Buckingham Village's origins lie in the United States' greatest national crisis, the Great Depression. Its purpose and the ideals behind it embodied the vision of Depression-era liberal political leaders to restore the economic space of ordinary people in America.
In about 1936, Paramount Communities, Inc. purchased much of the land surrounding between
Buckingham was then one of the largest garden apartment complexes in the nation. NCP 26. The complex proved a faithful fulfillment of New Deal principles, and the idea that a quality living environment could be in reach of all families. As Eleanor Roosevelt said after her visit to
Of course, a socialist utopia did not immediately ensue. Buckingham’s charms were sufficient to draw relatively many wealthy tenants, rather than lower income families. The families who moved in quickly found certain shortcomings of conditions and value. For example, in 1938, the
By 1942, with the Buckingham Community having been largely completed, North George
Through the 50s and 60s, Buckingham continued to develop as a vital community for young families and working people in the DC area. From this time until the present, its fortunes rose and fell with those of the nation's economic and social changes. Buckingham's development through this period will be discussed in this history's next entry.