In a previous post, I mentioned that the Group 16 homes in Eastern Area were considered one of the most highly sought after on the housing lists here in Los Alamos. Why were these homes so popular? What made them different from other “group housing” here in Los Alamos?

By 1953, the Eastern Area was still made up of orderly blocks of prefab housing such as the Mckees, Handfords, Wingfoots, and Fort Leonard Woods. You can read more about those tiny homes HERE. In October of 1953, the Atomic Energy Commission took bids on these units and began moving them off the hill to their new homes. By February of the following year, the AEC went forward with plans to build new housing in the Eastern Area and Group 16 went under construction.

For the first time, the government listened to the residents of Los Alamos and did not plan any multiple family units in the new construction. Instead, the first batch of Group 16 included 83 homes in the areas of Canyon Rd, Myrtle, 9th, & 15th streets. This construction creaked Oakwood, Sage, and Pinon Loops.

The second batch of 37 Group 16 homes went up on the south side of Trinity Dr near the Medical Center and 35th street with a few stragglers on Sandia Drive near 47th & 48th streets. This brought the total number of Group 16s to 120.

Part of the excitement and desirability had to do with the fact that Group 16 included on 13 two bedroom homes while providing 74 new three bedroom homes, and 33 four bedroom homes. For a town that had been clamoring for larger floorplans, this felt like amazing progress!

The homes did lack a fireplace, but each dwelling had a carport. Residents considered these a close match in quality to the Original Westerns, and the pitched roofs were the first seen in Los Alamos since the Lustron homes were built in 1949. Because these were concrete slab construction, the floors were tile over concrete instead of hardwood floors. But having a single family home in such a traditional floorplan with a pitched roof made Group 16 the most attractive housing option available in Los Alamos since the Original Westerns were built and residents were excited!

I did find some of the construction information quite interesting. Craig Martin discussing some of the cost issues associated with building here in Los Alamos in the fifties in his book, Quads, Duplexes, and Sunken Living Rooms.

In March of 1954, the average cost of building a home in Santa Fe and Albuquerque was $10,000. (Don’t think too hard about that. It was a long time ago!) Similar homes built in Los Alamos tended to cost $14,000 to $18,000 to build. A Congressional committee actually cut funding initially to build homes in Los Alamos at that time due to the discrepancy in the numbers. The budget cut caused the number of projected houses to be lowered, thus causing the Congressional committee to invite the Los Alamos Project building manager to Washington for a chat. His chat at least partially restored the budget, but of the 122 Group 16s planned, funds could stretch to only 120 homes.

These days, locals are entirely aware of the challenges associated with building and maintaining homes in our somewhat remote community. It calls for some DIY elbow grease, good plan ahead skills, and a healthy respect for any contractor who is willing to come up here. Most of us have a list of companies or local resources and we show them the love whenever possible! I sometimes enjoy imagining Frank DiLuzio of the Los Alamos AEC office explaining to the suits in Washington what a drive up the Main Hill Road is like for a semi trailer full of building materials!

While the old myth about our streets being laid out “in Washington” by folks who had never been here isn’t true. What is true is that most of the decision makers who had a lasting effect on our Los Alamos landscape had absolutely no idea what the terrain is like here. I still have to remind myself that Main Hill Road is not “normal” for some folks, which is why they drive cautiously and want to stop and get a photo of the breathtaking view!

Next time you’re cruising down Trinity Drive or Canyon Road, check out the wonderful Group 16 homes still sheltering local families today! They’re still popular even after all these years for being exactly what they are: a functional home with useable living space to raise a family. And when you’re ready to buy or sell your home here in Los Alamos, give me a call! I’d love to chat Los Alamos Real Estate with you!