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Introduction
PURPOSE
The Greater Hilton Area Plan serves as an also developed in response to the needs of
update to the Hilton Area Neighborhood the shipyard, which is where African American
Plan, which was adopted in 1998. The plan employees settled.
boundaries have been expanded to include the
contiguous neighborhoods and commercial Homer L. Ferguson was general manager in
areas north of the original plan area. During charge of the physical expansion of the Newport
the planning process, progress made in News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and
implementing the 1998 plan over the past two served as president from 1915 till 1946. Ferguson
decades was identified and opportunities for conveyed to Congress the impact that the lack
improvement were explored in order to provide of housing had on ship construction and thus on
recommendations for the future. the war effort. Subsequently, the United States
Shipping Board approved $1.2 million in funding
The Greater Hilton Area Plan provides a guide and authorized the creation of a comprehensive
for growth and appropriate redevelopment emergency housing program. Hilton Village was
of the area and presents options for potential the first major project of the emergency housing
improvements to support reinvestment and program.
stabilization of neighborhoods and commercial
areas. The plan provides goals and strategies The 1918 Hilton Village Master Plan features many
for achieving the community’s vision of a place design cues based on the Garden City Movement
where people want to live, work, and play, while as envisioned by Ebenezer Howard with
learning and celebrating the community’s rich influences from Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. The
history. village includes 500 residences occupying 100
acres, 20 compact city blocks, with 14 different
When adopted, the Greater Hilton Area Plan will duplex and single-family home designs. Building
serve as an amendment to the One City, One footprints are situated on various sized parcels,
Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. and the homes feature a variety of architectural
elements reflecting Tudor, Georgian, Colonial,
HISTORICAL CONTEXT Dutch Revival and English cottage styles, which
make the structures unique yet cohesive. Every
The Greater Hilton area is a collection of residence originally included indoor plumbing,
neighborhoods and commercial properties that electricity and sanitary sewer, as well as a rear
began with the planning of Hilton Village during yard with a storage shed. The streets were lined
World War I. It was developed as family housing for with sidewalks, lighting, and trees. The original
white laborers to ensure that the manufacturing neighborhood design, as shown in Figure 1,
capacity of Newport News Shipbuilding and included a community center and school site
Dry Dock Company could achieve its potential (the present-day Hilton Elementary School), retail
to accept war contracts. Better housing, which and entertainment venue areas, a fire station,
could help instill a higher standard of living, was post office, library, space for churches as well as a
necessary to entice and retain skilled workers at park.1 The village was serviced by a trolley to take
the shipyard. The Southeast Community shipyard workers to downtown and the compact
street grid enhanced walkability.
1
Quarstein, John V. (2018) Hilton Village. Arcadia Publishing, pages 7 – 51.
6 Greater Hilton Area PlanJump to an indexed page (80 of 80)