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Cocoli Housing Community
In 1936, Congress authorized the Governor of the Panama Canal Zone to investigate a plan
to modernize and increase the capacity of the Panama Canal. After cost estimates and plans were drawn, a report was submitted
to Congress in 1939, and the Third Locks
Project was approved.
The plan basically called for the construction
of a "third flight of locks directly alongside the existing locks." The excavations would expand the Miraflores
Locks capacity. With this upgrade to new towns came into existence, Diablo on the east bank and Cocoli on the
West Bank
to handle the army of workers that went to Panama
After spending $75,000,000 on the Third Locks Project, it was abandoned
in 1942.
The United States had entered World War II and the manpower and material resources were now needed elsewhere.
The Cocoli family housing community consisted of two housing communities, Cocoli Gold (for U.S. citizens) and Cocoli
Silver (for non-U.S. citizens). The Panama Canal had constructed these communities in preparation for the expanded housing
demands that were associated with the Third Locks Project.
In 1951 the U.S. Navy in Panama acquired the Cocoli Housing
Community from the
Panama Canal Company. In 1965 the US Navy transferred to the US Army in Panama all of the buildings,
facilities and family housing.
Cocoli housing was primarily wood-frame housing so termites and fire took their toll.
Today, very little remains of the once proud Cocoli Town Site.
Louie, glad you could make it...
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