A ship building boom during World War II put Hunters Point on the map. The surrounding area was developed to accommodate the influx of ship builders and laborers, many of them African Americans who migrated from the South and other parts of the country in search of well-paying jobs.

     In 1944, several federal housing projects were built in Hunters Point called "war houses." The projects were divided into eight communities. All together, 25,000 people were housed. The communities included buildings with single rooms as well as family units. Schools were built as well as medical and childcare centers, recreation rooms and cafeterias. In addition to the buildings, which were considered temporary, the government brought in trailers to boost housing availability in the community. About 45 percent of families who lived in war housing were black.

Trailer housing for small families, 1944

Photos courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library Historical Collection.