Fort Benning Main Post, Riverside, Garage, 100 Vibbert Avenue, Fort Benning Military Reservation

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2429-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Riverside complex, 100 Vibbert Avenue, 60 feet west of the historic main house, Riverside (Quarters No. 1). United States Army, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Military Reservation, Columbus, Georgia. USGS photorevised Fort Benning, Georgia-Alabama 7.5 topographic quadrangle, Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: 691990E NAD83. Present Owner/ Occupant: United State Army, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Military Reservation, Columbus, Georgia

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2429-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Building No. Riverside s garage (originally the servants quarters) located within the Riverside complex is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic property associated with Riverside (Quarters No. 1). Riverside was listed in the in Building No. is also a contributing element to the Main Post Historic District. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION: A. Physical History: 1. Date of construction: Between No property cards or original drawings exist for Building No. Historic photographs indicate a front gable garage with barn doors on the Bussey property in the location of the present day garage.

Additional historic photographs date the addition of the structure s living quarters to sometime between and An aerial photograph of the complex, without the concrete Follow Me patio that dates from is the first known dated photograph that depicts the altered garage. Arthur Bussey, Riverside s original owner, may have constructed the garage portion of the facility for a car he purchased in The installation s Quartermaster Corps constructed the addition as all building construction was managed through this office at this time. The structure was originally constructed as a garage and living quarters were added to house the Commanding General s live-in domestic help.

The building, over time and multiple Commanding Generals housed staff and family members, as well as automobiles and eventually evolved into a combined FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 2) storage unit/garage as presently used. See Part V for the historic photographs referenced above. 2. Architect: Unknown for the garage and/or the Office of the Quartermaster General for the U.S. Army, Camp Benning Military Installation (living quarters). 3. Original and subsequent owners, occupants, uses: Arthur Bussey and the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning (1919-present). Initial use was a garage until the later addition of living quarters. The quarters were used by both domestic staff and family members of the Commanding General.

Currently, the facility is a combination storage and garage facility for the installation s residing Commanding General. 4. Builder: Original garage, unknown and the living quarters by the U.S. Army Construction Office for the Quartermaster General, Fort Benning, Georgia. Building materials were most likely gathered from and milled by local sources for both Bussey and the United States Army when the different sections were constructed. 5. Original plans and construction: Original plans for the structure are not existent. Measured drawings on file at Fort Benning were drawn by the installation s engineers and are dated and Building No. measures 19 -0 x 30 -0 and is a single-story, wood frame combined storage and garage structure. Facing east towards the main house, Building No.

is rectangular in plan, with a cross gable roof with composition shingles and exposed rafters. The raised structure rests on brick piers with brick in-fill. Other features include a centralized recessed porch that shelters the four-paneled door entrance on the east elevation; novelty dropped wood exterior siding; single and paired six-over-six, double-hung wood sash windows; and one, three-over-three window. Wood frame screens appear at all windows. The interior of the residence/storage area consists of three rooms: living area, bedroom with walk-in closet, and what was once a bathroom. Simple painted walls with wood trim at baseboards, windows, and door frames are the only interior features other than the aforementioned original six-over-six windows and paneled doors.

An integral two-bay garage (the original section of the structure) is located on the north end. A single leaf paneled door with divided glass upper panel provides entrance from the north yard. Two six-light wood sash windows on the west elevation provide natural lighting. The garage interior is unfinished with exposed framing and a concrete floor. Entrance into the residence/storage area is via two steps and through a single leaf door on the south wall. A metal overhead door allows vehicle entrance on the east elevation. FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 3) 6. Alterations and additions: Additions include the living quarters to the south of the original garage space.

Exterior alterations include replacement of the original double-leaf braced barn doors with metal garage doors; replacement wood siding and porch flooring due to deterioration. New roofing material was also installed as part of on-going maintenance. Once fitted as quarters, the kitchen and bath facilities have been removed. Drawings, historic photographs, and previous reports as noted in the Bibliography provided the above information. B. Historical Context: The Riverside complex is comprised of the main house (Riverside/Quarters No. 1), a Servant s Quarters (Building No. and their surrounding landscape. The main house is comprised of a frame meeting house that was moved to the site and added to at that time.

Bussey reconfigured the meeting house into a plantation home boasting full- fa ade, double porches supported by tapered, square paneled columns, a porte-cochere, and long entrance drives on the north and west sides of the home. Central to acres, Riverside was adjacent to Bussey s dairy farm, ginnery, store, barns, and tenant houses that surrounded the residence. The original date of construction does not appear in any real property records for Building No. But, historic photographs depict a two-bay, garage-type building on the property in a photograph.

A statement made by Arthur Bussey s granddaughter on the back of the photograph states that the Bussey s still lived in the house [at the time the photograph was taken] but were surrounded by the Army (Riverside Notes from a interview with John Bussey, recorded that Arthur Bussey owned a Franklin automobile (NIM 1918-present). The Franklin Automobile Company produced cars between and A Riverside postcard from years later depicts a secondary structure (garage without the addition) as well. The garage and subsequently the addition of living quarters complement the main house built by Arthur Bussey in Riverside s servant s quarters is the only addition to Bussey s plantation complex made by the U.S. Army.

Despite not being mentioned in the nomination for Riverside, the building is a contributing element within the landscape of Riverside complex due to its association with Arthur Bussey and the Army s occupation of Riverside since For historical context and explanation pertaining to its association with Riverside refer to the Riverside complex overview in GA HABS No. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION: A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: Constructed with simple design and materials, Building No. is a combination storage area and double garage. The single-story, FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 4) wood balloon frame building retains its integrity as defined by original materials, features, and plan.

