Did you know in 1947, Coe arranged for 15 housing units for married veterans and their families? This allowed the vet to still easily attend classes at Coe. The units were built by the Federal Public Housing Authority and ownership was initially retained by the government until two years after the war, and then they belonged fully to Coe College.
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| A photo of the huts from the 1948 yearbook |
Each unit (known as a Quonset hut) had two bedrooms, a living room with a kitchenette, two closets and a bathroom. The units also came furnished with a gas space heater, a stove, and a water heater. Bed linens, however, could be rented from the government if the couple wished!
It was named Marquis Court after a former president of Coe. The huts happily housed up to 26 couples and 7 children (
Coe Cosmos October 18, 1950) as well as a canary, three dogs, and a skunk! Over time, the buildings became run down and housed fewer students, so they were finally abandoned and demolished in 1960.
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| A group of students and pets share dinner |
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| Text from the 1949 Courier about the huts |
Carla, Where on campus were the huts located? What's there now?
ReplyDeleteBruce N.
Thanks for asking! I meant to mention that they were located behind Eby field house where the parking lot is now.
DeleteYou can just barely see them in this aerial photo from the early 1950's: http://www.coe.edu/uploads/pdfs/library/archives/1950s-aerial.pdf