World War II brought thousands of workers to Norfolk, where nearly 100 ships and landing craft were built. The population almost doubled between 1940 and 1944. Furniture manufacturing, fertilizer plants, and other industries also expanded during that time. Individual residences and apartment buildings rapidly developed during the war, and the city struggled to cope with overcrowding.
Norfolk began annexing neighboring counties after World War II. Public housing was constructed after the slums were cleared. The city also rebuilt hundreds of acres in the downtown. The SCOPE Convention and Cultural Center largely spurred this redevelopment. The Chrysler Museum and Chrysler Hall were named after automobile mogul Walter P. Chrysler, who donated his extensive art collection to the city.
#1 Untitled photo, possibly related to: Housing. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#2 House in a slum district of Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#3 Defense workers in front of rooming houses. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#4 Boy from Maryland in charity ward, Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Norfolk, 1941
#5 Charity ward. Saint Vincent’s Hospital. Norfolk, 1941
#6 Backed up sewer in Negro slum district. Norfolk, 1941
#7 Untitled photo, possibly related to: Backed up sewer in Negro slum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#8 Houses in Negro slum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#9 Kitchen in house which rents for sixteen dollars per month. Slum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#10 Trailer camp for construction workers. Ocean View, outskirts of Norfolk, 1941
#11 Trailer camp for construction workers. Ocean View, outskirts of Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#12 House occupied by defense worker and family. They came from North Carolina farm. Rent ten dollars per month. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#13 Untitled photo, possibly related to: Houses occupied by defense workers. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#14 Four o’clock traffic. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#15 Four o’clock traffic, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#16 Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#17 Schoolchildren getting ready to go home. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#18 Four o’clock traffic, Norfolk, 1941
#19 Four o’clock traffic, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#20 First grade, public school. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#21 Cloakroom, public school. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#22 Negro slum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#23 House in Negro slum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#24 Tatooing shop on West Main Street. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#25 West Main Street, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#26 West main street. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#27 Housing. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#28 Defense workers in front of rooming houses, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#29 Defense worker from North Carolina who was hurt on the job. Saint Vincent’s Hospital charity ward. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#30 Charity ward, Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#31 Housing. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#32 Defense worker living in slum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#33 Bar in Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#34 Kitchen in house which rents for sixteen dollars per month in a slum district, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#35 Sons of defense contruction workers living in trailer camp. Ocean View, outskirts of Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#36 Cloak room, public school. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#37 Untitled photo, possibly related to: Backed up sewer in a slum district, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#38 West main street, Norfolk, 1941
#39 West main street, Norfolk, 1941
#40 Housing in Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#41 Housing in Norfolk, 1941
#42 Housing in Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#43 Four o’clock traffic, Norfolk, 1941
#44 Four o’clock traffic. Norfolk, 1941
#45 Defense housing, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#46 Defense housing in Merrimack Park, Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#47 Defense housing. Merrimack Park, Norfolk, Virginia.

This project to house married enlisted personnel of the Norfolk naval base has 500 units which include single-story detached dwellings, two family houses, two-story group houses and apartments. Built at a cost of $1,980,000 by the USHA (U.S. Housing Authority), the project was opened for occupancy on July 1, 1941. Rentals are divided into four groups which run from a low 13-15 dollars to a high of 30-33 dollars
