Naval Air Station Chase Field, Building 1042, Ofstie Road, .6 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,1E-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Building (the Brig) is a small, three-celled jail constructed to hold naval personnel who committed relatively minor infractions of the military code. The brig is indicative of the everyday support facilities needed for successful operation of Naval Air Station (NAS) Chase Field. This building is one of the base's few World War II-era structures whose exterior remains virtually unaltered. Description: Located at the east comer of the intersection of Ofstie Road and Essex Street, Building and its adjoining grounds are surrounded by a chain-link fence. The one-story, wood-frame building has a modified T-shaped plan and a concrete-slab foundation. Galbestos siding covers the exterior walls, and the flat roof has built-up tar-and-gravel roofing material.

The two-part massing includes a ten-foot wing to the southeast (the stem of the T-shaped plan) and a twelve-foot section (the top of the T- plan) from southwest to northeast. The northeast facade is marked by a small, shed- roofed porch with square posts for supports. The windows are double hung with 6/6 lights. The northeast end of the southeast elevation has a continuous series of double- hung windows with metal prison bars. This window pattern and detailing is repeated on the northwest elevation. The prison cells were in this (the northeast) section of the building.

Building remains virtually unaltered on the exterior, although it was converted into an armory in Originally the brig for NAS Chase, Building has a utilitarian interior; however, its most distinctive feature is the cell for detainees. Most rooms, such has the cell and recreation room, have smooth-finished concrete rooms, although vinyl tile flooring has been installed in some of the offices. Wood-frame partition walls with gypsum board or wood paneling define most of the rooms. The notable exception is the large room containing the cell. A hallway encircles the cell, which is defined by metal bars that are three-quarters of an inch in diameter. The ceiling height is approximately nine feet and nine inches and the ceiling materials are gypsum board on wood framing.

History: Although Building was used to hold those guilty of minor offenses, personnel who committed more serious crimes were temporarily held and then transferred to NAS Corpus Christi which had larger, more secure facilities. The building served as a brig until when NAS Chase Field was at the height of its jet training program and approximately military and civilian personnel were NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, BUILDING (BRIG) HABS No. TX-3397-E (Page 2) employed at the base. At that time, a modem detention center was constructed for the base and the brig was converted to an armory.

While its use has changed, the physical appearance of Building remains virtually the same as when it was designed by Brown Bellows & Columbia from standard Navy Yards and Docks drawings for the original auxiliary air station in Building remained an armory from until when the base was decommissioned.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,13-BEEVI.V,1E-. 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 > / ' '- / / /~ / i .:. ., . . i.l . ! e"'.,' Wall Alrcrall Apton I j' I .Yard. _, M - -r - -~ _Ok r T/W B co;-'"--~~=-- - I ::. I tI . ..

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