ERCO and Calvert Homes

ERCO and Calvert Homes. Town of Riverdale Park. Aeronautical engineer Henry Berliner (1895-1970) founded the Engineering Research Corporation (ERCO) in 1930 and built its research and production facility just east of here in 1937. The company specialized in the design and production of a small, single-propeller craft called the Ercoupe. Like most industries during World War II, ERCO committed a significant portion of its production capability to the war effort, particularly with the manufacture of gun turrets. , , The factory employed several hundred workers, many of whom lived in Calvert Homes, a project of the National Capital Housing Authority built on this property in 1942 to accommodate war-industry workers and their families. The project used modern designs and materials, and new construction methods that met wartime housing demands while using scarce resources economically. The MacAlpine house served as the administrative building for the development. At war's end, Calvert Homes continued to house some ERCO employees as well as many ex-servicemen attending the nearby University of Maryland under provisions of the GI Bill. Never intended for long-term use, the project's houses and infrastructure deteriorated and the entire neighborhood was demolished in the 1950s.