Naval Air Station Chase Field, Quarters R, Essex Street, .43 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,1F-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Quarters R, which was occupied by Naval Air Station (NAS) Chase Field's commanding officer, is a rare illustration of single-family housing at NAS Chase Field. Most of the original base housing included barracks for officers and enlisted personnel, but the Quarters R is one of only two single-family houses built before It also symbolizes the significant role the Commanding Officer played in the operation of the naval station. The house provides a glimpse into the type of single- family residence that the Navy provided its most important officer at the base.

With its historic integrity largely intact, the building appears much as it did when it was originally completed in Description: The house is located on the southwest side of Essex Street, just west of its intersection with Independence Street. The surrounding lot contains trees and a well- maintained grass lawn with a wooden fence that encloses the back yard. A one-story, wood-frame building with wood and galbestos siding, the house has a modified rectangular plan and a pier-and-beam foundation. The flat roof has extended eaves and a brick interior chimney. The main entrance, facing northeast onto Essex Street, is set within a small, two-bay, integral porch supported by square posts.

Most of the windows are double hung with metal sashes and 6/6 lights, although a large, fixed- glass, display window is between the double-hung windows within the front porch. The exterior of the building is virtually unaltered. A small, detached, frame garage stands southwest of the house. The interior of Quarters R is well maintained and in good condition and most of the original architectural features are intact. Most rooms used for social functions, i.e., the living and dining rooms, have oak wood floors with a high-gloss varnished finish. The bedrooms and den have carpeting that has been applied over the original wood floors. Wood-frame partition walls define the interior spaces and are covered with gypsum board with a rolled-on textured finish.

Most of the original three-panel doors are in place; however, some hollow-core replacements have been installed. The most significant architectural feature is the fireplace in the west wall of the living room. The hearth is of quarry-faced ashlar limestone, with a large dressed-faced keystone. NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, QUARTERS R (COMMANDING OFFICER'S QUARTERS) HABS No. (Page 2) History: Built in the Commanding Officer's Quarters is one of only two single- family dwellings built on the naval air station during the World War II era. Robert & Company, an Atlanta-based architectural firm, designed the house, and the Houston- based contracting firm Brown Bellows & Columbia built it. The only other base residence built before is the nearby Quarters S, where the executive officer lived.

During the the Navy commissioned the construction of single-family officers' quarters near the main entrance at the north of the base; however, the Commanding Officer continued to reside in this building. The dwelling continued to serve as the living quarters for the Commanding Officer until the closure of NAS Chase Field in

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,13-BEEVI.V,1F-. 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, QUARTERS R (COMMANDING OFFICER'S QUARTERS) HABS No. (Page 3) HABS No.

Quarters R ') / / Weit Altcrall Apron - -- -- .- .- -r -.- I I _, "' ~ :!. _, . r Source: NAS Chase Field loo o 100 Public Works Office NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, QUARTERS R (COMMANDING OFFICER'S QUARTERS) '"! HABS No. (Page 4) .' J> -, %~ ,Jt l l_ I' ; ~ I! :i no-,oz NAVAL AIR STATION CHASE FIELD, QUARTERS R (COMMANDING OFFICER'S QUARTERS) HABS No. (Page 5) - - i ' L_ -~ --- - i: i 1 ,, - , .o-.'I ~: - ,, . ; - - - ' J I i I II I