Apartment Bungalow and California-Type Houses of Arlington County, Virginia;

NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information. For additional space, use continuation sheets (Form 10-900-a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer to complete all items XX New Submission Amended Submission A. Name of Multiple Property Listing APARTMENT BUNGALOW AND CALIFORNIA-TYPE HOUSES OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA; VDHR FILE NUMBER 000-9712 B. Associated Historic Contexts (Name each associated historic context, identifying theme, geographical area, and chronological period for each.) 1. THE APARTMENT BUNGALOW OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1938-1939 2. THE CALIFORNIA-TYPE HOUSE OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1946-1952 C. Form Prepared by Laura V. Trieschmann, Architectural Historian name/title organization EHT Traceries date August 2011 Updated November 2011 1121 Fifth Street, NW street & number telephone 202-393-1199 Washington DC city or town state zip code 20001 e-mail [email protected] D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. (_________ See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature and title of certifying official Date State or Federal Agency or Tribal government NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 Apartment Bungalow and California-Type Houses of Arlington County Virginia Name of Multiple Property Listing State I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. Signature of the Keeper Date of Action Table of Contents for Written Narrative Provide the following information on continuation sheets. Cite the letter and title before each section of the narrative. Assign page numbers according to the instructions for continuation sheets in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Fill in page numbers for each section in the space below. Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts (if more than one historic context is documented, present them in sequential order.) 1-24 F. Associated Property Types (Provide description, significance, and registration requirements.) 25-44 G. Geographical Data 45-58 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods (Discuss the methods used in developing the multiple property listing.) 59-60 I. Major Bibliographical References (List major written works and primary location of additional documentation: State Historic Preservation Office, other State agency, Federal agency, local government, university, or other, specifying repository.) 61-62 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5-31-2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Name of Property National Register of Historic Places Arlington County, Virginia County and State Continuation Sheet Apartment Bungalow and California-Type Houses of Arlington County Section number E Page 1 Name of multiple listing (if applicable) E. STATEMENT HISTORIC CONTEXT: ASSOCIATED HISTORIC CONTEXTS 1 THE APARTMENT BUNGALOW OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1938-1939 a) The Federal Housing Administration’s Effect on Small House Planning i) FHA Prescription for the Affordable Small House ii) Following the Small House Principles iii) Architectural Styles of the Small House b) Arlington County Pre-World War II Housing Statistics c) The Apartment Bungalow of the Modern Movement i) Arlington County’s Apartment Bungalow ii) Builders of the Arlington County Apartment Bungalow iii) Limited Success of the Apartment Bungalow iv) Conclusion 2 THE CALIFORNIA-TYPE HOUSE OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1946-1952 a) Post-war Affordable Housing Needs b) California Ranch House Defined c) California-Type House of Arlington County i) Builders of the California-type House ii) Limited Success of the California-type House iii) Conclusion NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5-31-2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Name of Property National Register of Historic Places Arlington County, Virginia County and State Continuation Sheet Apartment Bungalow and California-Type Houses of Arlington County Section number E Page 2 Name of multiple listing (if applicable) THE APARTMENT BUNGALOW OF ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1938-1939 The Federal Housing Administration’s Effect on Small House Planning With the nation still in the grips of the Great Depression that had begun with the stock market crash in October 1929, the housing industry, devastated by the calamitous events and poor economy, was in much need of financial stimulation and support. Restoration of the housing market was widely viewed as an essential step to achieving national recovery. In 1934, Congress enacted the National Housing Act, which created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). As described in a history of the FHA, “The immediate objectives of the Act were to make money available for repairs and new construction, to revive the homebuilding industry, to put men back to work, to restore confidence and to improve general economic conditions. The long range objectives were even more ambitious—to reform mortgage lending practices, to broaden opportunities for home ownership, to raise housing standards.”1 The principal mechanism through which the FHA achieved its goals was the provision of mortgage insurance on both single-family and multiple-unit dwellings, thus making housing a more secure investment for both the industry and the individual owner. Mortgage insurance was intended to be self- supporting and, thus, the FHA had to aid in establishing the financial soundness of the projects it insured. Through the standards and rating systems it set to qualify for the mortgage insurance, the FHA encouraged the construction of small, affordable suburban houses and large planned communities with provisions for, or access to, good neighborhood services and transportation. It encouraged towns and cities to institute planning and zoning codes. The FHA also opened the housing market to purchasers who could not afford the traditional fifty percent down payment requirements by insuring long-term amortized mortgages of up to 80 (and later 90) percent of the appraised value. For each application the FHA evaluated, it considered the three major factors of mortgage risk: the character of the neighborhood, the quality of the structure, and the credit and character of the borrower. Although the concept of federally sponsored mortgage insurance was new, many of the FHA’s goals and reforms were based on concepts and projects that planners, architects, social reformers, community builders, and others had developed in the first decades of the twentieth century. In 1931, while in the depths of the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover had called the President’s Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership to make recommendations for reviving the home building industry, promoting good housing for lower income groups, and expanding home ownership. The conference’s 3,700 attendees, working through numerous committees, produced a series of recommendations ranging from home financing to design, construction, and landscaping. The recommendations of this seminal conference, which brought together experts in the many professions associated with housing from urban planners to manufacturers of building components, served to guide the FHA as it developed programs in the years following its creation in 1934.2 NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5-31-2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Name of Property National Register of Historic Places Arlington County, Virginia County and State Continuation Sheet Apartment Bungalow and California-Type Houses of Arlington

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