There are 29 historical homes — some of them about nine decades old —slated for renovation. Nine have been completed and returned to the Air Force for use, Quebatay said.
An additional eight homes are scheduled for completion by mid-2026, with the remaining 12 to be finished by mid-2027, she said.
The objective: Homes with vintage charms boasting 21st century functionality.
“Upon completion, the residences will offer the functionality of a modern home while retaining the distinct historical character of the brick quarters,” Quebatay said. “Many of the original systems were nearly 90 years old and no longer met contemporary safety or livability standards.”
In a recent account of the ongoing work, the Corps put the value of the project at $70.7 million.
Key upgrades include updated layouts, new kitchens and bathrooms, modern heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and updated electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems that meet current housing codes.
Insulation and air sealing also got upgrades.
“The work addresses significant safety issues inherent in buildings of this age,” Quebatay said. “This includes necessary structural repairs to ensure the homes are sound and the professional abatement of hazardous materials like asbestos and lead paint.”
This is a singular project, unique nationally thanks to “the sheer scale of historic preservation involved,” the Corps said.
The brick quarters are found in what was named a historic district in November 2018. Many of the homes were built in the mid-1930s.
Several acres of what was Patterson Field were set aside in 1934 to house a transient camp for temporary workers, a 2015 history of the base says. Young men living in a Civilian Conservation Corps camp on the field helped landscape the installation, and they also helped build the brick quarters. Some 92 units were raised to house officers assigned to Wright and Patterson fields.
In a public hearing on plans for some of the homes in 2017, Air Force officials said the homes are among the final remaining examples of historic government-owned housing in the Air Force.
The Corps, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and the Wright-Patterson Civil Engineering Group, with contractor contributions, are spearheading the restoration project.
“Teamwork, partnering, and communication have been the key in taking on these challenges and finding solutions,” Bryan Workman, a construction representative with Wright-Patterson’s residents office, said in a Corps account of the work.
In late 2022, the Corps awarded a contract in excess of $2.4 million per home to Messer Construction for the renovation of the homes.
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