Naval Air Station Chase Field, Building 1040, Enterprise Street, .37 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,1D-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Building (the Auditorium/Gym/Chapel) stands out among the buildings of the base due to the combination of various functions. All other buildings at the base were used for a single, specified purpose. As a socially oriented structure, the Auditorium/Gym/Chapel symbolizes the importance of support facilities in the successful operation of Naval Air Station (NAS) Chase Field. Description: Building originally housed an auditorium, gym and chapel within a single edifice. Located in the northwest quadrant of the original grouping of buildings, the structure stands near the intersection of Enterprise and Independence streets. The grounds have grass lawns with the exception of a small parking lot on the northeastern edge of the building.

Galbestos siding covers the exterior of the one-story building, which utilizes wood-frame construction. The building footprint is irregular but is roughly L-shaped in form. The front faces southeast towards Enterprise Street. The most distinctive feature of the front is the three-part composition, with the barrel- vaulted roof over the gym to the northeast, a one-story auditorium in the middle, and the two-story chapel to the southwest. A 16-bay, shed-roof porch with square posts extends across the front. Both casement and fixed windows are used, and double-door entrances open from the chapel and gym sections of the building. The interior of the gym contains wood-arched trusses and hardwood floors.

History: Designed by Roberts & Company and built by Brown Bellows & Columbia, Building was not vital to the actual training of Navy cadets; instead, it played a more supportive, recreational role. Realizing the rigors and seriousness of flight training, the Navy erected the building to serve as a place for personnel to socialize and relax. Banking facilities were incorporated into the building in and additional rooms for Jewish and Catholic worshipers were completed in and respectively. Building continued as a recreational, social and religious center at NAS Chase Field until when the Navy closed the entire base. NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, BUILDING (AUDITORIUM/GYM/CHAPEL) HABS No. (Page 2)

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,13-BEEVI.V,1D-. 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 (AUDITORIUM/GYM/CHAPEL) HABS No. (Page 3) HABS No.

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