DeSoto Homes, Building Nos. F-1--F-5, 708-730 Keelway Drive; 707-727 North Fourth Avenue, Rome

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2403-G. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Buildings Numbers F-1 through F-5 enclose the play area on three sides at the western end of the DeSoto Homes complex. Building Number F-1 is located at 730 Keelway Drive. Building Number F-2 is located at 727 North Fourth Avenue. Building Number F-3 is located at 707 North Fourth Avenue. Building Number F-4 is located at 708 Keelway Drive and Building Number F-5 is located at Keelway Drive, Rome, Floyd County, Georgia USGS Rome South Quadrangle, Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: 16S Corrected on 21 October using Google Earth, datum by HABS Collections Manager Anne Mason. The coordinates represent the approximate center of the roof of each building. There are no restrictions on its release to the public. Building No. Building No. Building No. Building No. Building No.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2403-G. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Built in under the United States Housing Authority, DeSoto Homes is significant as the first federally funded public housing project in Rome, Georgia. Building Numbers and F-5 are the five examples of the Type F Plan Building in the DeSoto Homes housing project. The Type F Plan Building is a two-story, ten-unit row house with four, two-bedroom units; two, three-bedroom units; and a one-bedroom unit on each floor at both ends of the building. DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 2) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: 2. Architects: The associated firms of Cooper and Cooper and Odis Clay Poundstone. 3.

Original and subsequent owners: Housing Authority of the City of Rome, to Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, to present. 4. Original and subsequent uses: Public housing units for the Housing Authority of the City of Rome and Northwest Georgia Housing Authority. 5. Builder, Contractor, Suppliers: Contractor: Griffin Construction Company, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia Landscape Architect: William C. Pauley, Atlanta, Georgia Structural Engineer: Armstrong, Mechanical Engineer: A.L. Lindstrom, Electrical Engineer: Bush, Civil Engineer: Jere Dodd 6.

Original Plans and construction: The Commission of the Housing Authority of the City of Rome approved the working drawings submitted for DeSoto Homes on June 12, The project contractors, Griffin Construction Company, Inc., won the base bid contract of Site clearance and construction of DeSoto Homes began in early September and was completed in October Aside from the replacement of the original doors and windows, the five Type F Plan buildings retain their original appearance and interior plans. 7.

Alterations and additions: The exterior stucco finishes on all Type F Plan buildings were repaired and repainted in and again in As part of Phase I of the Rome Housing Authority s building modernization plans during the early aluminum screen doors were replaced and rear canopies and gutters were also changed. During the larger CIAP modernization program in the early new bathroom fixtures, tile floors and sheetrock were installed, as were new kitchen cabinets. The original steel casement windows in each building were replaced with double and DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 3) tripartite anodized aluminum sash windows.

Original gas heaters were replaced with the existing wall furnaces and water heaters were upgraded and relocated to utility closets within the kitchens. Subsequent renovation work completed during the included interior improvements (painting, new bathroom tiling) and additional gutter and appliance replacements. B. Historical Context The Housing Authority of the City of Rome developed DeSoto Homes as a segregated, federally subsidized low-rent housing project for white residents.

DeSoto Homes, along with Altoview Terrace, which was built for African-American tenants, were two of the earliest housing projects built in Georgia following the passage of the federal United States Housing Act in and enactment of state enabling legislation for the creation of local public housing authorities in Located in the Fourth Ward section of Rome, the project was designed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style by the associated Atlanta firms of Cooper and Cooper and Odis Clay Poundstone. The Griffin Construction Company, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia was awarded the construction contract for the project with a low bid of Site clearance and development began in September and was completed by October Tenants began moving into the new units by November of that year.

The twenty-eight building Desoto Homes project is located within an urban setting and contains 148 residential units and a public Administrative Building. The one- and two-story buildings are symmetrically arranged to create multiple vistas. The landscaped site plan, designed by landscape architect William C. Pauley, is laced with concrete walkways, small lawns of green space, and a central open playground area. The five Type F Plan Buildings in DeSoto Homes were constructed as part of the original development between and The Type F Plan Buildings are the largest type present in DeSoto Homes and line the north, south, and western edges of the playground area on the west side of the development.

