Atchison Village Defense Housing Project, Cal. 4171-x

Atchison Village is a World War II defense housing project covering about 30 flat acres in central Richmond, California, between an industrial area, a railroad yard and low income housing. Work began under a federal order in October 1941, close to the Kaiser shipyards. The community holds 162 buildings of five designs with 450 dwelling units, plus a one-and-one-half-story Community Building and a triangular four-acre park once called the playing field. Designed to federal housing guidelines, the vernacular buildings have concrete foundations, light wood frames and, originally, redwood siding, now largely covered in vinyl. Structures cover only 15.4 percent of the land, leaving ample green space. It was listed as a cohesive and intact example of a Home Front defense housing project. Many similar projects were demolished or altered after the war. Residents formed a Mutual Homes Corporation that bought the village from the government, and its strict covenants have preserved the site's historic appearance.