viblbv01839Women's Development Corporation RecordsWomen's Development Corporation Records, 1979-2015 Ms.2016.012Michelle Noceto, Samantha WinnSpecial Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

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This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-07 13:46:42 -0400.EnglishDescribing Archives: A Content Standard Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Women's Development Corporation Records Women's Development Corporation (R.I.) Ms.2016.012 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. 1979-2015 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. English . Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

 Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Women's Development Corporation Records must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

 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.

 Historical Note

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.

Additional sources: http://www.wdchoc.org/about-wdc http://www.wdchoc.org/FAQ

 Content Description

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.

 Arrangement

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 Series III: OFfice Records Subseries A: Administrative articles, bylaws, meetings Subseries B: Housing Planning Group Meetings, 1980 Subseries C: Public Relations Activity Subseries D: Published Materials Subseries E: Exercises and analysis Series IV: Project Records Series V: Participatory Design Workshop, 1990 Series VI: Aduiovisual and Electronic Media Series VII: Exhibits and Artifacts

 Separated Materials

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

International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) History of Women in Architecture Women architects -- Rhode Island SERIES I: PhotographsEnglish.Scope and Contents

Contains photographs of Susan Aitcheson's retirement, 2015.

Susan Aitcheson retires201511SERIES II: Professional PapersScope and Contents

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 professionProposal 1979 + Accompanying Correspondence12EDA - Economic Development AdministrationJanuary 197913Becky Peterson (1979) to S. Aitcheson, J. Sprague, M. Kennedy14Congressman Fernand GermaineJanuary 1979 - April 198415Secretary SimonsJuly 198016H.U.D. RegionalAugust-September 198017Congresswoman Claudine SchneiderNovember 1980 - August 198118Senator John ChafeeJuly 1981 - January 198219Ralph PariJune 1983110Elizabeth Earls - Community Mental Health CentersSeptember 1993111Deborah Pond - Women's Housing & Economic Development CorporationDecember 1998112Don RobertsApril 1999113Myrna Breitbart114-22Jennifer BramleyAugust 2004123Correspondence Andrea MerrettMarch - April 2012124SUBSERIES B: Awards, certificatesSusan Aitcheson's License125APA Awards & Proposal1980126-29SUBSERIES C: Research Notes and Data CollectionBreitbart Questionnaire & Answers130Breitbart - Some Research Notes131Information Emily Card - HUD132Berlin Conference1981-06-24133Housing Group Design Exercises and Questionnaires134-35Tenant Selection136Outline of Development process1981137SUBSERIES D: Files, articles, clipping, materialsArticle "Women's school ends successful summer"1975-10138Spokeswoman - Magazine Volume 10, Number 51980-05139"Women Consumers, Women Professionals1980140"Making it ourselves"141"Designing for the Messiness of Life"1981-02142"Sisterhood is braced for the Reaganauts"1981-05143 "What an architect does - and doesn't do"1986-08144 Journal of Housing & Community Development145 Progressive Architecture - Women in Architecture: Leveling the Playing Field1995-11146 Sophia Smith Collection - Printed Webpage Search2010147 "Cohousing" book with note148Impacts Press158SUBSERIES E: Women's School of Planning and ArchitectureWSPA News Report1975-1976149Correspondence: Linda Moody1980-06150Correspondence: Carol Randles1980-07151Reference Files: WSPA1980152WSPA1980153-54Reference Files: Conference National Symposium Women 1981156WSPA Clipping: Kathleen McDonald's Information157SERIES III: Office RecordsSUBSERIES A: Administrative articles, bylaws, meetingsFirst Meeting in RI to Discuss Concepts1978-1121CSA Recommendation1979-0222Documents197923-17WDC Economic Development: An Affirmative Action Community Outreach Program1979-04218A Synopsis of Villa Excelsior219WDC Program & Description1980-06220Final Report to TAP221Proposed Mawney Street Cooperative222Housing with Economic Development Description223Vol II - Section V - Implementation Feasibility224SUBSERIES B: Housing Planning Group Meetings1980Housing Planning Meetings - Notes1980225Housing Planning Meetings - March Meetings1980226Housing Planning Meetings - April Meetings1980227-28Housing Planning Meetings - May Meetings1980229Housing Planning Meetings - Boston trip230-38Housing Planning Meetings - June Meetings1980239-41Housing Planning Meetings - July Meetings1980242Housing Planning Meetings - August Meetings1980243Housing Planning Meetings - September Meetings1980244Housing Planning Meetings - October Meetings1980245-46Housing Planning Meetings - November Meetings1980247-50Housing Planning Meetings - December Meetings1980251Summary of Housing Meetings252Transitional Housing Planning Group253Original Housing Planning Attendance254Spanish Meeting Announcement Original255Housing Planning Meetings - January Meetings1981256Housing Planning Meetings - February Meetings1981257Housing Planning Meetings - March Meetings1981258Housing Planning Meetings - April Meetings1981259Housing Planning Meetings - May Meetings1981260Housing Planning Meetings - June Meetings1981261Housing Planning Meetings - August Meetings1981262Housing Planning Meetings - October Meetings1981263Housing Planning Meetings - November Meetings1981264Boards of Directors - March1982-03265Housing Planning Meetings - July Meetings1982266Housing Planning Meetings - August Meetings1982267Text from visit to Boston with Housing Groups268Housing Planning Meetings - Attendance269House Planning Meetings - September 1982270SUBSERIES C: Public Relations ActivityAds & Info Forms31General Notebook: Flyers32-3General Notebook: Flyers - Documentation related to flyers34General Notebook: Outreach - October to December 197935General Notebook: Outreach for intro MTG - November 28, 1979 - PaceSponsor36General Notebook: Outreach for intro MTG -December 11th, 198037General Notebook: Outreach January 1980 Presentation38General Notebook: Outreach May 198039General Notebook: Business Interests310General Notebook: Introduction Meetings311General Notebook: Sample Forms312General Notebook: Building Maintenance313General Notebook: Workshops sponsored by W.D.C.314General Notebook: Senior Craft315SUBSERIES D: Published Materials"American University National Symposium"1981-05330 Magazine "Canadian Woman Studies Les Cahiers de la Femme"1990331"Affordable - Housing Program launched"1991-03332 "A conversation with Alma Green"1995-04333 "Planning New Living Spaces for the Nontraditional Family"1984-09334"City Group offers hope for families"1992-06335 "Bringing Life to West End"1992-07336 "Nonprofit Group well on its way to $3 million"1992-01337 "Quality housing for Women and Children" - Breitbart1990338 "Female Solutions to Housing Need"1990-11339 "The Cork Examiner" articles1995-02340"A best practice toolkit for historic preservation"341 "Hope resides in a historic house"1995-07342 "The new Master Builders"1998-07343 "More than Housing" - Joan Sprague344 "Establishing Grounds" - Myrna Breitbart1995345 Magazine "Architecture" - article photocopy1998-07346 Magazine "Architecture"1998-07347 WDC History & Articles stapled348"Aging in Place"349"More than Shelter. A Manual on Transitional Housing"350"List of WDC Publications"351SUBSERIES E: Exercises and analysisDesign exercises352Site selection353Spanish Neighborhood Analysis354Neighborhood Analysis355SERIES IV : Project RecordsList of Properties owned by WDC356Projects In Progress and Completed1998357Developments & Properties1999-02358Projects in progress & Projects Completed1999359WDC properties2003-06360Sketched Floorplans361Drawings and Plans3Rolled drawings and sketches4Fifteenth Anniversary Portfolio Records199481Project Portfolio: Planning, Designing and Building Homes for Families and Communities1980-199782Scope 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.

