The Deck Houses
As World War II neared culmination, Congress passed the G.I. Bill of Rights, ensuring a paid college education for American military personnel. America’s universities saw a massive influx of veteran students, and Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s experience was no different. The university lacked the...
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| Format: | Electronic |
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Auburn University Libraries
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| Online Access: | https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/11 |
| Summary: | As World War II neared culmination, Congress passed the G.I. Bill of Rights, ensuring a paid college education for American military personnel. America’s universities saw a massive influx of veteran students, and Alabama Polytechnic Institute’s experience was no different. The university lacked the housing facilities required to keep up with the enrollment increase. A special committee of faculty and administrators proposed to use deck houses as a temporary housing solution. These deck houses were actually portions of tugboats that the college acquired from the Federal Public Housing Administration in 1946 as U.S. Maritime surplus property. These ninety-three structures caused quite a stir, and were the subject of an article in Life Magazine. These tiny, light blue-gray structures contained two downstairs rooms with two bunks each and an upstairs study area. The college closed and sold the deck houses in 1949. |
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