Quads, Shoeboxes and Sunken Living Rooms: A History of Los Alamos Housing (The Los Alamos Story, No. 4) (Los Alamos Story Monograph)

Fourth in the Los Alamos Story series of monographs, this is a fascinating look at how the Atomic Energy Commission built the town of Los Alamos, housing project by housing project, after World War II. It's an often humorous account of the growing pains caused by the ubiquitous point system and the difficulty it caused in obtaining housing, as well as the unique architecture of a government-built community. Since the Manhattan Project took over Los Alamos in 1942, the town rarely has had enough suitable housing to meet the needs of all the residents. The lack of housing, the perceived inadequacies of the size and types of units available, and the quality of their construction became a primary cause of concern and conversation in the town. When studying birds, the most important reason for learning the names of the species is to use that name to identify others of the same species and thus assemble knowledge about their habits and relationships to their environment. So it is with houses: Once you can recognize the particular styles, you can begin to study the relationships of the houses to the landscape, the social structure, and the history of the town. The continually tight housing situation is a deep-rooted part of the Los Alamos culture. Shelter remains a topic of conversation and is currently dominated by the lack of affordable housing. To understand the present housing patterns, conflicts and trends, it helps to have a knowledge of how this government-built town was built. Studying the houses of this government town also helps us to understand the lives of the people who made the secret wartime city of Los Alamos their home.