In the early twentieth century, architects and renowned urban planners Clarence S. Stein and Henry Wright brought a new, modern form of housing to the United States. They introduced the Garden City Movement, based on urban planning principles of British urban planner Ebenezer Howard.

What followed from Stein and Wright were a group of visionaries and designers who introduced garden apartment ideals throughout the country. The idea caught on particularly since for a time, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) favored this new form of housing and backed such projects with loan guarantees.  

While Stein directly influenced places such as Village Green in Los Angeles (originally Baldwin Hills Village) and Carmelitos in North Long Beach, his and Wright's indirect influence can be readily seen at other garden apartments in Los Angeles.

Stein himself states, in Toward New Towns for America, “I have told the story of new communities at…Baldwin Hills Village primarily to see what could be found to help us in successfully conceiving, planning, constructing and operating New Towns.” Stein was hopeful that his concepts would be repeated throughout the United States.

In addition to Los Angeles, places such as New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia have built a rich legacy and concentration of garden apartments that share Stein and Wright’s ideals while maintaining very distinct and different personalities. The same can be said for garden apartments within Greater Los Angeles.

Clarence S. Stein & Henry Wright

• Guide to the Clarence Stein Papers, 1905-1983. Cornell University.
• Guide to the Henry Wright Papers, 1907-1960, 1907-1938. Cornell University.

National Housing

• Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960. National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. September 2002.
• Public Housing in the United States. National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. December 1, 2004.

Arlington County, Virginia

• Fort Myer Heights
• Garden Apartments, Apartment Houses and Apartment Complexes in Arlington County, Virginia: 1934-1954. National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. June 2002.

Chatham Village, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• National Historic Landmark Nomination. Chatham Village. 2005.
• Timeline. Chatham Village Archive.

Greenbelt, Maryland 

• National Historic Landmark Nomination. Greenbelt, Maryland. 1996. 

Greendale, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

National Historic Landmark Nomination. Greendale Historic District.

Lathrop Homes, Chicago

• Landmarks Illinois Advocacy Efforts

Los Angeles Garden Apartments

• Garden Apartments of Los Angeles: Historic Context Statement. Prepared by Architectural Resources Group for the Los Angeles Conservancy. October 2012.
• Historical Resources Technical Report, Wyvernwood Apartments, June 2011. 
  Includes brief context of garden apartment communities in Los Angeles. 

Radburn, Fair Lawn, New Jersey 

• National Historic Landmark Nomination. Radburn. 2005.

Sunnyside Gardens, Queens Borough, New York City

• Sunnyside Gardens Historic District Designation Report. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. June26, 2007.