Add this copy of Atlantic Heights: a World War I Shipbuilders Community to cart. $39.91, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by Portsmouth Marine Society.
Add this copy of Atlantic Heights, a World War I Shipbuilders' Community to cart. $49.97, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1985 by Peter E. Randall Publisher.
Add this copy of Atlantic Heights, a World War I Shipbuilders' Community to cart. $94.37, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1985 by Portsmouth Marine Society.
As a new-comer to Atlantic Height myself, I sought this book out and read it with great interest. I found it contained many architectural details of the various homes that compose the government-subsidized housing neighborhood I live in, which neighbors had told me I would enjoy. But it held much more than those particulars. I found out that long before the neighborhood was conceived, the land was known as Freeman's Point. I discovered that the larger community in which I reside had little capacity to house the influx of workers that arrived, in stark contrast to the extent of housing development we see here today. I was introduced to the notion that, had things gone differently, I might be living on the site of an old paper plant, (phew!). I even had several heart-warming glimpses into the lives of the children who were raised in the Heights, over the last several decades. As Atlantic Heights draws nearer to it's centennial celebration in 2018, it is a good feeling to see the overall strong and attractive condition of these charming brick homes. The residents love this quiet area, in many ways a haven of sanity in a chaotic world. The folks here like to share the beauty of their gardens, for example, and this is only one way they cultivate a sense of community. Another way is that they have created a website called atlanticheights.org. I found that learning more about the history of my neighborhood gave me a place in history myself. I thank the architects whose vision of a garden community, borrowed from a European influence, has provided such a place, not only for the original inhabitants, who were building large ships on a contract from the US government, but for those of us who have come in afterwards, as times have changed. My understanding of government-subsidized housing was that it often fell into disrepair, and was almost designed not to last. Atlantic Heights is the polar opposite of this, even though it reflects the times and has had it's share of disrepair, it is certainly destined to last, as a monument to the past, as an inspiration to the future, and as a wonderful place to live in the present.
