"The council and the Mayor Dwight Sutton agreed that to build a strong community, you need more than just homes -- you need playgrounds, parks, gathering places for people," explains Nordby. "If Fort Ward lost the Parade Ground, we wouldn't have just lost an important tie to our past, we would have also lost an important asset for the future."

Despite all these efforts, the majority of the Parade Ground was still in jeopardy. The neighbors turned to the Housing Authority.

Top-secret radio transmissions
intercepted at Fort Ward by the Navy
helped win World War II.

"It appealed to our mission of helping save and build strong communities," explains Chris Endresen, Kitsap County Commissioner and member of the KCCHA Board. "We knew we had to help."

The Housing Authority worked with the neighborhood, Bank of America, and a local architect to develop a plan that preserves the center of the old Parade Ground as a park. This open space will be ringed by 20 homes designed to reflect the historic character of Fort Ward.

"We won a lot of battles in the Pacific, thanks to the messages that radio
    operators intercepted here," says Jack Klamm, who as Chief Radioman,
        worked closely with the Fort Ward unit. "Preserving the Parade Ground
            will help keep those memories alive."

The Fort Ward Parade Ground
homes were designed to reflect
the historic character of Fort
Ward. The homes pictured here
line the old marching field at
Fort Worden in Port Townsend.