PAMMEL COURT

War surplus structures
Portions removed over many years

The end of World War II and the return of Veterans to the campus resulted in a serious housing shortage. The fall enrollment in 1945 was 8407; the following year it jumped to 9216 of whom 1100 were married students. The influx of families introduced an entirely new problem for the residence department. Until that time housing had been provided only for single students in the existing residence halls.

In October 1945 the first steps were taken to prepare for the influx of married couples through the acquisition of trailers and demountable houses, obtained from the federal government from war production sites where they were no longer needed. By January 3, 1946, the Iowa State Daily Student could report that “Thirty-six of the proposed 150 temporary housing units for Iowa State’s married veterans will be ready for occupancy by noon today. Seven families have moved in to date.”

These first units were set up in what had been the polo field, on the north side of Pammel Drive (which gave the name to the total development) north to the railroad, in the area now occupied by the Communications Building, Ames Lab buildings and parking lots.

In March 1946 a grocery store was erected, utilizing a structure that had previously been a storage bin on the Agricultural Engineering Farm. In May 50 quonset huts and 50 more trailers were added.

During the fall of 1946 the college obtained 317 barracks type buildings, providing 734 living units. Erected by the Kucharo Construction Company most of these units were set up in the area north of the railroad in the areas known today as east and west Pammel Court. Others were erected to the northeast of the previously developed area south of the tracks.

In all areas the college provided water, sewer and electricity, and developed the roads and general site improvements. A map of the Pammel Court Housing Project, showing all units both north and south of the railroad, appeared in the Iowa State Daily Student on February 15, 1947. Schilletter¹ records the peak occupancy as follows:

152 trailers

50 quonset huts (2 families each)

79 demountable houses

704 metal barracks (534 two bedroom, 200 one bedroom)

65 private trailer lots

A recreation building for children was built by Pammel Court residents in the spring and summer of 1947. This later became today’s Driver Education Building.

The original ownership of the various units was in the name of the Federal Housing Administration, but that was transferred to the College on July 1, 1947.²

A contract to install ceiling insulation in the barracks type buildings was awarded in January 1948 and the work was accepted two months later. ³

A new grocery store was built in “North Pammel Court” in the fall of 1947. It was closed and out-of-business in March 1952.⁴ It then became a recreation center.

In 1949 electric meters were installed on all units except the trailers.

All of the trailers were “decommissioned” and removed between 1950 and 1952.⁵ By 1967 all units south of the tracks were eliminated from the program, and most had been removed from the campus. A few remained and were used for storage for another two or three years.

By 1968 there were 668 units in use in the east and west areas north of the tracks. Sixty-six units were eliminated in 1973 when grading for the 13th Street extension was undertaken. Other units, those in the greatest need of repair, were decommissioned as new units in Schilletter Village became available in 1974-76. In 1979 there are still 522 units in use.⁶