Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434) 560 Drillfield Drive Newman Library, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Business Number: 540-231-6308 specref@vt.edu URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
Michelle Noceto, Samantha Winn
Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.2016.012
Title
Women's Development Corporation Records 1979-2015
Quantity
8.5 Cubic Feet, Three records boxes, three small flat boxes, one large flat box, one roll of drawings, one large flat folder
of drawings, 16 foam board presentation panels.
Creator
Women's Development Corporation (R.I.)
Language
English
.
Abstract
The Women's Development Corporation (WDC) is a Rhode Island based housing developer and non-profit founded by a group of architects,
designers, community planners, and historic preservation professionals. These records document select activities of the WDC
from 1979-2015.
Permission to publish material from Women's Development Corporation Records must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia
Tech.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Women's Development Corporation Records,
Ms2016-012, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Acquisition Information
The Women's Development Corporation Records were donated to Special Collections in 2016.
The Women's Development Corporation (WDC) is a non-profit housing developer in Rhode Island. The WDC was founded in 1979 by
a group of architects, designers, community planners, and historic preservation professionals. The founders included Susan
Aitcheson (Program Director, Vice President from 1979-2012, and President from 2012-2016), Katrin Adam, and Joan Forrester
Sprague. Alma Felix Green was the first Executive Director in 1980 and retired as President in 2014. The WDC designs, develops,
constructs, and manages sustainable housing for low and moderate income families, individuals with special needs, and elderly
residents. Between 1979 and 2016, the WDC had developed over 1600 housing units.
These records document select activities of the Women's Development Corporation (WDC) of Rhode Island from 1979-2015. Materials
include professional correspondence from WDC staff to peers, funding agencies, politicians, and clients; commendations received
by the WDC; research notes and reports; administrative records, including meeting minutes and bylaws; public relations materials;
press coverage by and about the WDC; project documentation, including design sketches, presentation drawings, photographs,
and planning materials; audio-visual recordings; electronic records on DVD; and furniture models used in the participatory
design planning process.
This collection was arranged with respect to the original order and the Shephered/Lowell Standard Series and Subseries for
Architeture and Landscape Design. The collection reflects the following series and subseries:
Series I: Photographs
Series II: Professional Papers
Subseries A: Correspondence related to the profession
Subseries B: Awards, certificates
Subseries C: Research Notes and Data Collection
Subseries D: Files, articles, clipping, materials
Subseries E: Women's School of Planning and Architecture
Separated materials consist of books relevant to the firm's ideals preceding the work, with subjects covering aspects such
as participatory design, guides to low-income housing design, housing for Low-Income single women, different types of households,
and cohousing.
Titles:
New Households, New Housing , Karen A. Franck, Sherry Ahrentzen
Singular Women: Housing for Low-Income Single Women Without Dependents. Ann Forsyth
Participatory Design. Theory and Techniques. Henry Sanoff.
A Practical Guide to Low-and Moderate-Income Housing. Charles Edison and Bruce Lane
The Professional Papers series consists of material relating WDC's great effort to gather funding and support from several
organizations and institutions to fund and subsidize housing for low income women and families. This is supported by correspondence,
research notes, reference files related to both the profession and the role of women in architecture. Particular attention
was given to the WSPA - Women's School of Planning and Architecture, with related correspondence, publicity, awards.
