It has always been a priority of Davidson College to provide affordable housing for faculty or assist them in securing a place to live while employed. This has been done through sub-leasing already existing homes or the construction of neighborhoods solely intended for faculty and staff. For various reasons, including employee housing, Davidson College has made the effort to purchase available land adjacent to the college. President David Grier Martin was particularly active during the mid-Twentieth century for this very purpose. One land purchase was from a faculty member. Dr. J. Wilson Brass" MacConnell graduated from Davidson College in the Class of 1902 and returned in 1908 as the College Physician and Chairman of the Biology Department. He owned 98 acres on Concord Road, just a mile from the campus on the east side of Davidson. MacConnell died in 1950, leaving his property to his wife and when she passed away in 1958, Davidson College bought the property. On a side note, Dr. MacConnell had a brother, Dr. Joseph Moore McConnell, who graduated from Davidson College in 1899 and likewise returned as a faculty member in 1907. The reason for the two different spellings of their last name is unknown, and it is also unknown how the name attributed to the neighborhood became the shorter version. In the 1980s it became clear that Davidson College needed to proactively assist faculty with housing. High prices in the town of Davidson had forced many people to live outside the town and be distanced from the Davidson community. It was desired by many that the faculty and staff live in close proximity to the college and thus create and maintain a closely knit community with the town, the students, and each other. For the development of McConnell, the Davidson College Development Corporation (DCDC) was created in the early 1990s and bought the 98 acre McConnell Farm from Davidson College. The DCDC would oversee the development, design, and construction of a 198 lot (later to become 202) neighborhood which would retain the look and feel of the town. It was the goal of DCDC for half of the homes to be faculty/staff owned and the other half to be available for purchase to the public. In an effort to keep the cost of homes between the $125,000 - $225,000 price range, a housing assistance program was created for the buyers to purchase the house only while DCDC retained ownership of the land, thus making home ownership more affordable and possible. DCDC hired Crosland Land Co. to manage the construction and sales of McConnell. The design of the homes was awarded to James Wentling and the construction to Saussy Burbank. By having one designer and one builder, it was deemed important that McConnell should have a consistent and harmonized design and the plans of the houses were to have a classic and southern look. The first phase of construction was begun in 1992 and by the year 2000 all lots were finished. Once the construction of McConnell was accomplished, DCDC was no longer necessary and so was disbanded. The McConnell Neighborhood Collection is divided into 8 main series: DCDC, House Development/Construction, Housing Assistance Program, Financial Reports, Marketing/Sales, Homeowners Association (HOA), Community Relations, and Lot Files. Each will be given a brief description. 1.) Davidson College Development Corporation (DCDC). This series of papers covers with the creation and activities of the DCDC, specifically the basic development of McConnell, and is divided into three sub-series. The first is DCDC meeting agendas, meeting minutes, reports, and memos. These papers were created and used chiefly by the Board of Directors and cover many topics from house designs to financial reports to customer and town relations. The second sub-series is a folder of faculty and staff meeting minutes regarding their opinions and what they want to see happen with this development. The third sub-series is the business papers and the foundational development of the neighborhood. The Origins of DCDC folders lay out the first and very basic outlines of what DCDC set to accomplish. Also included is the original deed from 1958 when the property was sold to the college by Mrs. MacConnell. The Business Plans outline the creation of the DCDC and its mission and goals. The Closing Documents Binder contains noteworthy documents regarding the sale of the land to DCDC, the Deed of Trust, Development Agreement, etc. The remainder of the sub-series covers the financial support of this development, inspection of the land and soil, environmental issues (dam, ponds), Phases I-IV construction (including houses, roads, parks, and landscaping). These later folders will include maps of the neighborhood showing lot layout and addresses. NOTE: See Oversized Items for Grading Plans. 2.) House Development/Construction. This series is divided into two sub-series: James Wentling, the house designer, and Saussy Burbank, the contractor. The first sub-series contains the drawings for the different house plans and elevations. Included is Wentling?s newsletter, ?Housing Perspective,? which discusses what is going on in house design in the late 20th Century. The second sub-series is the records of Saussy Burbank. It covers the reports and surveys used by DCDC to select Saussy Burbank and SB?s own building proposal, meeting minutes, correspondence, and a sample of monthly reports by the builder. Also included are photographs of houses under construction. NOTE: See Oversized Items for house blueprints. 3.) Housing Assistance Program. In order to make McConnell financially possible for Davidson College faculty and staff, DCDC set up the Housing Assistance Program to realize this goal. With the profits from public sales, DCDC would use that money to assist college buyers with down payments and land leases. Additionally, buyers were given the option to buy only the house and lease the land from the college. This series includes meeting minutes, focus groups, various working group reports covering a variety of topics from mortgage assistance to buyer financial needs, and DCDC reference manuals. As the college buyers are the top priority for McConnell, much of this information is their feedback and the assistance and financial packages they need to offer in order for college employees to purchase in McConnell. 4.) Financial Reports. These financial reports are a mix of yearly proforma reports and financial packages. The financial packages were written at the turn of the year. They cover bank statements from the previous year and lay out the budget for the next. Proforma reports are more detailed and lengthy financial reports based on what has been spent or earned and in turn is projected to the future year or years. 5.) Marketing/Sales. This series is divided into two sub-series, Marketing and Sales. The first sub-series covers the inner aspects of marketing, such as meeting minutes, budget, and marketing reports and comparables between McConnell and other neighborhoods at the time of construction. It also shows the outreach aspect of marketing, as seen in fliers, advertisements, newspaper articles, and information regarding marketing events to invite potential buyers. Also included are photographs of events and a VHS of a news profile of the neighborhood. The second sub-series, Sales, contains examples of sales forms, outlines for presentations to customers, and samples of sales reports. 6.) Homeowners Association (HOA). The HOA ensures that McConnell Neighborhood maintains a high standard of appearance and resident compliance to the Bylaws. There are minutes from monthly and yearly meetings, the Bylaws, and neighborhood committees and newsletters. The Misc. folder holds examples of HOA papers given to new buyers. 7.) Community Relations. The Correspondence folder contains various favorable and unfavorable letters to and from customers regarding their experience in McConnell. The remaining folders are concerned with the history of the McConnell name and the acreage and McConnell relations with the town of Davidson, particularly as it decided to continue using the Post Office to receive mail instead of having it delivered to each house. 8.) Lot Files. Each lot is here documented by the Sales Agreement, any changes in the house plans, the final cost, and drawings of the particular house. They document what particular house designed on each lot. Based on what was available, many folders do not contain all of these papers. NOTE: File for Lots 59, 178, and 202 are missing. Physical Plant College Housing Davidson College Development Corporation Crosland Land Co. James Wentling Co. Saussy Burbank F1.4|F1.5|F1.6|Mapstand E-3"