[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE CENTENNIAL OF HILTON VILLAGE IN NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA

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                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2018

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a 
historic neighborhood in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Historic 
Hilton Village in Newport News will celebrate its centennial on July 7, 
2018. To mark the occasion, I would like to take a moment to highlight 
the history of this neighborhood and recognize its contributions to our 
community.
  Hilton Village sits on 100 acres of forested land between the James 
River and C&O Railroad in the city of Newport News, Virginia. It was 
constructed in 1918 to address the severe housing shortage for 
shipbuilders employed by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock 
Company. At the time, the United States had just entered World War I 
and Newport News Shipbuilding had received contracts to build naval 
ships and thousands of shipbuilders came to the area to assist with the 
war effort.
  Hilton Village stands out in United States history as the first 
government experiment in urban planning and the first federally funded 
war-housing project. The President of Newport News Shipbuilding, Homer 
L. Ferguson, first lobbied Congress for additional housing to support 
his burgeoning workforce when he traveled to Washington in 1917 to 
voice his concern with the overcrowding of shipbuilder's quarters. 
Shortly after his visit, Congress provided the United States Shipping 
Board with $1.2 million to plan and build Hilton Village. Henry Vincent 
Hubbard, a Harvard graduate and one of the best town planners at the 
time, served as the village planner. Francis Joannes was the village 
architect and Francis H. Bulot was the project engineer. They designed 
the buildings with the most modern methods based on input of 
shipbuilders' wives. Hilton Village was designed to offer many local 
services. The plan even included tracks for a trolley car to allow 
workers to commute to the Shipyard and to the greater Newport News 
region where city services and shopping were centered. The first 
development of Hilton Village consisted of a block of English village 
style homes owned by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, plots 
for four churches, a library and a strip of stores. By 1920, Hilton 
Village had developed into almost 400 homes, a fire-house, a business 
district, an elementary school which is still open to this day--Hilton 
Elementary School--and a small park with a beach and pier known as 
Hilton Pier.
  After World War I, the chairman of the board at the shipyard, Henry 
E. Huntington purchased Hilton Village from the government and operated 
the community as the Newport News Land Company. Huntington's Newport 
News Land Company rented out Hilton homes to community residents and in 
1922 sold the properties to private owners. Gradually, Hilton Village 
became a community for families, business owners, retirees and young 
adults. In 1969, Hilton Village was listed on the National Register of 
Historic Places, which deemed it worthy of preservation for its 
historical significance. Four streets--Hopkins Street, Post Street, 
Ferguson Avenue and Palen Avenue--are named after former Newport News 
Shipyard and Drydock Company executives. Two other avenues, Hurley and 
Piez were named in honor of U.S. Shipping Board and Emergency Fleet 
Corporation executives involved in the project.
  Today Hilton Village boasts 27 unique boutiques, eateries, art 
galleries and salons and continues to thrive as one of Newport News' 
prized cultural centers. In 2009, Hilton Village was designated one of 
10 Great Neighborhoods by the American Planning Association, because it 
is a prime example of timeless neighborhood planning. It was the first 
out of about 100 federally financed housing projects during World War 
I, and it remains a national model for communities that are looking to 
plan and build inclusive, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the residents of Hilton Village on their 
centennial celebration and for helping make Newport News a great place 
to live and raise a family.

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