Quarters S, which was provided to the executive officer at Naval Air Station (NAS) Chase Field, stands as one of only two, historic, single-family housing units at NAS Chase Field, and is indicative of the kind of single-family residential architecture that the Navy erected during World War II. Unlike most historic buildings at the NAS Chase Field which have simple rectangular footprints, Quarters S has a wing set at a 45-degree angle to the main block. The building has changed little since its original construction in As a consequence, the property retains its historic integrity to a high degree. Description: Like its neighbor (Quarters R) to the east, Quarters S is an example of single-family housing at NAS Chase Field.
The residence is south of Essex Street, after it makes a bend west of its intersection with Independence Street. A small parking area is in front of the house, and a grass lawn serves as a buffer between the residence and the parking lot. The grounds, which include trees and lawn, are well maintained, and a wooden fence encloses the back yard. The house has an irregular plan and wood-frame construction. Galbestos siding covers the exterior walls, and the low-pitched hipped roof has composition (asphalt) shingles. The front faces north onto Essex Street, though the main entrance is on the east side of a small wing projecting from the front. The windows are double hung with 6/6 lights. A small detached garage/maid's quarters is behind (to the southwest) of the house.
Both the main house and the outbuilding appear to be virtually unaltered, although one of the windows in the garage/maid's quarters is a replacement. The interior of Quarters S has a rambling layout that essentially provides two separate living spaces. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a laundry room and a room listed as a dormitory on the attached floor plan. Primary access into the building is gained by way of a door on the north elevation. The front door opens into the living and dining rooms that, together with kitchen, comprise the mid-section of the interior and serve as public areas. The bedrooms are at opposite ends. The house has oak wood floors with molded baseboards.
The wood-frame walls have a rolled-on plaster finish over gypsum board. The ceiling, likewise, has plaster finish over gypsum board, but has a trowel- textured NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, QUARTERS S (EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S QUARTERS) HABS No. (Page 2) surface. The building has a central heating and cooling system with round vents. Most of the doors are hollow-core and presumably replaced original paneled doors. Except for its unusual configuration, the building's interior lacks any noteworthy architectural features or ornamentation. History: Quarters S was built in and is among the buildings completed in the first phase of construction at NAS Chase Field. Throughout its existence, the building housed the officer who was second in command at the naval air station.
Robert & Company, an Atlanta, Georgia-based architectural firm that opened a branch office in Corpus Christi during the military build-up during World War II, is believed to have designed the building. Robert & Company provided plans for most of the original buildings at the naval air station, including the nearby and similarly designed Commanding Officer's Quarters (Building No. The original architectural drawings, unlike those of most other extant historic resources, were not on file at the Public Works Office at NAS Chase Field. Other records at the base noted that Brown Bellows & Columbia, a building consortium based in Houston, served as general contractors.
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