In 1946, a flood of World War II veterans accounted for about 3,000 of the Institute’s 5,000 students. On the average older than their classmates, more than 30 percent of the veterans were married and many had children. To accommodate this significant new population, MIT constructed Westgate, a maze of 100 wooden low-rise family housing units on the far western edge of campus. Rents including electricity and water started at $45 a month for the two-room units and $55 for the family units with an extra room and a separate kitchen. Surplus Navy barracks were transported from Newport, R.I., and reassembled nearby providing another 180 apartments, dubbed Westgate West. Photos show a community filled with children, husbands studying with slide rules, and wives cooking in the compact kitchens. The veterans on the Westgate teams dominated MIT intramural sports with their well-honed military team skills, and women formed a cooperative nursery school. Some wives enrolled in local colleges, including MIT, and many held jobs to supplement modest government stipends. #tbt #history #wwii #westgate #barracks