Naval Air Station Chase Field, Building 1009, Essex Street, .68 mile South-southeast of intersection of Texas State Highway 202 & Independence Street, Beeville

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,13-BEEVI.V,1B-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Building historically known as the Enlisted WAVES Barracks, remains the only extant historic barracks building at Naval Air Station (NAS) Chase Field and closely represents the contributions of Navy personnel to the base's mission. Further, as a building specifically associated with women's contributions to the war effort, the WAVES Barracks building is a rare tangible link to that association. It conveys a sense of the all-encompassing nature of the emergency that required the sacrifices of all its citizens - men and women alike - to the successful outcome of the war. Description: Situated at the north corner of the intersection of Essex and Ofstie Road, the building stands near the geographic center of the naval air station.

The grounds include a well-kept grass lawn with a variety of trees on the northeast, southeast and southwest sides. A small paved parking lot and an electrical transformer rack are southeast of the building. With an elongated, rectangular plan, Building is a two- story, wood-frame structure with galbestos siding. The building rests on a pier-and- beam foundation and features a flat roof that is covered by built-up layers of tar and gravel. The front faces southwest toward Essex Street. Concrete steps lead to the main entrance, which is near the south corner of the southwest elevation. The primary entrance has a single metal door within a small, one-story, enclosed porch. The facade is composed of two floors, each with eight sets of paired, double-hung windows with metal sashes.

At the north end of the front, narrow horizontal windows pierce the ground floor; an elongated horizontal panel extends along the second story. The northwest and southeast elevations have wooden exterior staircases leading to second- floor fire escape exits. Although the only opening on the northwest elevation is a door, the southeast elevation has double-hung windows on both floors. The northeast elevation has an irregular fenestration that includes single and paired, double-hung, windows with metal sashes; a single door; and a small, one-story, shed extension.

The interior of Building has been modified extensively since its construction in Originally a WAVES barracks, Building was converted into a storage facility in soon after NAS Chase Field was reopened, and the many modifications undertaken to complete this and another conversion have greatly changed the physical character of the interior. Although a central hall extends the length of the building on both floors, the hall has been modified at the ends to provide additional room for NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, BUILDING (ENLISTED WAVES BARRACKS) HABS No. (Page 2) offices. The mid-sections of the hall have been enlarged to create large, public spaces on both floors; however, load-bearing support columns, which once defined interior walls of the hallway, break-up the openness of the rooms.

The original flooring material was wood and it is believed to be intact under the present vinyl tile flooring. Baseboards are of wood and rise to a height of about three inches. Wood-frame partition walls with wood paneling or gypsum board define interior spaces. The wood paneling rises eight feet and the remaining wall-surface area, up to the ceiling's ten-foot seven-inch height, is of gypsum board. Surface-mounted acoustical tiles cover the ceiling. Interior lighting is provided by suspended fluorescent fixtures. There are no distinctive or unique architectural details or ornamentation inside the building. The rooms are utilitarian in character, providing efficient office space for the occupants.

History: Building (also known historically as the Enlisted WAVES Barracks) is one of five enlisted personnel barracks constructed at NAS Chase Field in during the initial construction phase, and one of 30 extant historic resources at the naval air station. The presence of WAVES at NAS Chase Field was indicative of the need for full-scale deployment of military personnel during World War II when both men and women responded to the call for military enlistment. The women took on clerical positions, which were crucial to the flight training program and operation of the base. Robert & Company, an Atlanta-based architectural engineering firm with temporary offices in Corpus Christi, designed all barracks buildings on the post.

However, the WAVES Barracks was the only barracks building constructed at NAS Chase Field for enlisted women. In the Navy converted the building into a supply storage facility and constructed a new women's barracks. Seven years later, the building was converted into office space, for which it was used until the base's closure in

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,13-BEEVI.V,1B-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Moore, David; Myers, Terri; and Goebel, Matt. Historic Resources Survey & Assessments: NAS Chase Field, Beeville, Texas. Austin, Texas: Hardy Heck Moore, The building was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and a nomination is being prepared for submission to the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. U.S. Department of the Navy, Bureau of Yards and Docks. Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, Volume 1. Washington, Government Printing Office, Historians: David Moore and Terri Myers, Hardy Heck Moore & Associates, June NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, BUILDING (ENLISTED WAVES BARRACKS) HABS No. (Page 3) HABS No. Building "> / ' -, / / /~ / . ' " ,_ /' "' ' " .

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