Main Navy and Munitions Buildings

Last updated

Main Navy and Munitions Buildings
United States
Mainnavy-munitions.jpg
Main Navy Building (foreground) and the Munitions Building were temporary structures built during World War I on the National Mall
Coordinates 38°53′28.8″N77°2′36.5″W / 38.891333°N 77.043472°W / 38.891333; -77.043472
Site information
Owner United States Navy
ConditionDemolished and became Constitution Gardens
Site history
Built1918
Demolished1970

The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings were constructed in 1918 along Constitution Avenue (then known as B Street) on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall (Potomac Park) as the largest of a set of temporary war buildings on the National Mall. Both buildings were constructed by the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, with the United States Department of War occupying the Munitions Building. To make the buildings more resistant to fire, the buildings were constructed using concrete. With solid construction, the temporary buildings remained used long after the end of World War I.

Contents

In August 1939, the Secretary of War relocated his offices from the overcrowded State-War-Navy Building (Old Executive Office Building) to the Munitions Building. The Department of War headquarters remained in the Munitions Building through the early years of World War II until 1942, when some space became available in the Pentagon, which was under construction. The Munitions Building was turned over to the Navy in 1943 when the Department of War vacated the Munitions Building once construction of the Pentagon was completed.

Both buildings suffered severe structural problems in the 1960s. In December 1969, President Richard Nixon announced that both buildings would be demolished, a plan carried out in 1970. The land was then reclaimed and turned into Constitution Gardens, with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built near the former Munitions Building site in the early 1980s.

Construction

Constructing the Munitions and Main Navy Buildings was an idea conceived by Franklin D. Roosevelt, then the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, who put forth the idea to President Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt originally suggested a temporary building be placed on the Ellipse, but President Wilson disliked the idea of a building on the White House's front lawn. Thus, Roosevelt suggested placing the buildings on the National Mall (Potomac Park) along B Street (renamed Constitution Avenue in 1931), near the Lincoln Memorial. Roosevelt wanted them to be ugly wooden buildings, so people would want to tear them down immediately after World War I. However, concrete and steel materials were recommended to make the buildings more fire resistant. [1] Roosevelt later expressed regret for allowing these building to be constructed, saying in 1941, "I didn't think I would ever be let into the Gates of Heaven, because I had been responsible for desecrating the parks of Washington." [2]

The project was originally intended for just the Navy, but the Department of War also wanted in on the project; thus, two buildings were proposed. With concrete construction not unreasonably more expensive than a wood frame building, Congress accepted the proposal for concrete buildings and approved the funds for the project in March 1918. The task of design and construction of the buildings was given to the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, [3] and the buildings were completed in 51⁄2 months. [4] The primary designer of the buildings was Lieutenant Commander Frederic W. Southworth, chief architect of the Bureau, under the supervision of Commander Archibald L. Parsons. [5]

Munitions Building

Location of the Munitions and Main Navy Buildings on a 1945 USGS map Munitionsbldgmap.jpg
Location of the Munitions and Main Navy Buildings on a 1945 USGS map

The Munitions Building, constructed in 1918, contained 841,000 square feet (78,100 m2) of space across three stories and was designed to provide temporary accommodations for 9,000 Department of War employees. [6] During World War I, the War Department had greatly expanded, and by the end of the war, the Main Navy and Munitions Building together housed 14,000 military personnel, including the Secretary of the Navy. [7] A large parking lot 100 feet (30 m) wide and 1⁄2 mile (800 m) long, was located at the rear of the Munitions Building, with space to accommodate approximately 1,000 cars. [8] Various small exhibits were on display in the corridors of the Munitions Buildings, showing military uniforms, types of gas masks, military daily rations, and Army photographs. [9] The Munitions Building was separated from the Main Navy Building by a vehicle entryway at 19th Street. The main entrance of the Munitions Building was located at 20th Street. The Munitions Building had a total of eight wings. [7]

At the end of World War I, the Munitions Building housed technical branches, including the Quartermaster General, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Ordnance Corps, Chemical Warfare Service, Signal Corps, and Army Air Service. In March 1923, the Army's Finance Office also moved into the Munitions Building. [10] In February 1924, plans were put forth to build an oil steam plant for the Main Navy and Munitions Building. [11] In November 1933, the Army Inspector General's office, along with the Organized Reserves, the welfare section of the Secretary's office, and the Office of Chief of Chaplains moved into the Munitions Building. [12] The National Guard Bureau also was housed in the Munitions Building, as was the Army Industrial College. [9]

