Historic Seaside Village Co-operative encompasses a primarily residential area in the South End of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is bounded on the east by Iranistan Avenue, the north by South Avenue, the south by Forest Court and by the west by Alsace Street.
The property consists of a densely built collection of brick rowhouses, arranged in irregular combinations. The village was developed during World War I to alleviate a housing shortage caused by an influx of workers hired to work in the city's munitions factories. It was an early government-funded project of this type, and was a collaborative design effort by R. Clipston Sturgis, Skinner & Walker, and Arthur Shurtleff. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Overview
Seaside Village was built by the federal government in response to the housing problem for factory workers in World War I. Bridgeport manufacturers had expanded their factories, but were unable to maximize production due to a lack of adequate housing for workers.Olmsted, Frederick Law. “Lessons from Housing Developments of the United States Housing Corporation.” Monthly Labor Review, 8 May 1919, pp. 27-38.
Bridgeport manufacturers wanted to attract workers to Bridgeport, both for the short-term war needs and for the future, and therefore chose to build quality housing.Baxter, Sylvester. “The Government's Housing at Bridgeport.” The Architectural Record, 45, no. 245, 1919, pp. 123–141. They hired the architect R. Clipston Sturgis of Boston, and the town planner Andrew Shurleff of Boston.“Historic Residential Suburbs,” David L. Ames, University of Delaware Linda Flint McClelland, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, September, 2002. The local housing authority which initially built some housing in the Lordship section of Stratford and in the Grasmere section of Fairfield could not build housing fast enough to meet the needs of the war effort.Baxter, 1919.
The federal government stepped in to help Bridgeport and other cities across the country. Congress authorized and funded the United States Housing Corporation (USHC) in July 1918 with $100 million in capital. The Director of USHC's town planning division was Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., whose father designed Central Park and Seaside Park.Donohue, Mary M. “Site Lines: Housing Factory Workers During Wartime.” Connecticut Explored, 2014, pp. 1–2
The USHC chose a number of locations in Bridgeport to build worker housing, but the largest lot was the one owned by The Crane Corporation. It became known as the Crane Lot or the Crane Development until shortly before it was completed, when it was renamed Seaside Village. Its location within walking distance of many factories and its proximity to Seaside Park made it desirable.Dononue, 2015.
Seaside Village was built in approximately 90 days, starting in late October 1918 and ending in early March 1919. 377 homes were planned, but only 257 were built due to the end of the war shortly after construction began.Hubbard, Henry V. ed. Report of the United States Housing Corporation, United States Department of Labor: Washington, D.C. Vol.2, 1919, pp. 120-131.
Seaside Village began as rentals for factory workers and their families, but became owner-occupied by 1955, when 90% of the tenants agreed to become part of cooperative housing.“90 Percent Would Buy Apartment Units.” The Bridgeport Telegram, 28 Oct. 1954, p. 1-6.
Seaside Village is on the National Register of Historic Places due to its architecture, community planning, and social history.“Seaside Village Historic District.” National Register of Historic Places, National Register Information System, ID: 90001424. It became one of the first collaborations of city planners, architects, and landscape designers in creating a comprehensive approach to community planning.Ames, 2002.
Early history of Seaside Village
Bridgeport's population more than tripled from 1880 to 1914, growing from 30,000 to 115,000 as immigrant labor arrived and manufacturing expanded.Nolen, John, and Frank Backus. Williams. Better City Planning for Bridgeport; Some Fundamental Proposals to the City Plan Commission. Brewer-Colgan Co. Printers, 1916.
From 1914 to 1916, the population grew from 115,000 to 175,000 as Bridgeport factories supplied European countries and the U.S. with war-related products.“WWI-Era Housing Superbly Crafted.” The Bridgeport Post, 25 Nov. 1990, pp. D1–D1.
The manufacturers had expanded their factories, however they were unable to meet production quotas due to a severe lack of adequate housing for the workers. The housing shortage was so severe that workers were buying train tickets and sleeping in the railway terminal, renting eight hour shifts in rooming houses to sleep, and the City even considered building massive tents for housing up to 10 families."Bridgeport's Housing Situation." Housing Betterment, vol. 5, no. 2, May 1919, pp. 6–7.
The Bridgeport Housing Company was formed in 1916 to deal with this housing problem. It was composed of about a dozen manufacturers and public service companies with capital of $1,000,000. One of its first actions was to appoint R. Clipston Sturgis of Boston, as the architect and Andrew Shurtleff as the town planner. The town planner controlled most aspects of the project."Wartime Emergency Housing In Bridgeport, 1916 – 1920." National Register of Historic Places, National Register Information System, ID: 64500081. Mr. W. H. Ham, a Boston engineer, was appointed as the general manager."Housing at Bridgeport, Conn." National Builder, vol. 64, no. 8, 1920, pp. 22–30.
