Typical Greenbelt homes c 1936, by FSA photographer Arthur Rothstein. Courtesy Library of Congress.

As you may have heard recently on WAMU 88.5′s program, Metro Connection, Greenbelt, Maryland, established in 1937 and built by the federal government as an experiment in modern town planning , turns 75 in 2012! A year-long series of events and activities are already underway.  A kick-off event was held  January 8, a lecture about the new Arcadia Images of America book on Greenbelt,  was held on Tuesday, January 17, and next up are a screening of Three Brave Men, and a program co-sponsored by the Greenbelt Astronomy Club entitled, “75 Years of Stars.” A walk around Greenbelt’s three lakes is planned for April, as well as a symposium, “Sustaining Greenbelt’s Legacy.” Other signature events include cutting edge dance performances inside the Museum’s historic house at 10B Crescent by Alight Dance Theater in June,  an address by James Roosevelt, Jr. in September and a gala dinner dance in October. For more information about these and other events, please visit the 75th Anniversary website.

To plan your visit to the Greenbelt Museum, which turns 25 years old in 2012, visit here. The Museum’s historic house is open by appointment only in January but will resume its regular Sunday hours beginning February 5, 2012. To support the preservation of this unique New Deal Community, join the Friends of the Greenbelt Museum, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating and sharing the history of Greenbelt, Maryland.