Stevens Courts was one of two housing projects built for the Housing Authority of the City of Texarkana, Texas in These were the first public housing constructed in Texarkana using funding provided by the United States Housing Act of Building 9 was one of eight Plan Type 4 buildings at the complex. STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 2) Figure 1. Location Map. Source: USGS Texarkana, TX-AR 7.5 Series Quadrangle Map, STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 3) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Date(s) of erection: 2. Architect(s): J. N.
McCammon-Bayard Witt, Associated Architects; Zumwalt and Vinther, Mechanical Engineers; Morrison & Carter, Landscape Architects; Frank Chappell, Structural Engineer. 3. Original and subsequent owners, occupants, uses: a. USHA Housing Project Tex. (later designated Stevens Courts Housing Project) was constructed for the Housing Authority of the City of Texarkana, Texas (now the Housing Authority of Texarkana Texas). b. The Stevens Courts Housing Project was used as public housing from 4. Builder, contractor, suppliers: Hardy Brothers Construction Company (General Contractor). 5. Original plans and construction: Building 9 was one of eight Plan Type 4 housing units constructed at Stevens Courts in Buildings 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12 were the other Type 4 units at the housing project.
The 6,518-square-foot, two-story building contained eight apartments numbered 209 through Apartments and 216 have two bedrooms each, while apartments and 214 had three bedrooms. Apartments were two stories in height, with a single flight of interior stairs connecting the two floors. Each apartment had a kitchen/dining area and living room on the first floor and bedrooms and a single bathroom on the second floor. The main entrance to each apartment, on the north side of the building, opened into the living room. A secondary entry accessed the kitchen on the south side of the building. 6. Alterations and additions: Building 9 retained its original layout. Alterations included: a. Roof: At an unknown date, HATT replaced the original clay tile roofing with composition shingles. b.
Windows: The original steel casement windows were replaced by mill finish, aluminum single-hung window units in the mid-1980s. c. Entries: The original paneled wood doors were replaced several STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 4) times over the life of the building. In exterior doors were solid core wood flush units set in hollow metal frames. B. Historical Context Building 9 was built as component of USHA Housing Project Tex. in See HABS No. for a historical context of the housing project. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural Character: Building 9 of the Stevens Courts Housing Project was a two-story, multiple dwelling.
It had a symmetrical plan consisting of a central block with projecting wings. The building expressed its Colonial Revival influence in its brick facade with dentilled cornice, shallow-pitched hipped roof, and pedimented porticos at the main entry for each unit. Two monolithic roof ventilators mimicking chimneys were symmetrically set on the main roof ridge line. 2. Condition of fabric: The building fabric was well maintained and was in good condition prior to demolition. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall Dimensions: Building 9 was irregular in plan and measured 126 - 4 east-west x 30 -8 north-south. 2. Foundations: The foundation, floor framing, and roof framing were not observed due to access and asbestos contamination issues.
Furthermore, structural plans for this plan type were not located. The following description is based on structural details common to all buildings in the housing complex. The foundation consisted of a continuous concrete perimeter grade beam, with an intermediate grade beam running east-west at approximately the mid-point between the northern and southern perimeter beams. 3. Walls: Exterior walls were masonry and consisted of a single wythe of red face brick laid in a running bond, backed by structural clay tile. 4. Structural System, framing: The first floor structure consisted of concrete joists running north-south, typically spaced at 2 -8 on center (o.c) resting on a concrete grade beam foundation.
The second floor structure was comprised of open web steel bar joists, typically spaced at 2 -8 o.c., STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 5) running north-south, resting on the load-bearing exterior masonry walls. Roof framing was 2x6 wood truss rafters at approximately 2 -0 o.c., running north south. 5. Porches, stoops: Building 9 had five raised concrete projecting porches on the north facade. The central and two outer porches sheltered entries for two apartments each, while the two intermediate porches had single entries.
The porches for the double entries were covered by gable-roofed porticos with wood pediments, and supported by steel pipe columns, while the single entry porches had shed roofs. There were six concrete stoops at secondary entries on the south facade, sheltered by cantilevered shed roofs. The two central stoops were at double entries and the outer four stoops were at single entries. 6. Chimneys: The building did not have chimneys, but had two roof ventilators designed to mimic chimneys in appearance. The light colored stucco body contrasted with the dark colored decorative stucco band and cap. Each ventilator was 7 -0 in depth, 3 -0 in width, and extended 5 - 6 above the ridge line. 7. Openings: a.
