Hilton Village facts for kids
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Hilton Village
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 Location in Virginia
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| Location | Bounded by the James River, Post St., Chesapeake and Ohio RR tracks, and Hopkins St., Newport News, Virginia |
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| Area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Built | 1917-1921 |
| Architect | Henry Vincent Hubbard, Joseph D. Leland, III, Francis H. Bulot, and Francis Y. Joannes |
| Architectural style | Jacobethan, Dutch colonial and Colonial revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000341 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 23, 1969 |
Hilton Village is a special neighborhood in Newport News, Virginia. It was planned to look like an old English village. This neighborhood is famous for being a very early example of urban planning (which is how cities and towns are designed). It's so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hilton Village was built from 1918 to 1921. It was created to provide homes for workers at Newport News Shipbuilding during World War I. It was actually the first housing project built by the United States government during a war!
Contents
History of Hilton Village
Why Hilton Village Was Built
In 1917, during World War I, the United States was very busy. Newport News Shipbuilding was building many naval ships. They needed thousands of new workers. But there weren't enough homes for all these people. Workers were living in crowded or temporary places.
The president of Newport News Shipbuilding, Homer L. Ferguson, went to Washington, D.C. He told Congress how important it was to build more homes. Without enough housing, it was hard to build ships quickly for the war effort. Because of his efforts, the U.S. Shipping Board received money to start an emergency housing program. Hilton Village was the very first project of this program.
Planning the New Community
The land for Hilton Village was bought about three miles (5 km) north of Newport News. It was a large area of woodlands. There was also an old home called "Hilton" on a bluff overlooking the James River.
The planning for Hilton Village was done by a team, which was a new idea at the time. Henry Vincent Hubbard was the town planner. Joseph D. Leland, III and later Francis Y. Joannes were the architects. They even talked to the wives of shipyard workers to get their ideas! Based on their input, 14 different house designs were created. The goal was to build 500 homes in an English village style.
The neighborhood was a few miles from the city. So, trolley car tracks were built to connect Hilton Village to Newport News. This allowed workers to get to the shipyard easily. It also let residents go to the city for shopping and other services.
The village was designed to have many services close by. The plan included spots for four churches, a library, a fire house, shops, and a school called Hilton Elementary School. Everything was grouped together so people could walk easily. For fun, the Hilton Pier and ravine were part of the plan. This area had a small park, a beach, and a fishing pier on the James River.
Architecture and Design
Hilton Village was designed to look like an early English village. This idea was influenced by the "Garden City Movement" from the United Kingdom. This movement focused on creating green, planned communities.
The houses in Hilton Village have different architectural styles. These include Jacobethan, Dutch Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Colonial Revival. There were 14 main house styles, and they were mixed throughout the neighborhood. This made sure that no two houses looked exactly alike in a row. Houses were built with different outer coverings like stucco, shingles, or clapboards. All the homes were made of wood with steep slate roofs. The roofs also had different shapes, like gambrel, hipped, or gable.
Building the Village
Work to clear the wooded land began on April 18, 1918. By November 1918, when World War I ended, almost 200 homes were finished or nearly finished. More than a dozen families were already living there. Hilton Village was officially dedicated on July 7, 1918. The Hilton Elementary School was completed in 1919. After the war, the plan was scaled back slightly to 473 homes. By the end of 1920, all the homes were built and people had moved in.
After the War
In 1921, Henry E. Huntington, who was the chairman of Newport News Shipbuilding, bought Hilton Village. He created the Newport News Land Company to manage the neighborhood. In 1922, many of the houses were sold to private owners. Over time, Hilton Village became a community where most people owned their homes.
Recognized as Historic
Hilton Village was designed by Henry Vincent Hubbard, a skilled urban planner from Harvard University. Because it was such an important and early example of urban planning, Hilton Village was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. This means it's a special place recognized for its history and design.
A historical marker in Hilton Village tells its story:
The nation's first Federal War Housing project, this planned community was sponsored by the U. S. Shipping Board and the Newport News Shipyard on the site of J. Pembroke Jones' Warwick County farm "Hilton". It was opened July 7, 1918, and sold to private owners after World War I. Street names in the 100-acre (0.40 km2) tract of former pine woods containing 500 English village-type houses honor government and shipyard officials.
Images for kids
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Hilton Village, 1920