All buildings are two stories in height and contain eight, two-story units with two- and three- bedroom configurations and two upper level one-bedroom units located at each end. Each Type F Plan Building was renovated as part of the modernization plans of the and which resulted in the replacement of much of the interior fabric in all units, removal of the original steel casement fenestration, and installation of metal front doors, screen doors, and rear canopies. DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 4) Between and the lower working class families and individuals comprised most of the residents in DeSoto Homes. By the however, the majority of tenants were elderly. In the project was renamed Charles A.

Hight Homes in honor of the businessman and longstanding commission chairman of the Housing Authority of the City of Rome. By Charles Hight Homes was determined to be functionally obsolete and was designated for potential redevelopment by the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority (formerly the Housing Authority of the City of Rome). The complex currently stands vacant. Part II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement 1. Architectural character: There are five Type F Plan Buildings located with the DeSoto Homes project. These are the largest residential buildings found within the complex. All were built in as two-story, ten-unit dwellings with Spanish Colonial Revival style architectural detailing.

In the Type F Plan Building, four apartments have a four-and-a-half room standardized floor plan featuring a kitchen and dining room area with a utility closet, a living room, two bedrooms, and a full bathroom. Four, three-room units located at each end of the building have a kitchen with a utility closet, a living room, one bedroom, and a full bathroom. In addition, the Type F Plan Building also has two apartments with a five-and-a-half room plan that includes a kitchen and dining room area with a utility closet, a living room, three bedrooms, and a full bathroom. 2. Condition of fabric: The buildings are in good structural condition.

Despite the replacement of the historic windows and doors and renovation of much of the interior fabric, the original appearances and floor plans of the buildings are intact. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall dimensions: A Type F Plan Building is two-stories in height with a symmetrical facade. It measures 146 1 in length and DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 5) has an overall depth of 26 4 . Refer to plans for detailed measurements. 2. Foundations: The foundations of Type F Plan Buildings are composed of 8 thick concrete block wall footings supporting a reinforced 8 concrete slab. 3. Walls: Walls are 8 thick structural terra cotta block, also known as hollow tile block, and covered with a grayish blue painted stucco finish.

A belt course delineates the building s first and second stories. 4. Structural Systems, framing: The Type F Plan Building is constructed of structural terra cotta block masonry with a 2 x 6 trussed frame roof. 5. Porches, stoops: The front elevation of a Type F Plan Building has four shared, flat canopy porches with concrete slab foundation and two 4 metal pipe column roof supports. Five smaller concrete slab porches with cantilevered metal canopies are located over the back doorways on the rear elevation. 6. Chimneys: The Type F Plan Building has five, quadruple flue, interior ridge chimneys. All are transversely placed and coated with a stucco finish. 7. Openings a.

Doorways and doors: Each building has eight doors on the front and rear elevations accessing each two story apartment and the two first story, single-bedroom units. A small flight of concrete steps with wrought iron railings, located on each end of the building, lead to a single exterior door that accesses the interior stairways up to the second story three-room apartments. All existing exterior doors are flat metal replacements with aluminum screen doors. DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 6) b. Windows and shutters: Twelve uniform size windows occupy the upper story of the front elevation. Ten window openings of varying sizes are located on the fa ade s first story.

The rear elevations have sixteen windows on the second story and ten on the first. A single window is present on each story at the building ends on the east and west elevations. Although the two Type F Plan Buildings retain the sizes and locations of the original fenestration, all current windows are non-historic two-over-two, anodized aluminum sash replacements of the historic steel casement multi-light windows. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: Type F Plan Buildings are covered with a medium- pitched, side-gable roof with wood louvered vents at the gable ends. The roofs are covered with original red slate tile shingles. b.

Cornice, eaves: The Type F Plan Building roof has a slight eave overhang that is boxed with continuous brick dentil molding of alternating stretcher and header courses along the cornice. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: Type F Plan Buildings have a linear-massed plan that is eight units wide and two units deep. Each building contains ten residential units. Unique among the residential buildings are the two, five-and-a-half-room plan apartments found in the Type F Plan Building. These units have an eat-in kitchen, dining room area, and living room on the first floor, and a central hall on the second floor that opens to a bathroom and three bedrooms.

The four, two-story, four-and-a-half room plan apartments feature an eat-in kitchen, dining room, and living room on the first floor and a central hall opening to two bedrooms and one bathroom on the second story. The two, five-and-a-half room plans have an DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 7) interlocking design arrangement with two of the four, four-and-a-half room units. These interlocking four- and-a-half room units feature a smaller second bedroom than is found in similar plans in other dwellings. Finally, there are also four one-story, three-room apartments located on each end of building that have a living room, kitchen, bath, and single bedroom. 2.