R. Clipston Sturges was President of the American Institute of Architects from 1913–1915. He was involved in designing the wings for BuIfinch's state house in Boston. Sturgis also designed the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts."Seaside Village Historic District." National Register of Historic Places.
Arthur Shurtleff studied under Charles Eliot from 1895 to 1896 at Harvard and worked for Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects from 1896 through 1905, before he opened his own firm in Boston. Along with Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., he was an early faculty member of Harvard University's landscape architecture program, founded in 1900.
William H. Ham graduated from Dartmouth College in 1897 and in 1898 from the Thayer School (Dartmouth) of Civil Engineering and Architecture. From 1908 to 1916 Mr. Ham was a member of the firm of French and Hubbard, consulting engineers on factory buildings. He then became manager of the Bridgeport Housing Company.Ham, W. H. "The House-Building Industry as Seen by an Engineer." National Builder, vol. 65, no. 1, 1922, pp. 29-31.
The first of the United States Housing Corporation projects to be completed was Black Rock Gardens, followed by the Wilmot Apartments, both designed by Sturgis with Skinner and Walker as associate architects. Seaside Village, the third to be finished, was designed by Sturgis with Andrew H. Hepburn as associate architect."Wartime Emergency Housing in Bridgeport, 1916 – 1920." National Register of Historic Places
The Crane site was chosen because it was within walking distance of the West End shops and would enable most workers to come home for lunch. It was adjacent to the Crane Company plant and had been part of the Crane Company property until the federal government purchased the land. It was renamed "Seaside Village" prior to completion. Proximity to Seaside Park was another reason. At one time it was a marshland and had a creek running through it, but by the time it was chosen for development in 1918, the wetlands had been filled in by industrial waste."Automobile Tour," Eighth National Conference on Housing in America, December 10, 1920.
The need for an additional architect was due to the Crane Development being the largest of the developments to be built by the USHC in Bridgeport and it was also considered to the most important one."Government Aids in Building 300 Homes". The Bridgeport Times, 3 Sept. 1918, p. 1.
Chicken wire fences separated the backyards. Heating was from a coal stove in the kitchen."Federal Houses Near Completion," The Bridgeport Times, March 15, 1919. The pantry was designed to hold an ice box that could be drained onto the ground underneath."Model Home Is Attractive Enough to Tempt Anyone into Matrimony and Is Now Open for Inspection." The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer, 20 Dec. 1922, p. 8.
By the time the final plans were submitted by the end of September, 380 homes had been planned for the Crane tract. “A central playground is a feature of these plans.” “Homes on Crane Lot.” The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer, 25 Sept. 1918, p. 6.
By October, it was being referred to as the Crane Lot Housing Development. Groundbreaking was expected the week of October 21, 1918."Tracks Laid." The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer, 21 Oct. 1918, p. 4. Just three weeks later, the truce for WWI was signed on November 11, 1918. This was a problem for the Crane Development as it was only one-half of one percent complete as of November 6, 1918."Gov’t Houses Here Cost Way Above Price Set," The Bridgeport Times, 19 December 1919. By December, the City was wavering over whether to complete the housing.“DeVer Warner Predicts Fall Boom and Favors Completion of Government Housing Plans.” The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer, 14 Dec. 1918, pp. 1–2. By March 1919, the Housing Company began to lay off workers. At this point, the newspapers began referring to the Crane Development as Seaside Village."Federal Houses Near Completion." The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer, 15 Mar. 1919. The units rented for $15/month at a time when munitions workers were getting paid $75/week, while the average pay for a worker was $10/week."Vintage Homes Admired." The Connecticut Post. 24 August 1997. During this same month (March 1919) H. K. Moses of the Architectural Department of the U.S. Housing Corporation and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., Chief of the Town Planning Department visited Bridgeport. While touring Seaside Village, Mr. Moses said, “It looks like a bit of England.” Moses was a key leader in the revival of Colonial architecture in the United States.“Big Architect Praises Our City.” The Republican Farmer, 21 Mar. 1919, p. 5.
By September 1919, the construction of Seaside Village had cost $1,971,839. Ninety-two of the units were still vacant as the war had ended and the demand for workers had abated. The Senate charged the U.S. Housing Corporation with inefficiencies and improperly spent federal money. The report stated that “A failure to promptly cease building operations on the signing of the armistice proved either a desire to complete their town beautiful experiments or to be helpful, at government expense, to the local communities involved.” Gov’t Houses, 1919.
Seaside Village 1920–1950