SERIES V: Participatory Design Workshop1980Scope and Contents

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.

Participatory Design Activities1Prototype Drawings3622Fabric and paint swatch selections3SERIES VI: Audiovisual and Electronic MediaWomen's Development Corporation, Fall 1998 - Tapes 1,2,351Scope and Contents

Footage shot for Dream Builders on Home & Garden Television. Betacam SP tape.

Women's Development Corporation, Fall 1998 - Tapes 4,552Scope and Contents

Footage shot for Dream Builders on Home & Garden Television. Betacam SP tape.

Audiocassette, "Tent City", 2 sides53Audiocassette, Side 1: "Vivia Victoria, 1st Nov 15, 1980" / Side 2: "Ann Kerry @ Villa Vicotira, Nov 15, 1980"54Audiocassette, Side 1: "Alma's interview, rodie, 8/2/8/81" / Side 2: "Christmas Party - Children Singing, 12/19/83"55Dream Builders - Women's Development Corp61Scope and Contents

VHS tape

Susan Aitcheson Interview, 4-16-1362Scope and Contents

DVD-R, interview conducted by Andrea Merrett, Columbia University Archives

Home & Garden Network, WDC NAHB63Scope and Contents

DVD-R

Women's Development Corporation64Scope and Contents

DVD, Running Time 8 min 40 sec

WDC Archive: Photos, Posterboards, Powerpoint, 9.20.1565Scope and Contents

DVD+RW

WDC Archive 66Scope and Contents

DVD+RW

SERIES VII: Exhibits and ArtifactsFurniture models7Scope and Contents

Balsa wood and dyed cardboard furniture pieces used for participatory design activities.

Visual History and Timeline of WDC/HOC20151-1213-16Scope 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.