Headquarters

Munitions Building, located on Constitution Avenue, in 1919 Munitionsbuilding.jpg
Munitions Building, located on Constitution Avenue, in 1919

At the time when the Munitions Building was constructed, the War Department was headquartered in the State-War-Navy Building, which was completed in 1888 and located on 17th Street NW, next to the White House. By the 1930s, the War Department was being squeezed out by the Department of State, and the White House also needed additional office space. In August 1939, Secretary of War Harry H. Woodring, along with Acting Chief of Staff of the Army George C. Marshall, moved his office into the Munitions Building. In the late 1930s, a new War Department Building was constructed at 21st and C Streets in Foggy Bottom. Still, upon completion, the new building did not solve the department's space problem and ended up being used by the Department of State. [13] To help deal with the space shortage, a fourth story was added to the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings during World War II. [14]

Coming into office, with World War II breaking out in Europe, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson was faced with the situation of the War Department spread out in numerous buildings across Washington, D.C., as well as Maryland and Virginia, and the Munitions Building was overcrowded. [15] [16] On 28 July 1941, Congress authorized funding for a new Department of War building in Arlington, Virginia, which would house the entire department under one roof. [17] When office space became available in 1942 at the Pentagon in the first completed wing, the Secretary of War vacated the Munitions Building and moved to the Pentagon. The Department of War vacated the Munitions Building in 1943 once the Pentagon was constructed. The Department of Navy took over the Munitions Building once the Department of War relocated out of the building and placed the Navy's Material Systems Command offices in the Munitions Building. [7]

World War II

The Signal Intelligence Service was located in the Munitions Building during the early years of World War II. In September 1939, the Signal Intelligence Service was able to break Japan's cipher, Purple. The Department of War continued to receive intercepted messages, codenamed Magic, including final messages to the Japanese Embassy in Washington before the Attack on Pearl Harbor. [18]

The Navy used the Main Navy building from when it was built until it was demolished in 1970. The building contained 940,000 square feet (87,000 m2) of space, nine wings, and was connected to the Munitions Building by an elevated covered walkway. [4]

Navy offices housed in the Main Navy building soon after it opened included the Bureau of Ships, Bureau of Navigation, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Bureau of Steam Engineering, Bureau of Construction and Repair, the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Bureau of Ordnance, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the Secretary of Navy's offices, along with Naval Operations, and the Compensation Board. Later, other Navy Offices moved into Main Navy, including the Dispensary, the Navy Red Cross, Examining Board, and Retiring Board, previously housed in Corcoran Courts, an apartment building converted into offices. The Hydrographic Office and United States Marine Corps moved to Main Navy from a Navy Annex building located at New York Avenue and 18th Street, and the United States Coast Guard relocated from the Munsey Building. [4] The Navy Department Library was relocated to the Main Navy building in 1923. [19] From 1926 to 1941, a small reinforced concrete roof penthouse on the Main Navy building was used for radio and communication intercepts training. [18]

Criticism

The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings were disliked by many as going against the intentions of Pierre Charles L'Enfant of making the National Mall into an open space surrounded by aesthetically pleasing government buildings. The Munitions and Navy buildings were described as "unsightly shacks, of which many scores sprung up like mushrooms during the war". Due to their solid construction, some were concerned that the buildings would remain for an extended period. [20]

Demolition

Constitution Gardens now occupies the former Munitions and Main Navy Buildings site. Constitution gardens.jpg
Constitution Gardens now occupies the former Munitions and Main Navy Buildings site.

By 1960, the Munitions Building housed approximately 7,000 employees of not only the Navy but also the Army, Air Force, Veterans Administration, and the Department of State. After decades of use, the building experienced structural problems in the late 1950s and 1960s, including cracked concrete piers, numerous interior cracked and bent walls, and settling floors. The buildings, constructed on marshy parkland, were damp, and the foundations settling. [21] Portions of the buildings were declared unsafe in 1969, resulting in approximately 3,000 employees relocating to other facilities. In December 1969, President Richard Nixon announced a plan for demolishing the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings. The plan involved moving Navy employees to new buildings in the Crystal City and Ballston areas in Arlington, Virginia. [22] The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings remained on the Mall until 1970, when they were demolished. [23]

In the 1970s, Constitution Gardens was built on the former site of the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built nearby in the early 1980s. [24] [25]

The buildings are briefly featured in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! and are used as a backdrop setting in the matters of the War Department leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shortly after the film was made, the buildings were demolished.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of Naval Operations</span> Statutory office held by an Admiral in the United States Navy

The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CNO is a military adviser to the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, the secretary of defense, and the president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moffett Federal Airfield</span> Joint civil-military airport in California

