s rapid construction the year before is well documented elsewhere and is also nicely summarized by this historical marker, located near the intersection of Warwick Boulevard and Main Street. Less well known is what was originally contemplated…and what was not…in the concept’s innovative design. Several major features of the master plan for Hilton Village were never realized. Others were modified during and shortly after the 1918 construction period. Plus, there were also a few unplanned additions made during this bedroom community’s first few years. Over the nine-plus decades of Hilton Village’s existence, many far-reaching changes have been realized, resulting in a somewhat eclectic mix of structures. The original homes, both modified and unchanged, still stand, for the most part. But they are now surrounded by numerous businesses and public service facilities. All together, Hilton now exhibits a wide range of architectural styles never contemplated by the Village’s planners and architects. The following pages provide a descriptive overview of the portions of the original master plan that were realized, plus a discussion of several additions, modifications and deletions that were made during the community’s first decade. 2 What was planned… The original plan for Hilton Village, which was at first referred to as ‘an industrial housing development’ included much more than just residences, as many housing projects just did that were later created. Hilton Village’s projected five hundred residences were to be provided with an infrastructure that included paved roads, street lights, a domestic water and fire main system, and sewers. In addition, the following facilities were contemplated: • A village square on Warwick County Road [present day Warwick Boulevard] at the original eastern termination point of Main Street • Lots for twenty stores, two churches and a village hall near the square • A school and community center on the banks of the James River, at the western end of Main Street and fronting on River Road [an architect rendering for this combined-use facility, designed to be compatible with the village’s housing is provided below] • Two additional lots reserved for churches near the school • A railroad station and a trolley line • A community garage and apartments adjacent to the railroad station • Athletic playing fields near the village square and a riverside park near the combination community center/school structure • Roadways that could be extended north and south to connect with future developments including the streets that now connect the village proper with Brandon Heights and Rivermont [which were developed years later] There is no mention of a fire station being provided for in these community- comprehensive plans. The contemplated community garage may have been originally intended to include housing for fire apparatus. During construction, a fire truck and associated equipment were kept at the contractor’s work camp, which was located on the James River, adjacent to the Hilton farm house which once stood near the intersection of Post Street with River Road. But like all plans of ambition, there were major changes made along the way… 3 What was constructed … One of several things impressive about Hilton Village’s beginning is the rapidity of its creation. From conception to completion, the community’s hundreds of English Tudor styled, sturdy residences and basic infrastructure were conceived and built in less than two years. The need for housing for shipyard workers at the beginning of America’s entry into World War I became acute when Newport News Shipbuilding’s employee ranks swelled from a pre-war low of seven thousand to a war-time high of fourteen thousand. Construction of the Washington Avenue Apartments, row housing on Huntington Avenue and side streets near the shipyard somewhat eased the shortage of available housing. There was even a tent city erected for single men near the shipyard. But those additions were not enough to satisfy the need. In October 1917, the shipyard hired a nationally acclaimed town planner to develop a housing plan for use on a tract of largely wooded land two miles north of the shipyard. Transportation to and from the shipyard was to be provided by an extension of Newport News’ trolley system. When those plans were completed, shipyard president Homer L. Ferguson took them to Washington, DC in January of 1918. On January 11, 1981, his efforts resulted in the US Shipping Board authorizing $1.2 million to create Hilton Village. The Shipbuilding Realty Corporation was created on February 7, 1918. Detail plans for a variety of single, duplex and row houses were finalized, including input regarding the interiors of residences from wives of shipyard workers. A Pittsburgh firm was selected to do the building, and land clearing began on April 18, 1918. To help facilitate the delivery of materials, a temporary spur track from the C&0 railroad’s main line was built, running across Warwick County Road and into the heart of the construction site. The spur line is depicted on the next page, along with other photos taken as Hilton Village became a reality. 4 5 A dedication ceremony was held in the village on July 7, 1918, before any of the homes were completed. Two months later, the first families moved in, albeit largely surrounded by mud, construction debris and in residences largely bereft of any landscaping. By October 1, 1918, there were thirty-one families living in Hilton Village. But the end of World War I on November 11 th precipitated several changes in the completion of Hilton Village. The number of houses originally contemplated was scaled back from 500 to 473. Row housing, such as show below, was erected along both sides of Warwick County Road. In later years some of these residences became retail shops. The next year, the only structure built as part of a planned, much larger commercial district was a multi-use village hall, which occupied the second floor of the large building depicted below, which included space for several businesses on the first floor. It was once located where a present-day parking lot exists; on the west side of Warwick Boulevard, across from the Hilton Baptist Church. In addition to being used for village business purposes, it also was a social center where some of the first talking movies were shown. One of the earliest commercial tenants was Seward’s Grocery, located on the first floor of this building at the far left end. The awning visible in the following faded photo shaded produce that was set out and displayed on the sidewalk every day. 6 The trolley line extension from old downtown Newport News went into service on September 30, 1918. The trolley line ran through Hilton and north to the World War I site of Camp Morrison. It terminated in a loop about where Cedar Lane presently intersects Warwick Boulevard. Until the mid-1940’s, trolley tracks ran parallel to the original, two-lane Warwick County Road in what is now the grassy median south of the village. What didn’t get built… Amongst the facilities never built were a planned railroad station and the combination community hall/school. A short road, identified for years as Station Street, ran along the northern side of the village square from Warwick County Road and dead-ended at the railroad tracks. Station Street, for years, was mistakenly believed to have been named for the Hilton Fire Station [not built until 1936]. But in actuality it was intended to provide vehicular access to, and was named for a never-built, railroad station. Depot Street, shown on this segment of a 1918 plot plan also never existed. Main Street was apparently first extended eastward before ‘Hilton Square’ disappeared. That street development followed the general path of Station Street, but stopped at the railroad tracks. It was later extended across the tracks [to Jefferson Avenue in 1947, and under them in 1961]. That’s why Main Street curves in the vicinity of the Newport News Main Public Library building. 7 A village office/garage, barely visible in the aerial photo on Page 2, was erected behind Hilton Square, perhaps in the 1920’s. It may have also housed the village’s fire apparatus until the adjacent Hilton Fire House was built in the 1930’s. Large lots on the west side of Warwick County Road that flanked Main Street, where the Village Theatre and nearby businesses now stand were left vacant for years. They also can be seen by inspecting the Page 2 photo. Athletic playing fields located east of Warwick County Road, where a parking lot behind the Methodist church is now situated were just unimproved fields. The Hilton farmhouse and a fire truck were turned over to the newly-formed Hilton Village Fire Department in late 1918 by the construction company after finishing its work. The department’s all- volunteer residents of the village converted the structure into a club house, but also allowed the Hilton Civic League, formed in 1919 use it for community meetings and social events. The department’s membership later raised funds to build a recreational pier nearby for public use. Appearing in the upper right hand quadrant of the vintage aerial photo on page 2, it once jutted far out into the James River and was located several hundred yards north of the present-day Hilton Pier. Both farmhouse and that fire department-built pier have been gone for decades.

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