Arlington Farms Arlington Farms was a temporary housing complex for female civil servants and service members during World War II . Built in 1942 - 1943 by the United States Government ' s Federal Works Agency ( FWA ) , Arlington Farms was located on the former site of the United States Department of Agriculture ' s Arlington Experimental Farm on the grounds of the historic 1 , 100 - acre Custis - Lee family estate in Arlington County , Virginia , outside Washington , D . C . Construction . The federal government began planning for an influx of wartime workers years before the United States officially entered World War II . In late 1940 , President Franklin D . Roosevelt signed a law to move the Department of Agriculture ' s Experimental Farm from Arlington , adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery , to its current location in Beltsville , Maryland to allow for an expansion of the military cantonment at Fort Myer . The Arlington Farms land was originally considered for the new War Department building . However , when construction of the Pentagon began in 1941 , it was on the nearby site of the old Washington - Hoover Airport . In April , 1942 , the National Capital Park and Planning Commission selected numerous sites around the city for construction of temporary war housing . In addition to plans in West Potomac Park , near the Lincoln Memorial , on Capitol Hill , near present - day RFK Stadium , and in Suitland , Maryland , some 7 , 000 units were slated for Arlington Farms , just over the Arlington Memorial Bridge . Five months later , the FWA , one of the forerunners of the General Services Administration ( GSA ) , awarded $ 4 million in contracts for the construction of dormitories at Arlington Farms . The contractors were Philadelphia ' s John McShain , Inc . , and two Virginia - based companies , Doyle & Russell and the Wise Contracting Company . The three firms were also partnered on the nearby Pentagon construction . John McShain ' s company was the most prominent in Washington at the time . Besides the Pentagon ( 1943 ) , they were the primary contractor on National Airport ( 1941 ) and the Jefferson Memorial ( 1943 ) . Construction began almost immediately and on March 1 , 1943 , the first occupants of Arlington Farms moved into their wartime homes . First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt played a role in the design and construction of the residential housing project . She toured the facilities when they first opened and presided over the formal dedication on October 15 , 1943 . Life at Arlington Farms . The ten dormitories , each named after a U . S . state , and auxiliary buildings , including an infirmary and a recreation hall , covered approximately 28 - acres of an 108 - acre site . Six of the dorms housed civilians , four were designated for female members of the military . The dorms were " gray and extremely temporary in appearance " , set on masonry foundations with exterior walls made of cemesto . Each dorm opened up into a lobby and various common areas , including game rooms , lounges , and a service shop , which sold food , drinks , cosmetics , and other sundry goods . The walls were brightly painted , furniture was " bamboo in the modern motif , " and decorations were provided by Works Projects Administration ( WPA ) artists . Jane Watson , art editor for " The Washington Post " , proclaimed it “ remarkable how much thoughtful architectural designing and planning , judicious use of color , and the introduction of cheerful fabrics in the interior furnishings have done to lighten the barracks - like effect of these dormitories . ” Off of the main lounge and common areas were ten two - story housing wings with single and double - occupancy rooms . There were laundry areas and a kitchenette on each floor . Rooms were “ small , but pleasantly furnished , with bed , dresser , mirror , chaise longue , floor lamp , ash tray , waste basket , and two pillows . ” The girls could exchange their linen twice a week and had weekly maid service . The housing at Arlington Farms , which was segregated , was managed by the Public Buildings Administration and designated for select government workers with yearly salaries of $ 1 , 260 to $ 1 , 620 . Four of the dorms housed military servicewomen , primarily Naval Reserve WAVES ( Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services ) , and six were civilian . Single 8ʼ x 10ʼ rooms rented for $ 24 . 50 and doubles for $ 16 . 50 a month . The women who lived at Arlington Farms came from all over the country , recruited by the U . S . Civil Service Commission or into the WAVES , to work in government jobs in and around D . C . at places such as the nearby Pentagon , Navy Annex , or Arlington Hall , home of the Army ' s Signal Intelligence Service . When they were not working , the girls could be found engaged in a variety of recreational activities on the campus or around town with the many young servicemen stationed in the Capital area . The " 28 Acres of Girls " became famous , so much so that in early 1945 when a group of four American prisoners of war who had recently escaped from a Japanese prison camp came to Washington for debriefing , they made Arlington Farms one of their first stops . Postwar Use . After the war ended in September , 1945 , Arlington Farms continued to operate for the next five years . Occupancy rates began to decline in the late 1940s , and buildings were consolidated and some transferred over to the military for enlisted and family housing . By early 1950 , fewer than 1 , 800 girls remained at Arlington Farms and the government began planning to shut down operations and transfer all the buildings and land over to the military as of July 31 , 1950 . The Army officially moved into the former “ G - Girl Haven ” in September 1950 and began using Arlington Farms as a draft center supporting the Korean War . The military maintained control of the site and the dormitories remained in use until they began to be demolished in the mid - 1960s . A couple of the auxiliary buildings remained intact until the mid - 1970s . The Arlington Farms site is currently part of Arlington National Cemetery .