SUBSERIES A: Correspondence related to the profession
box-folder 1 folder: 2
Proposal 1979 + Accompanying Correspondence
box-folder 1 folder: 3
EDA - Economic Development Administration
January 1979
box-folder 1 folder: 4
Becky Peterson (1979) to S. Aitcheson, J. Sprague, M. Kennedy
box-folder 1 folder: 5
Congressman Fernand Germaine
January 1979 - April 1984
box-folder 1 folder: 6
Secretary Simons
July 1980
box-folder 1 folder: 7
H.U.D. Regional
August-September 1980
box-folder 1 folder: 8
Congresswoman Claudine Schneider
November 1980 - August 1981
box-folder 1 folder: 9
Senator John Chafee
July 1981 - January 1982
box-folder 1 folder: 10
Ralph Pari
June 1983
box-folder 1 folder: 11
Elizabeth Earls - Community Mental Health Centers
September 1993
box-folder 1 folder: 12
Deborah Pond - Women's Housing & Economic Development Corporation
December 1998
box-folder 1 folder: 13
Don Roberts
April 1999
box-folder 1 folder: 14-22
Myrna Breitbart
box-folder 1 folder: 23
Jennifer Bramley
August 2004
box-folder 1 folder: 24
Correspondence Andrea Merrett
March - April 2012
SUBSERIES B: Awards, certificates
box-folder 1 folder: 25
Susan Aitcheson's License
box-folder 1 folder: 26-29
APA Awards & Proposal
1980
SUBSERIES C: Research Notes and Data Collection
box-folder 1 folder: 30
Breitbart Questionnaire & Answers
box-folder 1 folder: 31
Breitbart - Some Research Notes
box-folder 1 folder: 32
Information Emily Card - HUD
box-folder 1 folder: 33
Berlin Conference
1981-06-24
box-folder 1 folder: 34-35
Housing Group Design Exercises and Questionnaires
box-folder 1 folder: 36
Tenant Selection
box-folder 1 folder: 37
Outline of Development process
1981
SUBSERIES D: Files, articles, clipping, materials
box-folder 1 carton: 38
Article "Women's school ends successful summer"
1975-10
box-folder 1 folder: 39
Spokeswoman - Magazine Volume 10, Number 5
1980-05
box-folder 1 folder: 40
"Women Consumers, Women Professionals
1980
box-folder 1 folder: 41
"Making it ourselves"
box-folder 1 folder: 42
"Designing for the Messiness of Life"
1981-02
box-folder 1 folder: 43
"Sisterhood is braced for the Reaganauts"
1981-05
box-folder 1 folder: 44
"What an architect does - and doesn't do"
1986-08
box-folder 1 folder: 45
Journal of Housing & Community Development
box-folder 1 folder: 46
Progressive Architecture - Women in Architecture: Leveling the Playing Field
1995-11
box-folder 1 folder: 47
Sophia Smith Collection - Printed Webpage Search
2010
box-folder 1 folder: 48
"Cohousing" book with note
box-folder 1 folder: 58
Impacts Press
SUBSERIES E: Women's School of Planning and Architecture
box-folder 1 folder: 49
WSPA News Report
1975-1976
box-folder 1 folder: 50
Correspondence: Linda Moody
1980-06
box-folder 1 folder: 51
Correspondence: Carol Randles
1980-07
box-folder 1 folder: 52
Reference Files: WSPA
1980
box-folder 1 folder: 53-54
WSPA
1980
box-folder 1 folder: 56
Reference Files: Conference National Symposium Women
Project Portfolio: Planning, Designing and Building Homes for Families and Communities
1980-1997
Scope and Contents
Scrapbook portfolio documenting selected housing projects and properties developed by WDC between 1980-1997. Entitled "Planning,
Designing and Building Homes for Families and Communities," the portfolio explores the WDC's Participatory Planning Design
exercises and prototype development from 1980-1982. Originally established for the WDC's fifteenth anniversary and expanded
over time to document new projects.
This series comprises conceptual sketches, fabric and paint swatches, and planning activities from the WDC's original 1980
participatory design workshop with low-income women. The series also includes prototype floorplans produced by Susan Aitcheson
after the workshop.
Balsa wood and dyed cardboard furniture pieces used for participatory design activities.
oversize folder: 1-12 oversize folder: 13-16
Visual History and Timeline of WDC/HOC
2015
Scope and Contents
16 foamboard panels documenting the history of the Women's Development Corporation and its partner non-profit, the Housing
Opportunities Corporation. The panels include newspaper clippings of opposition to WDC housing in its early years, a project
breakdown by deecade, organizaitonal charts, lists of staff, and photographs of major projects and milestone events.