Minimal replacement materials (replacement metal garage doors) do not impede or distract from the original construction materials that include wood siding, original windows and paneled doors, and configuration. 2. Condition of fabric: Good. B. Description of Exterior 1. Overall dimensions: The rectangular-shaped building measures approximately 19 -0 x 30 -0 . The building is a single-story, wood balloon frame structure with a cross-gable roof and a two-bay garage. 2. Foundations: Brick piers with brick in-fill. 3. Walls: Above grade, the building has novelty (dropped) siding on all elevations. 4. Structural systems: Wood balloon frame. 5. Porches: A central recessed porch on the east elevation consists of the main entrance door, wood plank flooring, and integral shed roof. 6. Openings: a.

Doorways and doors: The main entrance (east elevation) is an original four paneled wood door with simple trim surround; the north elevation entrance has a single leaf paneled door with divided glass upper panel. A double-bay garage has replacement metal overhead doors. b. Windows: All original windows remain and include 6/6 double hung wood sash windows, one three-over-three double hung wood sash window, and two six- light wood sash windows. Most windows on the residence section are paired. Wood framed screens appear at all windows. 7. Roof: a. Shape, covering: Cross gable roof with composition shingle surface. b. Cornice, eaves: Extended eaves with exposed rafters. C. Description of Interior: FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 5) 1.

Floor plans: Original floor plans are non-existent. Existing measured drawings include plans drawn by DPW Engineers that date from and (See Appendix of Large Format Photograph scans). The residence/storage area consists of three rooms; living room, bedroom, and bathroom. The galley kitchen and bathroom (fixtures, appliances, and cabinets) indicated on the drawings have been removed. The garage is an open space located under the cross gable and is accessed through a single leaf door and down two steps via the north elevation. 2. Flooring: There is carpet in the residence/storage area and concrete in the garage area. 3. Wall and ceiling finish: Wall surfaces are plaster and composition board with batten seams. The ceiling is a smooth plaster with a paint finish. 4. Openings: a.

Doorways and doors: Wood panel doors are located at the front (east) entrance and entrance to garage (north) wall. Simple, 1 x 4 flat wood trim appear at door surrounds. The bedroom and bathroom doors have been removed. b. Windows: Windows are wood sash type, mostly in pairs. All windows have simple, 1 x 4 flat wood trim surrounds. Windows are located on the east, west, and south elevations in the residence/storage section of the building. Two, six fixed-light wood windows are on the west elevation in the garage. 5. Mechanical equipment: Typical air conditioning, heating, and lighting fixtures are evident in the building. No original fixtures remain as all systems have been updated over the years. D.

Site: The building faces east and is located approximately 60 feet from the main house; an asphalt parking area separates the two buildings. A rose garden is located in the north yard between Building No. and the west driveway; a concrete pad that once held a metal storage tool shed (Building and arbor is located in the west (rear) yard. The west and south yards expand into the larger landscape of the complex. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: A. Architectural Drawings: Directorate of Engineering and Housing FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 6) Building No. floor plan. On file in Plans and Support, Master Planning Department, Division of the Directorate of Public Works, Building No. 6, Fort Benning, Georgia.

Electronic database drawing numbers CAD-41000-A9. Directorate of Facilities Engineering and Logistics Repair Quarters No. 1 Guest House Building No. and Convert to Grounds Storage Building. On file in Plans and Support, Master Planning Department, Division of the Directorate of Public Works, Building No. 6, Fort Benning, Georgia. Electronic database drawing numbers CAD-42241-A1. B. Historic Photographs: National Infantry Museum (NIM) 1918-present Riverside folders in the historic photograph collection. On file at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia. Riverside Photograph of Riverside pre-Camp Benning, ca. Hanging in the entrance foyer of Riverside, Fort Benning, Georgia. Information is written on the back of the frame. C.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2429-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Chapman, William R. Assessment and Evaluation of a Small Cottage/Garage (Building Riverside, Quarters No. 1, Fort Benning, Georgia. Prepared for the Directorate of Engineering and Housing, Fort Benning, Georgia by Southeastern Archaeological Services, Inc., Athens, Georgia. Electronic report on file in the Cultural Resources Office, Directorate of Public Works, Fort Benning, Georgia. Plans and Support List of Drawings. On file in Plans and Support, Fort Benning Georgia. PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION: Due to potential renovations to Riverside (Quarters No. 1), a HABS recordation was initiated to capture the complex s buildings prior to any alterations. As part of the larger Riverside complex, Building No. was included in the documentation.

The historic narrative and large format photographs fulfill the necessary recordation requirements. At the request of Fort Benning s EPMB, fieldwork was completed over the course of several years due to privatization of the housing units at Fort Benning, rehabilitation FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 7) schedule, and the availability of the buildings considering the Commanding General s family s schedule. The final documentation was prepared by Senior Architectural Historian and Principal Investigator, Stacey L. Griffin, M.A., research assistant, Emily Cutsinger; Rachel Kyker, Editor; and Mark Drumlevitch, large format photographer; all of Panamerican Consultants, Inc., Paul W.

Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, Alabama FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page ~ 8 AX Historic Photographs: Riverside (Quarters No.1), Building No. is located behind the residence to the left and appears as only the garage portion of the present day building (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page ) Riverside (Quarters No. 1), Building No. is located to the right of the residence and appears as only the garage portion of the present day building (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page )<0 It> Undated photograph of Riverside complex, view from Kreis Street.

Photograph shows only the garage portion of present day Building No. (photograph on file at the National Infantry Museum). FORT BENNING MAIN POST, RIVERSIDE, GARAGE (Building No. lO98) HABS No. GA-2429-B (Page 11 Undated postcard of Riverside (looks to be copy of photo). Building No. (garage with barn doors) appears to the left of the residence (postcard used by permission of author, original in color).