Collection Timeline

1946 to 1978

1946
By the mid-1950s, Iowa State began plans to erect Hawthorn Village Apartments for married students to the east of Pammel Court. The new apartments would replace many of Pammel Court's original demountable and barracks units that would be demolished in the mid 1960s.
An article from the "Iowa Engineer Reports" highlights the creation of Pammel Court for returning veterans from World War Two. The article focuses on the need for married housing and also examines construction details of the units.
Robert Geppert, shown here in uniform washing clothes, was the mayor of Pammel Court in 1946.
The first page of this letter provides monthly rental figures for Pammel Court in 1946. Pammel Court's early housing units and furniture were subsidized through the Federal Public Housing Authority. Additional housing funds became available through the Veterans' Emergency Housing Act of 1946. Federal involvement helped alleviate Iowa State's housing shortage and kept rental rates low.
One of 50 Quonset Huts erected in Pammel Court in the late 1940s, the construction of this hut illustrates the impermanent quality of the units, as corrugated metal is being applied to a steel frame. After Iowa State College exhausted its search for trailers and demonstrable houses, the school turned to Navy surplus for the Quonset Huts. Each hut housed two families and contained two bedrooms.
Demountable houses were prefabricated units designed as temporary living quarters for defense workers in World War Two. Iowa State College, with help from the Federal Public Housing Authority, relocated 79 demountable units from former defense plants in the Midwest to the Ames Campus. Note the close proximity of the units and the unpaved streets.
The Pammel Court Cooperative Grocery opened in 1946. Known as the co-op, the grocery was operated by veterans and their families and was originally open only to Pammel Court residents. The co-op received national attention nearly as soon as it opened, as colleges and veteran-student organizations sought to open their own cooperative groceries. According to an article in the Iowa State Student, the Pammel co-op received inquiries from the University of Tennessee, the University of Arizona, and the University of Iowa, among others (Iowa State Student, 20 August 1946).
An image depicting a Pammel Court unit in winter. A car is parked in the driveway. In the late 1940s, Pammel Court's trailer units did not have sewer access. Annotation: "356-A. Pammel Court, Iowa State, Ames, Iowa. Home of Leo and Margaret Diterding. 1945-1949. We had access to water and utility trailer 1/2 city block away."

1947
The Pammel Court Nursery School opened with approximately 30 children in 1947 with plans to eventually expand enrollment to 200. A child's enrollment in the school was dependent upon how much work parents performed in building the nursery.
Pammel Court May Daze." In 1947, Pammel Court families organized a May celebration that featured activities such as the pony ride illustrated in the photograph.

1948
A young child helps prepare a Thanksgiving Day meal in 1948. Note the curvature of the Quonset Hut and the maximization of storage space in the kitchen.
This image speaks to the sense of community that existed among Pammel Court's residents. For holidays that occurred during a school session, it was not uncommon for two or more families to gather together for a potluck meal, even if it meant dining in cramped quarters.
On September 1st, 1948, the federal government, which had subsidized Pammel Court's housing and furniture since 1946, turned over the housing project to Iowa State College. From that date forward, Iowa State would keep the revenue generated from married student housing. The initial housing subsidy by the federal government left the college with a large-scale revenue generating device in Pammel Court. Without having to incur the construction costs of providing married housing, the school could invest its resources elsewhere on campus.
Harry and Elizabeth and their two children on Thanksgiving Day.

1957
The Pammel Court Constitution was the principal document concerning community life for the married student housing units. The Constitution was periodically updated, or even re-written, to reflect the changing needs of Pammel residents. This version from 1957 is of special note because it refers to Pammel Court as the city in Section 1. Although Pammel Court was not an actual incorporated city, the wording illustrates how residents viewed themselves as a community with its own government.

1962
This cartoon from 1962 illustrates the challenges Pammel Court's residents faced in their daily lives. Life in Pammel Court often meant juggling being a spouse, a parent, and a student.
Pammel Court residents elected their first mayor and council in 1946. As Pammel's community leader, the mayor would write an annual report detailing the activities of the administration. These reports often included information on sanitation issues, safety concerns, street paving projects, and community amenities.

1965
This photograph shows, Fred Merrifield, an Iowa State student entering his unit in the mid-1960s.

1967
The estimated life-span of Pammel Court when it opened in 1946 was five years. By the time of this 1967 document calling for the demolition of many of the original barracks and pre-fabricated units, Pammel Court was already twenty-one years old. This document illustrates the resilience of Pammel Court on the Iowa State landscape. The final demolition of Pammel Court would not begin until the 1997/98 academic school year.

1978
When Pammel Court first opened in 1946 the housing project consisted of a mixture of trailers, prefabricated houses, Quonset Huts, and barracks buildings. By the 1970s, only the corrugated metal barracks buildings were left. Residents in Pammel Court were often free to personalize their rental units. This included painting the exterior and interior of the units, and planting gardens in the small yard space each residence afforded.
For the 1978-1979 academic year, Pammel Court was opened to non-married students for the first time in its history. From Pammel Court's creation in 1946 to its being open for single students in 1978, low rental prices had always been popular among residents. Those living in Pammel Court sacrificed amenities to save money on monthly rent. Pammel Court units were cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but many former residents remember leaving Iowa State debt-free.