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#48 Facilities at trailer camp for construction workers. Ocean View, outskirts of Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#49 Trailer camp for defense workers. Ocean View, Virginia. Outskirts of Norfolk, 1941
#50 Trailer camp for construction workers. Ocean View, outskirts of Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#51 Bar in Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#52 Iceman. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#53 West main street. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#54 Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#55 Magazines at newsstand in Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#56 Newsstand. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#57 Houses occupied by defense workers in Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#58 Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#59 Daughters of defense worker in aslum district. Norfolk, Virginia, 1941
#60 Two-family unit in Merrimac Villiage. A defense housing project of the Norfolk housing authority, 1941
#61 FHA (Federal Housing Administration)-insured small home development in Norfolk, 1941
#62 Low-cost home near Norfolk air base being purchased through facilities of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), 1941
#63 USHA (U.S. Housing Agency)-financed rental housing development in Norfolk to be used for families of workers in defense industries, 1941
#64 Large-scale rental housing project privately financed through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in Norfolk, 1941
#65 Cars waiting for the nine o’clock ferry to Norfolk, at Cape Charles, Virginia, 1941
#66 Trucks waiting at Cape Charles, Virginia for ferry to Norfolk, Virginia, 1940
#67 Cotton Delivery Arrives, 1942
#68 Sears Esso Freemason Monticello, 1940
#69 Second Presbyterian Church Freemason Abbey Norfolk, 1943
#70 Ocean View Train Station, 1943
#71 Fire Station No. 4 Norfolk VA, 1944
#72 Memrose Theatre Colley Avenue Norfolk, 1944
#73 Ford Truck Unloading Cargo at Docks Ship Lake Ormoc, 1944
#74 Ocean View Ocean View After Flood Sand on RoadAfter Flood, 1944
#75 Church Street Barney’s Market, 1947
#76 Fire Station No.2 Bute Street Norfolk VA, 1947
#77 Big Ben (horse) Ocean View Beach, 1944
#78 Harrison Fishing Pier, 1947
#79 Navy YMCA Beach Club Ocean View, 1944
#80 Clydesdales Horses Budweiser, 1944
#81 Roxy / The Hub Abbott Costello Granby Street, 1944
#82 Fire Station 11 Norfolk Fire Dept, 1945
#83 Ocean View Amusement Park Kiddie Train 1948
#84 Doumar’s Restaurant Norfolk with Cars, 1940
#85 Nansemond Hotel Ocean View, 1940s
#86 VJ Celebration Granby St. Norfolk, Aug. 15 1945
#87 Norva & Loew’s Theaters Granby St. at Night, 1941
#88 August ‘Cap Coleman’ Tattoo Parlor (exterior), 1944
#89 Norva ‘Moon Over Miami’ & Loew’s Theaters Norfolk, 1941
#90 Looking E. from Granby to City Hall, May 3 1940
#91 Granby Street between College Place & Freemason Street, 1945
#92 US Housing Authority, last week after inspecting An apartment-hotel building in the 800 block of Whites Avenue, in the heart of the Norfolk Slum Area, 1940s
#93 Commonwealth Apartments, Looking Northwest down 23rd Street.Administration and Social Hall Building, 1945
#94 Looking East, Corner of Chenault and Arnold Drives.Utility Trailer on corner, 1945
#95 Lewis Park. Northeast side of Arnold Drive showing Utility Trailer, 1945
#96 Norfolk, 1940s
#97 Norfolk, 1940s
#98 Old Dominion Line, Norfolk, 1940s
#99 Norfolk, 1940s
#100 Bulldozer Demolition Project 1-1, 1940s
#101 Main Street looking West, 1940s
#102 Aerial view of Norfolk, 1940s
#103 Aerial view of Ghent looking Southwest toward The Hague, 1940s
#104 Looking East down Main Street, 1940s
#105 Looking West from Union Station, 1940s
#106 Norfolk City Hall .looking from across Granby Street, 1940s
#107 Aerial view looking Northeast from Freemason Harbor, 1940s
#108 Neal Clark Jr., 1940s
#109 View looking North at Downtown Norfolk Waterfront, 1940s
#110 View looking Northwest at Downtown Norfolk, 1940s
#111 Looking North on Granby Street from Market Street during Air Raid Warning, 1940s
#112 View looking Northwest at Downtown Norfolk, 1940s
#113 Early view looking West of Downtown Norfolk, 1940s
#114 Norfolk, 1940s
#115 Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church, 1940s
#116 Grandy House Kitchen, 1940s
#117 Sailors sleeping in lobby of Navy YMCA.Future Union Mission building.Dunford’s Studio, 1940s
#118 Liberty Park, 1940s
#119 Liberty Park, 1940s
#120 Slum Conditions, 1940s
#121 Main Street scene, 1940s
#122 Oakleaf Park, 1940s
#123 Downtown West. 405 Bute Street.Glisson House, 1940s
#124 Downtown West. Wells Theatre.Corner of Tazewell Street and Monticello Avenue, 1940s
#125 Downtown West. Granby Street Pedestrian Mall, 1940s
#126 Downtown West. 339 York Street, 1940s
#127 Misc views Freemason District, 1940s
#128 Misc views Freemason District, 1940s
#129 Misc views Freemason District, 1940s
#130 Looking S across Ghent to Downtown, 1940s
#131 HRT Bus Stop, Church Street, 1940s
#132 Looking S across Ghent to Downtown, 1940s
#133 Redevelopment.E Ghent South. View looking South.Downtown & Norfolk Scope in distance, 1940s
#134 Royster House.Colonial Avenue.Front Porch Removed, 1940s