Stairways: Each two-story, four-and-a-half and five-and-a-half room apartment has a straight stairway with an open wing wall leading from the living room to the upstairs hall. The wing wall rail is capped with sheet metal and has a black painted finish. The twelve stair treads have rubber coverings and risers have been painted black. The original wood handrails have a dark painted finish. The interior stairways located on the building ends of the Type F Plan Buildings lead to the living room areas of the second story, three-room apartments. The eight stair treads have rubber coverings and risers have been painted black. The original wood handrails have a dark painted finish. 3.

Flooring: All five Type F Plan Buildings have asphalt tile flooring applied over concrete slab throughout, save for bathrooms, which have replacement square ceramic tile. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: All remaining original walls retain a plaster finish; however, due to the extensive renovations made to the DeSoto Homes housing project during the mid many of the Type F Plan Building walls and ceilings are sheetrock with a painted finish. 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The Type F Plan Buildings appear to retain their original interior two-panel wood doors. Interior closet doors were added as part of the modernization work in the Doorways have 3 1/2 wide, plain wood casing with a painted finish. DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 8) b.

Windows: Interior window surrounds are generally devoid of casing and detailing save for unadorned, blocked stools and aprons with sheet metal capping and a painted finish. 6. Decorative features and trim: Developed as low-income housing units, the apartment interiors of Type F Plan Buildings are minimally ornamented. All interior partitions and doors are painted a uniform off-white. One of the few distinctive features is painted black clay tile base molding found in each room, save for the bathroom. 7. Hardware: Most interior doors retain their original brass doorknob and mortis lockset hardware although examples of cylindrical lock metal door sets on closet doors installed in the or are also present. 8. Mechanical Equipment: a.

Heating, air conditioning, ventilation: Apartment units in each building have been updated to include modern central HVAC and wall furnace heating systems. The original water heaters have been replaced and relocated within utility closets next to the kitchen. b. Lighting: Apartment units in each building have been updated to include adequate electrical wiring systems with modern breaker panels, wall outlets, and overhead lighting fixtures in the kitchen, living room, and hallway areas. c. Plumbing: All Type F Plan Buildings have plumbing systems installed as part of the original development. Kitchen sinks, and bathroom fixtures have been updated over time during the and The original water heaters have been replaced and relocated within utility closets next to the kitchen.

DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 9) D. Site: 1. Historic landscape design: The five Type F Plan Buildings are located on the western end of the DeSoto Homes complex and enclose the open playground area on the north, south, and west sides. Building Numbers F-1 and F-2 are located to the north of the playground and have a south orientation. Building Numbers F-3 and F-4 are sited opposite Building Numbers F-1 and F-2 on the south side of the park and have a north orientation. Building Number F-5 lines the park on the western edge and faces to the east. Angled automobile parking areas for the residents are located at north and south ends of North Fourth Avenue and Keelway Drive.

A semi-circular lot is also located in the area of the former spray pool behind the Administration Building. Part III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION Existing architectural and engineering drawings, historic views, documents and records, and interviews were used to compile this information. Much of the material was located at the Authority s Archives or within the Maintenance Department s files. For a full bibliography, please refer to Part III Sources of Information for DeSoto Homes, HABS No. GA-2403. Part IV. PROJECT INFORMATION This documentation was prepared to assist the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority in meeting their Section 106 responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act as amended.

After consultation with the Georgia Historic Preservation Division the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers the housing to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places based on Criterion A, namely, events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. The Authority, as administrator of federal funds allocated for this purpose, wishes to redevelop the site and its plans will have an adverse effect on the eligible property. Thus HUD, the Authority, and HPD entered into a Memorandum of Agreement in to complete a HABS Level II documentation of the DeSoto Homes. In addition, the Authority has elected to complete a second recordation project that documents the historically-associated Altoview Terrace.

DeSoto Homes is documented in HABS No. GA-2403 while Altoview Terrace s number is DESOTO HOMES, BUILDING NOS. F-1 F-5 (Charles Hight Homes) HABS No. GA-2403-G (Page 10) HABS GA-2419, but the documentation has not been submitted to HABS as of 30 September