Moffett Federal Airfield, also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, 2014, NASA announced that it would be leasing 1,000 acres (400 ha) of the airfield property to Google for 60 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolwich Dockyard</span> Naval dockyard in Kent, England; in use from 1512 to 1869

Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 16th century until the late 19th century. William Camden called it 'the Mother Dock of all England'. By virtue of the size and quantity of vessels built there, Woolwich Dockyard is described as having been 'among the most important shipyards of seventeenth-century Europe'. During the Age of Sail, the yard continued to be used for shipbuilding and repair work more or less consistently; in the 1830s a specialist factory within the dockyard oversaw the introduction of steam power for ships of the Royal Navy. At its largest extent it filled a 56-acre site north of Woolwich Church Street, between Warspite Road and New Ferry Approach; 19th-century naval vessels were fast outgrowing the yard, however, and it eventually closed in 1869. The former dockyard area is now partly residential, partly industrial, with remnants of its historic past having been restored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of War</span> Former US government agency

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department, was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, also bearing responsibility for naval affairs until the establishment of the Navy Department in 1798, and for most land-based air forces until the creation of the Department of the Air Force on September 18, 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval History and Heritage Command</span> Military unit

The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. The NHHC is composed of 42 facilities in 13 geographic locations including the Navy Department Library, 10 museums and 1 heritage center, USS Constitution repair facility and detachment, and historic ship ex-USS Nautilus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Island (Washington, D.C.)</span> Island in Washington, D.C.

Lady Bird Johnson Park, formerly known as Columbia Island until 1968, is an island located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It formed naturally as an extension of Analostan Island in the latter part of the 1800s, and over time erosion and flooding severed it from Analostan, now known as Theodore Roosevelt Island. The U.S. federal government deposited material dredged from the Potomac River on the island between 1911 and 1922, and again from 1925 to 1927. The island was also reshaped by the government at this time "to serve as the western terminus of Arlington Memorial Bridge and a symbolic entrance into the nation’s capital." Located within the park are the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove, Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial, and the Columbia Island Marina. The island, park, memorials, and marina are part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and administered by the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiriwina</span> Island of Papua New Guinea

Kiriwina is the largest of the Trobriand Islands, with an area of 290.5 km². It is part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Most of the 12,000 people who live in the Trobriands live on Kiriwina. The Kilivila language, also known as Kiriwina, is spoken on the island. The main town is Losuia. The island falls under the administrative division of Kiriwina Rural LLG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eisenhower Executive Office Building</span> U.S. historic place and government building

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally known as the State, War, and Navy Building, is a United States government building that is part of the White House compound in the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. Maintained by the General Services Administration, the building currently houses the Executive Office of the President, including the Office of the Vice President of the United States. In 1999, the building was renamed in honor of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th U.S. president and a five-star U.S. Army general who oversaw several military campaigns of the Allied forces during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fagatogo</span> Village in American Samoa, United States

Fagatogo is the downtown area of Pago Pago. Located in the low grounds at the foot of Matafao Peak, it was the location of the first American settlement on Tutuila Island. It includes the sub-village of Malaloa. Today, Fagatogo is the government, commercial, financial, and shipping center of Tutuila. It is also the administrative capital of American Samoa. It is the location of the American Samoa Fono (legislature), and is listed in the Constitution of American Samoa as the territory's official seat of government. Its population is 1,737.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Reed National Military Medical Center</span> Hospital in Maryland, U.S.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med, is a United States military medical center located in Bethesda, Maryland. It is one of the largest and most prominent military medical centers in the nation and has provided medical care for several U.S. presidents since its opening in 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pentagon</span> Headquarters of the US Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia

The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase The Pentagon is often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Navy Yard</span> Shipyard and industrial complex in Brooklyn, New York

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlears Hook in Manhattan. It is bounded by Navy Street to the west, Flushing Avenue to the south, Kent Avenue to the east, and the East River on the north. The site, which covers 225.15 acres (91.11 ha), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry S Truman Building</span> US State Department HQ in Washington, D.C.

