Gold Coast Historic District
Located in Richland, Washington
Richland was a small farm town until the government purchased over 600 sq. mi. of land to establish the Hanford site. The site was created to work on the Manhattan Project during World War II.
The population went from 300 in July/August 1943 to 25,000 by the end of World War II.
Richland’s “Alphabet Houses” were designed by an architect from Spokane, Washington, G. Albin Pherson, to accommodate the huge growth that took place in the population to work on the project. He was given less than 90 days to design the entire community, including streets, utilities, commercial and residential building plans. And so the alphabet houses were born. There were single family homes, duplexes, apartments and dormitories.
One particular neighborhood in North Richland of over 100 alphabet houses has largely maintained their original appearance. In 2003 neighborhood associations began the process to have the area listed in the National Register of Historic Places and in 2005 the “Gold Coast Historic District” was named to the National Register of Historic Places.
Here are a few examples of the Alphabet Homes:
The A house is a 2 Story/Bsmnt Duplex
The Q house is a 1 Story w/Bsmnt.
The S house is a 2 Story w/Bsmnt.
