PUBLIC HOUSING OCCUPIED MIDWAY DISTRICT IN 1944

A legal fight over San Diego’s efforts to build more affordable housing on city’s 48-acre sports arena site and revitalize the Midway District is ongoing. But longtime San Diegans may remember homes that stood in the area when Sports Arena Boulevard was still known as Frontier Drive.

Built by the federal government during World War II, the Frontier housing project consisted of 3,500 units designed to provide low-cost housing for 15,000 defense workers, military veterans and their families. Although designed as temporary war housing, some of the units remained in use for nearly two decades.

The city acquired Frontier Homes from the Public Housing Administration in 1955. The last Frontier tenants were evicted in 1962.

The indoor arena now called Pechanga Arena opened on site in 1966.

From the Tribune-sun, Saturday, May 20, 1944:

S.D. FRONTIER HOUSING PROJECT TO PROVIDE SHELTER FOR 15,000 WHEN COMPLETED IN MIDSUMMER; HOMES COVER 500 ACRES

ONLY LINDA VISTA HAS LARGER AREA OR POPULATION

San Diego’s newest and second largest federal public housing project, the Frontier, will be completed and ready for occupancy by mid-summer, Aubrey M. Davis, area manager of the federal housing authority, announced today.

The project will mark the end of the planned public housing construction in this area. With its 3,500 units it will be exceeded in size only by the Linda Vista project, with its 4846 units.

Frontier will house an estimated 15,000 persons, as compared to the estimated 20,000 residing at Linda Vista.

At present, Davis said, Frontier has 1,100 units occupied and 200 more are expected to be ready within the next few days. It covers approximately 500 acres north of Rosecrans St. and on both sides of Midway and Frontier Drs.

Frontier’s growth has been a constant one, Davis explained. He said the project first was planned to include only 700 units, but ten was pushed up to 1,000 units, and finally the 3,500 total called for under the nearly completed program.

It is one of 25 projects in San Diego county, ranging in size from one of 20 units at Oceanside to city size Linda Vista, the fast array all being under supervision of Davis and his staff.

Units at Frontier house four to eight families. Those still under construction are of the eight-family type.

“Completion of the project,” Davis said, “should make an appreciable difference in San Diego’s present housing lack. The project should not place an undue strain on our bus and street car facilities, because most of those living in apartments are and will be employes of Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. and thus are within walking distance of their work.”

The government’s development of Frontier, Davis pointed out, will enable the ground to be used for residential or commercial purposes during the post-war era. He said that the land never had been utilized in the past because of lack of sewer facilities and other utilities, but that these will remain when structures are removed and this will be available to care for permanent building development.

In cooperation with Consolidated, the housing authority is providing for a playground for children who will dwell within the project. Infant care centers are also a part of the program, to enable mothers to engage in war work.

The federal housing program to aid San Diego in contributing to defense and war plant work began in December, 1940, when the Linda Vista project was authorized. Since that time more than a score of housing projects have been set up in all sections of the county.