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Would you like a list of available properties in Cradock? Call or e-mail me! 757-409-3417.
Cradock
Virginia’s First Planned Community
Afton Square
America’s First Planned Shopping Center
Cradock is one of the nation’s first government-built planned development communities. Conceived as a model community, it incorporated many of the most advanced planning techniques of its day. The community came into existence when World War I caused a rapid influx of workers at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The construction was funded through an act of Congress in 1918, which allowed the Federal Government to build housing projects related to the wartime effort.
The site chosen was a 310-acre farm about three miles south of Portsmouth on Paradise Creek. Cradock was named in honor of British Rear Admiral Sir Christopher G.F.W. Cradock whose fleet was sunk by the German navy in 1914.
The community was developed according to a design of the distinguished New York architectural firm George B. Post and Sons. The United States Housing Corporation provided design assistance. Hill and Ferguson provided the engineering services for the project.
Most of the features of present-day planned comminutes including schools, recreational areas, churches, a commercial area (Afton Square) and a public transportation system were provided in Cradock. All of the facilities were within walking distance of one another. The town pioneered the use of concealed utility lines. The town had its own government built school, firehouse, sewerage, water system and electrical street lighting system.
Afton Square was built in 1918 as neighborhood shopping center to serve the residents of Cradock with all of its shopping needs. It was the first planned shopping center in America. The design of Afton Square laid the fundamental plan for many shopping centers to come throughout the 1900’s. The fundamental focus of Afton Square was to provide all of the shopping needs to the residents of Cradock from groceries to clothing and furniture. Afton Square however was more than a shopping center, it was a place for the community to come together and fellowship with one another, hold community events and meetings. Today Afton Square still serves as the focal point of Cradock and provides residents with its basic shopping needs.
Home Designs
Designs for the single-family, duplex and row houses in Cradock were influenced by then-popular architectural styles such as English Cottage, Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial, and Tudor Revival. There is a large variety in design and plan, with houses unified by the repetition of sloping roof lines and Colonial Revival features such as small-paned shuttered wooden windows, classically detailed porch posts and pedimented entry porticos. Most single-family homes consist of five to seven rooms, with five-room duplexes and six-room row houses. Cradock was built in an efficient and cost-effective manner, and so it is the variety of house designs rather than the materials that provide its character and interest. The architect cleverly manipulated several stock designs to add variety to the street scene. Plans were rotated on site and different entrance locations or porch designs were added to create the appearance of an entirely new house type. Most Cradock houses are frame structures covered in wood clapboard siding. Brick houses are rare as are those clad in shingles or stucco. While the windows and doors of many of these houses may have been replaced over time, the openings retain their original configurations and ratio of wall to window and door area. Few roofs in the district retain their original diamond-patterned asbestos shingle roofs, however, new coverings have been applied to retain the original roof forms.
The appearance of the Cradock Historic District is defined by the use of a small number of house forms, sited closely together to create a village feel.The repetition of simple Colonial Revival details, gable roof lines, and uniformly light colored houses with dark shutters unify the limited variety of house types without becoming monotonous.
Roofs:
Gable roofs are a character- defining feature of Cradock houses. By design, the gentle slope allowed for maximum interior space while conveying a sense of cottage scale - considered a very desirable attribute at the time of construction.
Windows:
Since all Cradock houses were constructed according to similar plans and within a defined time period, there is less variation in style than may be found in most neighborhoods. Windows on the first and second levels of Cradock houses were originally six-over-six double-hung wooden sash. This means that there were six window panes in the upper frame and six in the lower and that each frame could be raised or lowered independently. Dormer windows were either a smaller version of the six-oversix sash or a single sash with nine panes which opened from a sidehinge. These windows are commonly referred to as casement windows. Double-hung windows, the first form of air conditioning, date back to the 1400s. The first growth wood, from which many original windows are fabricated, has dense growth rings that may provide for better resistance to water and insect damage. Properly restored and cared-for wooden windows should last another 100 years before full restoration is needed again.
Shutters:
Shutters originally functioned as a means to control the amount of light and air entering a structure, as well as providing privacy and protection from the elements. Operational shutters can work with double-hung sash windows to provide you with a variety of options for controlling the interior temperature of your home without air conditioning. Shutters in the Cradock Historic District were originally paneled or louvered and hinged to the window frames. Most homes no longer have their original shutters, and replacement shutters are rarely operational.
Trim:
Simply detailed wide wooden boards provided the original trim for the roof, windows and doors of Cradock houses. Square columns with minimal decorative trim and balusters formed the porches. By painting the trim a light color that blended with the siding, the darkly painted shutters became one of the character-defining features of these houses.
Cradock today retains much of its original character and architecture. Visit http://www.portsmouthva.gov/ planning/guidelines/Cradock/ for more information on historical guidelines.
Would you like a list of available homes in Cradock? Call or e-mail me and I will get that information out to you promptly. To create your own customized search of the Cradock neighborhood, please visit http://www.CallCat.info, and register for Free Home Updates.
"When you're ready to move- CALL CAT!"
HTTP://WWW.CALLCAT.INFO
CAT@CALLCAT.INFO
Please visit http://www.historiccradock.org.
Cradock Civic League meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at the Cradock Recreational Center on George Washington Hwy. at 7pm. All are welcome!
Are you a senior (65 and older) or disabled in cradock struggling to pay real estate tax?
There is help!
THE PORTSMOUTH DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES ADMINISTERS THE TAX RELIEF PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH. THE TWO COMPONENTS OF THIS PROGRAM ARE DESIGNED TO EITHER REDUCE OR FREEZE THE REAL ESTATE TAX LIABILITY FOR ELDERLY AND/OR DISABLED HOMEOWNERS. A NEW APPLICATION MUST BE FILED EACH YEAR TO CONTINUE TAX RELIEF. APPLICATIONS WILL BE TAKEN AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, 1701 HIGH ST., SUITE 101. FORMS ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE AND CITY TREASURER, CITY HALL, 801 CRAWFORD PARKWAY, AND ALL PUBLIC LIBRARY BRANCHES. THE APPLICATION SOCIAL SERVICES WILL ASSIST IN COMPLETING THE APPLICATIONS AND ALSO NOTARIZE THE FORMS AT NO COST. FORMS ARE AUTOMATICALLY MAILED THE FIRST PART OF JANUARY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE FOUND ELIGIBLE FOR PROGRAM BENEFITS IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL 405-1800, EXT. 8251.
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