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McDonough Family Homes Master Plan for Modernization McDonough Family Homes
Master Plan for Modernization
Public Housing Agency of Saint Paul John J. McDonough Homes is the largest family housing site owned by the Public Housing Agency of St. Paul.
The majority of the site was developed in the 1950s to provide affordable homes during the post World War II
housing shortage. Over the last 50 years, buildings, parking lots, lighting, playgrounds, a community center,
gardens and other improvements have been added to the site. Building renovations have been continually
made to improve energy efficiency and to simplify building maintenance.
On the whole, the site and buildings have served their purpose well over their first half century. However,
the wear and tear of years is evident in the interiors and exteriors of the buildings and throughout the site.
McDonough Homes is in need of comprehensive modernization to correct existing problems and to extend the
usable life of the development into the 21st century. In 2001, the Public Housing Agency of St. Paul (PHA)
hired Adsit/Schrock DeVetter Joint Venture and Close Landscape Architecture to embark upon a planning
process.
The Master Plan is a tool for prioritizing modernization issues and organizing core concepts and solutions into
a concise document. The Master Plan will be used and developed over the next ten years as the construction of
the modernization work continues.
INTRODUCTION
McDonough Family Homes Master Plan for Modernization
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BACKGROUND
The McDonough Homes community is owned and managed by the Public Housing Agency (PHA) of Saint Paul.
The site is located at the southeast corner of Wheelock Parkway and Jackson Street, just north of downtown
St. Paul. There are 580 multi-bedroom units. The buildings were constructed in three phases with 512 townhomes
and a community center completed by 1952. The more recent additions were constructed in the early 1960s
along the south and east edges of the property.
Currently, within McDonough Homes, there are amenities such as semi-private yards with play areas for children,
community gardens, a community center, and convenient bus routes for transportation. In addition to a large
PHA maintenance staff, there are eight PHA Resident Services staff on site who manage the property and
community needs. Many support services are located within the McDonough Community Center, including
recreation programs, health and wellness care, child care, educational and employment training classes,
counseling services and a Resident Council.
Demographics
(Source: Public Housing Agency 2001 Survey)
Community Profile
Housing Units
580 Townhomes One,
Two, Three, Four and Five
Bedrooms
Residents
Approximately 2,400 people,
1350 under 17 years
Children under
5 (500)
22%
6-17 (850)
36%
Adults 18-50
32%
51-61
6%
62-82
4%
Heads of Household
11% Elderly
22% Disabled
Race
<1% American Indian
10% White
37% Black
53% Asian
Residents at Open House for Master Plan
Housing at McDonough today McDonough Family Homes Master Plan for Modernization
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MCDONOUGH FAMILY HOMES
understanding its history
John J. McDonough Homes was St. Pauls first subsidized rental housing community, dedicated by John J. McDonough
in September 1951. After months of disagreement between residents and city officials, the city was able to plan
four subsidized housing developments in the name of slum clearance. John J. McDonough Homes was one of
these four projects. Authorized by the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, HUD development funds could be used for
slum clearance and construction of new public housing. Blighted areas located throughout the city had to
be replaced because of problems with inadequate air and light, fire hazards, overcrowding and rodent/vermin
infestations. John J. McDonough Homes was an affordable housing solution that improved the substandard
quality of housing available to many people after World War II.
In 1950, studies were done by St. Pauls Planning Board to discover the state of current housing and the number
of people who would be in need of future housing. The statistics were grim. Twenty-eight thousand units of low to
moderate priced housing were needed. Of these, a total of 18,000 dilapidated units needed to be replaced
(these included houses without running water or a bathroom, with structural and electrical deficiencies). An additional
10,000 units were required to solve overcrowding in existing dwellings. Another 400 units were needed to replace
temporary Quonset huts.
The John J. McDonough Homes development
provided 512 residences and a community center.
The first people to move into the housing were a
World War II veteran, his wife and three children.
He had suffered a back injury during his four years
overseas and, because he was only able to work
intermittently, he needed low rent housing.
To these people and others, the McDonough
development was a dream come true, a space
where they could all be together as a family.
Comments from new residents expressed
appreciation for the convenience and modernity
of the apartment interiors. People, moving from
three room apartments, would now have two to
four bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area, living
room and bathroom, and a basement with modern
laundry equipment. All kitchens were equipped
with the same appliances: refrigerators with 7 cubic
feet of space and cupboards totaling approximately
30 cubic feet of spaceall of white porcelain.
McDonough in 1952... McDonough Family Homes Master Plan for Modernization
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MCDONOUGH FAMILY HOMES
understanding its history
The community and its residents have continued to evolve over time. Shortly after people began moving into
the McDonough Homes, the city began to plan for schools. Mississippi Elementary School was built in
September 1951 and located on the northeast corner of the site. An additional 96 residential units were added
in the early 1960s along LOrient and Arlington. The Community Center, remodeled in 1998, has continued to
provide educational, cultural, and recreational activities to a changing population.
McDonough today
Brick buildings were added along LOrient and Arlington in 1959 and 1965.
Mississippi Magnet Elementary School.
Community gardens ready to plant, Spring 2002.
McDonough Community Center McDonough Family Homes Master Plan for Modernization
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BACKGROUND
Design Team
A multidisciplinary design team was assembled to direct
and review the development of the master plan. The
design team included: residents of McDonough Homes,
the Public Housing Agency of St. Paul (PHA) technical,
maintenance and resident services staff, City of St. Paul
police, landscape architects and architects. The Design
Team met for the first time in early September of 2001
and then weekly after the first Open House until the
end of January 2002.
Information Gathering
Issues and objectives were ascertained by several
means. A community wide kick-off event was held in
October 2001. During this Open House, residents were
invited to provide their opinions regarding
modernization needs of McDonough Homes. Kick-off
meetings were held with Public Housing Agency senior
staff, maintenance supervisors, site staff and technical
service staff to gather their priorities. The St. Paul Police
Department was invited to express its concerns regarding
site security. The design professionals surveyed the
property and added issues related to the current
condition of the site. From the information gathering
sessions, a list of preliminary issues and objectives for
the master plan was assembled.
Master Plan Programming
To assimilate and analyze the complex information
gathered about this large site, the Design Team
examined layers of information:
Movement and Circulation (vehicular and pedestrian)
Parking
Buildings and Land Use
Open Space
Grading and Drainage
Policies
Examination of these layers as well as comments
during meetings and Open Houses led to a list of
issues that became the basis for goals and objectives.
These layers also formed the core concepts for the
Master Plan.
MASTER PLAN PROCESS
Design Strategies
Design concepts for each layer of information were
developed by the landscape architects and architects.
Weekly meetings were held with the core design team
of public housing staff and the designers to review and
approve the design concepts. A group of residents met
monthly to provide their observations on the master plan
development. The draft plan was reviewed with the Public
Housing Agency senior staff and board of commissioners.
The design continued to evolve during this time in response
to the priorities of participants and budget constraints.
Initially, the architectural team intended to create two
or three distinct concepts for the site. Instead, three
strategies for site development emerged from the
planning process: minimal, moderate and maximum
site intervention. The first strategy addressed the most
pressing site problems (raised by residents and site staff)
with minimal site modifications. The second strategy
built on the first, adding more amenities and addressing
resident issues in more depth. The third strateg