Norris is a model community constructed in 1933 by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as part of the Norris Dam construction project. The TVA was a technological and social experiment in which methods informed by local, empirical research were made accessible to the residents of the valley region. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “the work proceeds along two lines, both of which are intimately connected - the physical land and water and soil end of it, and the human side of it.” (Van West 2001)
A key feature of this New Deal village is the original “Norris House,” a series of experimental cottages designed for modern, efficient living. Designers responded to vernacular dwellings, yet the TVA experimented with new building materials, construction techniques, services and equipment. Designs, costs, and performance were studied and recorded by the TVA with the goal of appropriate and broad adoption of new technologies in housing. Additionally, the TVA utilized research on environmental resource conservation and planning. Norris homes were situated into the larger landscape to promote walkability, create a neighborly community, and to conserve and protect natural resources such as water, soil, and forest products.