Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-08
Housing PorIey to Get
2 Area Women's Ideas

Two Washington area mothers
now have a chance to offer views
accumulated in 33 years of home
making. 1t may change the floor
plan of your future home.
Mrs. John H. VornDicK of 895
North Kentucky street, Airing
ton, married 10 years, and Mrs.
H. Daniel Drake, jr., of 1901
Northampton street, married IA
years. were among the first in
the country to be invited to the
Women's Congress on Housing.
The Housing and Home Finance
Agency is sponsoring the meet
ing here on April %, "a and Is.
Altogether, 100 women dele
gates will be picked out of thou
sands who wrote Federal Housing
Boss Albert M. Cole. The agency
wants a piece of their minds and
any other constructive criticism
on home planning for modern
family living to guide Govern
ment housing standards and aid
industry in blueprinting tomor-
rows homes.
Mrs. VornDick wrote Housing
Administrator Cole that for
years she has urged that homes
should be designed by women, or
at least from the women's point
of view.
Misplaced Picture Window
She can't see why, for instance,
some houses near us were built
with picture windows in the
front when there is park in
the rear" or why the 100000
home of a friend is arranged so
the housewife has to walk all
the way around the house to
carry groceries from the car to
the kitchen"
II would not advise growing
families stressing the Importance
OF huge kitchen when the
SpaciouSnesS of other rooms must
be sacrificed" wrote Mrs. Drake
And if air conditioning can't be
furnished with the original cost
OF the house =. provision should
be made for its future use," she
added.
THE most important thing to
consider" in Mrs. VornDick S
mind is ''how mother and
homemaker can maintain super
viSed play of small children, who
are forever getting into mischief,
and at the same time accomplish
her daily chores"
Mrs. VornDick and her hus-
band believe they have the prob
lem licked in the dream house"
they're now planning to build IN
Fairfax County when they find
the right couple Of acres" to
put it.
TwO-Purpose Room
The idea is an L-shaped COM
bination kitchen family room
Mother can cook supper while
the kids play in the recreation
area around the corner.
Another VornDick architec-
tural must" is center hall
connecting all rooms. Then YOU
don't have to cross the living
room to get to a bedroom" she
explains. One section of the new
home will be the quiet end" for
bedrooms; another part, the
NOISY end"
There will be no little panes"
in the windows of the VornDick
home. The new house, Mr.. Worm
Dick insists will have big-paned
windows for time-saving wash
ing.
The VornDicks' laundry room
also will be off the kitchen rather
than in the basement. Better to
keep an eye on the young ones.
And an automatic washer-dryer,
which Mr.. VornDick fondly
terms her silent servants" are
a must for a big family, she
says.
The VornDicks have four chill
dren. two boys and two girls.
Mrs. Drake who wrote she and
her husband have two growing
children, have owned and sold
one postwar house" have
planned and built their own
country home and are modern
izing an old home.
Eventual Dream Home"
She figures the home cant
start Of as the dream home
out must be able to be expanded
and improved upon as the family