Doorways and doors: Each of Building 9 s eight apartments had a front and a rear exterior door. Main (north) entry doors were single 3 -0 x 6 -10 x 1 solid-core wood units, set into hollow metal frames. Rear (south) entry doors were 2 -8 wide but were otherwise identical to the main entry doors. Each entrance had a two-panel aluminum door with insect screen. The original doors were stile-and-rail wood doors with glazing in the upper half. b. Windows: Typical windows were two-over-two-light aluminum, single-hung units, which were reportedly installed in mid-1980s. Other windows included one-over-one-light aluminum, single hung units which were used in bathrooms.
Architectural plans called for six-over-six-light double-hung, hollow metal windows, which were more in keeping with the Colonial Revival design, but historic photographs show that steel casement windows were actually installed. 8. Roof: a. Roof shape, covering: Building 9 had a hipped roof with pitch, covered with composition shingles. STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 6) b. Cornice, eaves: Building 9 had a simple brick cornice with brick dentils and a wood fascia board. The building did not have eaves. C. Description of Interior 1. Floor plans: Building 9 contained eight two-story living units.
Five apartments and had two bedrooms each, while the remaining three apartments and had two bedrooms. A single flight of interior stairs connected the two floors in each apartment. Each apartment had a kitchen/dining area and living room on the first floor and bedrooms and a single bathroom on the second floor. The main entrance to each apartment, on the north side of the building, opened into the living room and a secondary entry opened into the kitchen on the south side of the building. 2. Stairways: Each apartment had a straight run of closed-riser interior stairs. 3. Elevator: None 4. Flooring: Flooring throughout the units was 12 x 12 vinyl composition tile over concrete. 5. Wall and ceiling finish: Interior walls in all areas except the bathrooms were plaster.
Bathrooms had glazed ceramic tile on the walls. Ceilings were plaster on metal lath. The typical ceiling height was 8 -2 . 6. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Interior doors were typically two panel, wood stile-and-rail with metal frames. Some closet doors had been replaced with flush, hollow core wood units. b. Windows: Interior windows had no decorative molding, surrounds, or sills. 7. Decorative interior features: None. 8. Mechanical equipment: a. HVAC: The building originally had built-in space heaters. Each apartment was later retrofitted with central air conditioning and heating system. b. Plumbing: The building was connected to the City of Texarkana water and waste water system.
Each apartment had a two-basin, STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 7) stainless steel kitchen sink; water heater; wall-hung lavatory; built- in, cast iron recessed bathtub with shower; and tank-type, floor- mounted water closet. c. Electric: The building had electricity. The main panel for each apartment was located in the kitchen. D. Site 1. General setting and orientation: Building 9 was in the western section of Stevens Courts, facing north toward West Street. The eastern Service Drive was to the east, Building 14 was to the west, and Building 10 was to the south. The terrain slopes down gently from north to south.
The building s main entries connected to a concrete sidewalk that runs along the south side of West Street and concrete walkways led from Building 9 s rear entryways to a formal pattern of interior walkways that connected to other units in the complex. 2. Historic landscape design: Little information, aside from a few photographs, was discovered that provides information about the historic landscape of Stevens Courts. The Site Improvement Plan, prepared by Morrison & Carter, was not located. The landscape plan for Stevens Courts sister project, Bowie Courts, called for retaining existing trees where possible, but for no new tree plantings. It is assumed that Stevens Courts would have had the same arrangement.
Figures 1 and 2 show early views of Plan Type 4 buildings and adjacent landscaping. In the landscaping at Building 9 consisted of a grass lawn on the north, west, and south sides of the building and two small evergreen shrubs, one at the northwest corner of the west wing and the other on the north side of the east wing. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A. Early Views: Housing Authority of Texarkana Texas, N. Robison Texarkana, Texas B. Current Views: All 4" x 5" photos were taken by Ecological Communications Corporation in November C. Original Architectural Drawings: All original architectural drawings are held by the Housing Authority of Texarkana Texas, N.
Robison Texarkana, Texas STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 8) D. Bibliography Please see HABS No. for a complete bibliography. PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION A. Federal Agency: United States Department of Housing and Urban Development B. Names and Affiliations of Those Preparing Documentation: Ecological Communications Corporation, Austin, Texas. Thomas Eisenhour, Project Manager, Historical Architect, Photographer Kurt Korfmacher, Architectural Historian Lara Newcomer, Historian Kathryn St. Clair, Architectural Historian C. Date Documentation Prepared: December Figure 2. A Plan Type 4 building, date unknown.
The original steel casement windows, half-light paneled doors, and clay tile roofing can be seen. Source: Housing Authority of Texarkana Texas. Photograph not copyrighted. STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, BUILDING 9 (STEVENS COURTS HOUSING PROJECT, Plan Type 4) (USHA Housing Project Tex. Building 9) HABS No. (Page 9) Figure 2. South facade of Building 6, another Plan Type 4 building; date unknown. Source: Housing Authority of Texarkana Texas. Photograph not copyrighted.
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