Evening star., 1939-04-29
Five District Men Win
Prizes for Low-Cost
Sing|e-Fami|y Homes
Gardens and Poultry
PIunned to Bolster
Economic Security
Special Dispatch to The Star.


Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, April 29-Prizes to-
falling $500 for distinguished low
cost, single-family dwellings de-
signed for two different sections Of
the United States have been award
ed in New York City to five Wash
ington men by a jury of nationally
known architects. Their entries
were chosen last week as winners
in the second and eliminating stage
of a Nationwide housing contest
organized by the Productive Home
Architectural Competition.
George D. Connor and H. G. Horne,
collaborators, of STA Chevy Chase
parkway, and Rudolph w. Wende-
lin of 1920 M street NV. and NAL
vern B. Pennock, ia F. street NE,
collaborators, were winners in the
Middle Western section. Stanley c..
Reese of 2407 Fifteenth street NV.
won In the Southern section.
xllC plollS WClC
designed. in accordance with the
rules of the competition. to make
1t possible for moderate and low in
come families now living in the city
to become owners Of small garden
homes within committing distance
of urban jobs. Exhibited in Wana-
makers Manhattan department
store last week, the plans have been
admired by thousands.
Economic Security Planned.
These successful designs belong in
the growing new "rurban"-rural
plus urban-trend toward practical
planned dwellings, which help carry
part Of their cost through vegetable
gardens, poultry houses and sheds
for small livestock, and kitchens de-
signed for canning and preserving.
Defense Of the family against eco
nomic insecurity is the aim of the
''rurban" architects. Under their
plans the family cash income is pro-
vided by the husbands city job as
In apartment or tenemen, life. but
the family is enabled to save money
and gain security by raising and
processing food from its own land,
using the modern household equip
ment.
In recognition of varying climatic,
soil and cultural conditions in the
United States. the competition di-
vided the American shelter area
into five regions designated as
Northeast, South, Middle West,
Northwest and Southwest. The VIM
ming architects drew their plans on
the assumption that the home
would be built near enough to a
city to enable the husband to COM
mute and earn total income of
$2100 year. BY raising of small
livestock and arranging gardens
and fruit trees on the 224 by 300
foot site, the architects estimated
family savings-tantamount to in
come and increased spending power
of at least $400 a year.
The competition was sponsored
by Free America, the Homeland
Foundation, the Independence
Foundation and the School of Liv-
ing, four on-commercial organiza-
tions in New York City advocating
small garden homes for American
families and general plan of wide
spread small property ownership
and urban decentralization.
Judges of Contest.
The judges of the first stage of
the competition. Chairman Fred
erick L. Alderman of the New York
Housing Authority, Baker Brownell,
head of the Department of Con-
temporary Thought. Northwestern
University; Mrs. Elsie Dawson of
the New York Herald Tribune
Home Institute, Burnhan Hoyt,
architect, Denver. Colo. and former
professor of architecture. New York
University. and the Right Rev.
Msgr. Luigi G. Ligutti. president Of
the National Catholic Rural Life
Conference, were augmented by two
other housing experts. Elected to
the jury by vote of the contestants
were Richard J. Neutra of Los An
geles and Antonin Raymond of New
York and Toxic.
The successful plains of the WASH
lngton architects were made to in
tegrate work space with living space.
Each design has a large room, COM
bining living and dining space
Kitchen, laundry and canning space
Is planned near the center of family
living. Bedrooms and q bathroom
are provided in each home for the
owner and his wife and his son and
daughter. Other space in the pro-
ductive area of the home is planned
for sewing, weaving and a workshop.
Shelter is designed with each home
for q car, chickens, q COW and feed
storage space. Carefully devised
landscape plans call for gardens and
orchards on the land surrounding
the houses.
Walter Sanders was official archi-
tectural counsel for the competition,
managed by Elliott Taylor.