In 1943, the Seattle Housing Authority opens the Duwamish Bend housing project in Georgetown for workers building ships and planes during World War II. The prefabricated frame homes and apartments are designed to be erected in 45 days and are considered temporary. The residences are supposed to be torn down within two years of the end of the war, but veterans and their families will live in the project until 1954.
Ship and airplane construction for World War II choked Seattle with workers and housing was in critically short supply. Projects built for war workers at Holly Park, High Point, and various temporary sites proved insufficient. Under the federal Latham Act, public and private funds were used to construct Stadium Homes, which comprised 1,044 one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes on both sides of S Michigan Street between 4th Avenue S and 6th Avenue S.
Each unit had a living room, kitchen, coal and wood stove, ice box, bathroom, electricity, and water. The main street was along Oxbow Road, which followed the old bed of the Duwamish River. The Michigan Street Dormitory and the Duwamish Bend Apartments provided another 500 units. Only war workers were permitted to live there. Other temporary projects in Seattle included Delridge, Cedar Vale, and Minor-Fir.
When street lights were installed, each tenant could control the light outside their home in lieu of a porch light. Telephone service was not available for two years. The Seattle Parks Board hired recreation leaders for the project and the Duwamish Bend Community Club was formed. The community club worked to improve conditions such as roaming packs of dogs, mud, garbage, and lack of activities for children.
Veterans Return
After the war ended, the housing shortage continued. Servicemen returned to civilian life and established families. Occupancy was limited to veterans who had lived in Seattle one year. In December 1947, 3,712 persons lived there. In 1951, rents went up and a 3-bedroom unit cost tenants $51 a month. A no-bedroom single unit rented for $27.25 a month.
Demolition took a little longer than planned. The last 124 units of Duwamish Bend were sold on September 8, 1954 and "wartime temporary housing ... [in Seattle became] a thing of the past" (Housing Headlines). Many of the buildings were moved to new locations throughout King County and used as homes.
