PORTSMOUTH, Va., (WAVY) — Crews are currently demolishing the 10-acre Swanson Home Public Housing Community along I-264 at the MLK Expressway interchange.
Since World War II, it has had 210 units for low-income families. It initially opened in 1941 as part of an effort to build wartime housing. Portsmouth experienced a surge during that time while thousands came to work at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Prior coverage: Portsmouth’s Swanson Homes could be demolished this year
The complex was named for Claude A. Swanson, who was the 45th governor of Virginia and the Secretary of the Navy.
The community often became associated with crime. Portsmouth Re-development and Housing Authority has no specific plans for the site…