Greenbelt Museum

Greenbelt Museum. . The Greenbelt Museum house opened October 10, 1987 as part of the City of Greenbelt's 50th anniversary celebration. At approximately 836 square feet, this particular unit is one of the smallest of the original homes. The Friends of Greenbelt Museum offer guided tours of the home Sundays from 1-5 and for groups by special appointment., When first built, Greenbelt contained 887 units. There are two main construction styles: cinder block with flat roofs, as you see here, and frame construction with brick veneer and peaked slate roofs, visible behind you. Federal government designers originally painted the houses white or off-white with bright pastel colored trim. The windows were multi-paned steel casements. In 1941 the government built nearly 1000 more units for military personnel and civilians involved in defense efforts. These homes were of frame construction with clapboard siding and examples can be seen on Southway as you enter the historic town center., Greenbelt's planned elements included many conveniences for families with children. The original town consists of five "super blocks" designed to provide residents with a park-like setting with cars limited to the peripheral streets. Notice that the system of inner walkways allows residents to travel by foot throughout the original town. The pedestrian underpasses beneath Crescent Road allowed children to travel to school without having to cross a busy street. The homes each have a public "service side" that faces the street for trash pick up and access to parking, and a more private "garden side" with a path that connects to the inner walkways and playgrounds.