Fort Worth’s World War II bomber plant required more than just construction of a factory

As the defense effort for World War II cranked up, the drive to marshal manpower and materials was complex. Fort Worth’s “bomber plant” began operations on April 18, 1942. Officials had estimated that 14,000 workers would be needed to cover three shifts to staff the assembly plant, which was operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The mile-long plant, originally designated as Air Force Plant No. 4, has been known through time as “the bomber plant,” Consolidated Aircraft, Consolidated Vultee, Convair, General Dynamics, and Lockheed. (The Martin bomber plant at Offutt Field, Nebraska, was No. 1; the North American Aviation plant near Kansas City, Kansas, was No. 2; and the Douglas Aircraft Plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was No. 3.)

Where would these workers and their families live? On March 27, 1942, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce asked the federal government to build 300 units to house those working at the newly opened bomber plant. Prodded by a group of lumbermen who feared that the low-cost housing units could spur a slump in real estate values once the war ended, the request was to make them “demountable” – or able to be taken apart and reassembled elsewhere.

At first, the Chamber had to focus on transportation – how to get workers living in existing housing to and from their jobs as rubber tires wore out and gasoline supplies were less predictable. The number of people moving to Fort Worth increased rapidly.

Mary Louise Phillips, who headed the Manufacturers Division at the Chamber (and for whom the westside elementary school is named), faced the problem of coordinating the competing interests at work in the area of wartime housing. Her approach was to help both government and private housing efforts proceed as quickly as possible, but she often faced problems that had no good solution.

On May 12, 1942, the federal government announced that 500 units of housing to shelter wartime workers would be built near the Consolidated Aircraft Corp. plant. The homes came to be called “whites,” because the asbestos siding was painted white. Fortunately, the construction funds had already been allocated. Everyone wanted more housing as quickly as it could be erected, but the weather and red tape in the form of supply shortages and construction approvals started to gum up the works – so everyone blamed someone else.

The story was the same four months later. Little progress had been made on construction, and the number of Consolidated employees was still growing. The Fort Worth Housing Authority offered to negotiate with subcontractors and execute construction of the first 500 units for the government.

Slowly, but surely, there was finally progress. In November 1942, bids were opened for the construction of an additional 200 housing units, and in December of that year streets were named for fallen World War II military heroes.

By Feb. 1, 1943, the first 104 Liberator Village apartments were available to lease, and 40 had been occupied. Brick and tile were substituted for wood construction on the third set of units, begun in April 1943. These materials were available locally, as were workers with bricklaying skills.

At its height, Liberator Village had about 6,000 people living in 1,500 apartments. Since about 23% of the war time bomber plant workers were women, a child care center was essential. Schools (going up to the tenth grade) and a library were available. The federally-owned Liberator Village Shopping Center contained many service providers, including a Hill and Mack Grocery store, a post office, barber and beauty shops, and a medical clinic.

Liberator Village survived for a few years after World War II ended, easing the housing shortage which developed as soldiers returned and resumed civilian life. Soon after, however, demand for single family houses surged, and by 1953 the older section of Liberator Village was scheduled for demolition.

Today, only one Liberator Village building remains. It is at 7820 Wyatt Drive and houses the office for Suburban Newspapers. Carol Lyn Davis, museum manager for the White Settlement Historical Museum, notes that it is a “red” or brick building that has been painted white. The interior has been remodeled for commercial purposes.

Davis also says that pieces of Liberator Village exist throughout White Settlement. Many of the Liberator Village housing units were taken apart, and the windows, doors, and other pieces reused in other 1950s buildings. It was a community born during a difficult time, but one which has a lasting legacy.

Postscript: Privately-funded war housing projects in Fort Worth included Linwood (56 duplexes constructed in 1943 south of White Settlement Road and east of University Drive) and the Parkview Apartments (248 apartments), built in 1943 by Dallas developer Leo F. Corrigan and located where the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth now stands.