{"id":515,"date":"2016-01-13T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2016-01-13T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/?p=515"},"modified":"2018-01-04T12:37:58","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T17:37:58","slug":"underground-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2016\/01\/13\/underground-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"Underground Homes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Page<\/a>

Page 1 of City of Fort Worth’s application to North Central Texas Council of Governments, UNTA_AR0265-006-002<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Would you believe that earth-sheltered homes were once on Fort Worth\u2019s wish list? It\u2019s true. The city wanted to construct earth-sheltered dwellings to provide sustainable housing, primarily for middle-income families in the northside and Stockyards areas of town. The North Central Texas Council of Governments approved $650,000 in funds for the construction of these homes in January 1978, granted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the city\u2019s application, it writes:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The key technique [in successful alternative housing] involves the design, selection, construction, rehabilitation, and aggressive marketing of middle income structures that can compete with traditional suburban development. Middle income families will be attracted to these structures because of their energy efficiency, their short and long-range costs as compared with traditional new housing, their attractiveness, and their location in convenient and basically good but deteriorating neighborhoods with the potential for revitalization.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\r\n

Described as an experiment, the city hoped to lead the way in alternative housing for other cities across the country. Fort Worth native, Frank L. Moreland, is listed as the architect and designer of the homes. Moreland graduated from Paschal High School in Fort Worth and went on to pursue several university degrees, including a bachelor\u2019s in Mathematics from Texas Christian University and two master\u2019s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to building homes, he also served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and Corps of Engineers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Ultimately, earth-sheltered homes did not take Fort Worth by storm. In fact, it appears that this plan never made it through the Assessment phase it outlines in its application. However, Moreland did design several homes across the metroplex, including Fort Worth, Dallas, Eagle Mountain Lake, Decatur, and Waxahachie. The Dallas News has an article about one of Moreland\u2019s homes in Dallas, which went up for sale on Earth Day 2013, and you can read more about the fascinating building <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

More information about Fort Worth\u2019s endeavor to create underground homes can be found in the North Central Texas Council of Governments collection<\/a>. To learn more about Frank Moreland, contact the University of Texas at Austin to view his papers<\/a>, which are a part of the Alexander Architectural Archive.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Would you believe that earth-sheltered homes were once on Fort Worth\u2019s wish list? It\u2019s true. The city wanted to construct earth-sheltered dwellings to provide sustainable housing, primarily for middle-income families in the northside and Stockyards areas of town. The North Central Texas Council of Governments approved $650,000 in funds for the construction of these homes… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[169,155,168],"class_list":["post-515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-alternative-housing","tag-architecture","tag-earth-sheltered-dwellings"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p60UnY-8j","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/07\/29\/the-north-central-texas-council-of-governments\/","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":0},"title":"The North Central Texas Council of Governments","author":"Alexandra","date":"July 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"After the second World War, people across the nation were staking claims in North Texas. In Fort Worth, the population jumped 57% between 1940 and 1950 (177,662 to 278,778), and the population mushroomed another 28% by 1960 (up to 356,268). And in Dallas, the population rose 47% between 1940 and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"North Central Texas Council of Government Planning Group Records, University of North Texas Special Collections. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/img003-740x572.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":278,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/08\/31\/making-medical-education-accessible-at-presbyterian-hospital-of-dallas\/","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":1},"title":"Making Medical Education Accessible at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas","author":"Alexandra","date":"August 31, 2015","format":"gallery","excerpt":"In 1966, the Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas opened its doors to patients in the Southwest Metroplex. As a teaching hospital, it also welcomed medical students with open arms. It had especially close ties with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, located about ten miles away. By 1971, Dallas Presbyterian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Dallas Presbyterian\"","block_context":{"text":"Dallas Presbyterian","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/dallas-presbyterian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Area Plan for Student Housing at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/08\/area_plan-740x578.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/08\/area_plan-740x578.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/08\/area_plan-740x578.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/08\/area_plan-740x578.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":288,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/09\/14\/the-odd-fellows-of-north-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":2},"title":"The Odd Fellows of North Texas","author":"Alexandra","date":"September 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Throughout the 1970\u2019s, North Texas worked to establish affordable housing for the low-income, elderly, and disabled. The Department of Housing and Urban Development provided aid and support for these projects. One such housing complex is the Friendship Towers building, an apartment complex for the retired and disabled, which was chartered\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Fraternal Organizations\"","block_context":{"text":"Fraternal Organizations","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/fraternal-organizations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Map of Friendship Towers Apartments","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0265-005-004-740x458.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0265-005-004-740x458.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0265-005-004-740x458.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":218,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/07\/27\/how-911-addressing-changed-rural-north-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":3},"title":"How 911 Addressing Changed Rural North Texas","author":"Alexandra","date":"July 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Remember when your grandmother\u2019s farm was \u201cthe brick house with a basset hound out front, about three miles south of the old cemetery?\u201d Now, that farm probably has a real address, something more like 123 Country Road. Beginning in the late 1960\u2019s and throughout the 1970\u2019s, communities began implementing 911\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"911\"","block_context":{"text":"911","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/911\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Letter written to Norma Teague, a resident on the Dennis Star Route in Brock, Parker County, Texas. 1968.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/07\/starrouteletter-400x243.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":455,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/11\/04\/the-kimbell-art-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":4},"title":"The Kimbell Art Museum","author":"Alexandra","date":"November 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"You can\u2019t visit DFW without visiting Fort Worth\u2019s Kimbell Art Museum. The museum\u2019s permanent collections are impressive and free to view, and the touring exhibits are exciting and rotated often. This isn\u2019t just a museum for tourists, though. The artistic, the worldly, and the cultured of the Southwest Metroplex pay\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"architecture\"","block_context":{"text":"architecture","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/architecture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The exterior of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, UNTA_AR0327-023-002","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":126,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/05\/19\/the-texas-triangle\/","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":5},"title":"The Texas Triangle","author":"UNT Special Collections","date":"May 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The collections being exposed within the Southwest Metroplex blog all share the chaos and excitement that overcame the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the decades following World War II. 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