The Harry S Truman Building is the headquarters of the United States Department of State. It is located in Washington, D.C., and houses the office of the United States secretary of state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Interior Building</span> United States historic place

The Main Interior Building, officially known as the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building, located in Washington, D.C., is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boundary Channel</span> River in District of Columbia, United States

Boundary Channel is a channel off the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The channel begins at the northwestern tip of Columbia Island extends southward between Columbia Island and the Virginia shoreline. It curves around the southern tip of Columbia Island before heading northeast to exit into the Potomac River. At the southwestern tip of Columbia Island, the Boundary Channel widens into the manmade Pentagon Lagoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building</span> United States historic place

The Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building is a federally owned office building located at 330 C Street SW in Washington, D.C. in the United States. The Egyptian Revival structure was originally named the Railroad Retirement Board Building. It was designed by Charles Klauder and Louis A. Simon and completed on September 15, 1940. Although intended for the Railroad Retirement Board, its first occupant was to the United States Department of War. By Act of Congress, it was renamed the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building on October 21, 1972, becoming the first federal building to be named for a woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James V. Forrestal Building</span> Government office building in Washington, D.C.

The James V. Forrestal Building is a low-rise Brutalist office building in Washington, D.C. Originally known as Federal Office Building 5, and nicknamed the Little Pentagon, the Forrestal Building was constructed between 1965 and 1969 to accommodate United States armed forces personnel. It is named after James Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense. It became the headquarters of the United States Department of Energy after that agency's creation in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Annex</span> Office building in Virginia, USA

The Navy Annex was a building near the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia mainly used as offices for the United States Department of the Navy. The facility was also known as Federal Office Building 2. It was demolished in 2013 to make room for an expansion of Arlington National Cemetery and other uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temporary buildings of the National Mall</span> Series of buildings in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. government constructed a number of temporary buildings on the National Mall during World War I and II which stood from 1918 until 1971. They were built due to the urgent need for office space during wartime, but they remained in use during peacetime even though they disrupted the intended layout of the mall according to the McMillan Plan for over half a century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Operating Base Terminal Island</span> World War II Naval Base in Los Angeles

Naval Operating Base Terminal Island, was United States Navy base founded on 25 September 1941 to support the World War II efforts in the Pacific War. Naval Operating Base Terminal Island was founded by combining Naval Facilities in cities of San Pedro, Long Beach and Wilmington, California under one command. Much of the base was on the man-made Terminal Island, and harbor in San Pedro Bay. The harbor was made through the construction of a large breakwater system.

References

  1. ↑ Gaston, James C.; John S. Pustay (2000). Planning the American Air War. Minerva Group. p. 20. ISBN   0-89875-059-8.
  2. ↑ Roosevelt, Franklin D. (19 August 1941). "Excerpts from the Press Conference". American Presidency Project / University of California Santa Barbara. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  3. ↑ United States Bureau of Yards and Docks (1921). Activities of the Bureau of Yards and Docks. Government Printing Office. pp.  480.
  4. 1 2 3 "Main Navy Building: Its Construction and Original Occupants". Naval Historical Foundation. 1970. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2008.
  5. ↑ George P. Hales, "The New Office Buildings at Washington, D. C. for the Navy and War Departments" in Architectural Record 44, no. 6 (December, 1918): 523-531.
  6. ↑ "Old War and Navy Offices Outgrown". The Washington Post. 13 October 1918.
  7. 1 2 3 "Main Navy & Munitions Building". Naval Historical Center. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  8. ↑ "Strict Allotment of Parking Spaces Proves Effective". Washington Post. 9 January 1927.
  9. 1 2 Works Progress Administration (1937). Washington, City and Capital. p. 871.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ↑ "Army Finance Office Moves". Washington Post. 4 March 1923.
  11. ↑ "Oil Plant is Urged to Provide Steam in 12 U.S. Buildings". Washington Post. 20 February 1924.
  12. ↑ "More Federal Bureaus Move Offices Today". Washington Post. 4 November 1933.
  13. ↑ Goldberg, Alfred (1992). The Pentagon: The First Fifty Years. Office of Secretary of Defense / Government Printing Office. pp.  5–9. ISBN   0-16-037979-2.
  14. ↑ ""Main Navy" and "Munitions" Buildings — Aerial Views". Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "Intro — Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army". Center of Military History, United States Army. 1992. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  16. ↑ Vogel, Steve (2007). The Pentagon — A History: The Untold Story of the Wartime Race to Build the Pentagon and to Restore it Sixty Years Later. Random House. pp. 29–33. ISBN   978-0-8129-7325-9.
  17. ↑ Goldberg, Alfred (1992). The Pentagon: The First Fifty Years. Office of Secretary of Defense / Government Printing Office. pp.  22. ISBN   0-16-037979-2.
  18. 1 2 Kessler, Pamela (2005). Undercover Washington. Capital Books. p. 68. ISBN   1-931868-97-2.
  19. ↑ "History of the Navy Department Library". Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 22 October 2008.
  20. ↑ "Save the Mall". Washington Post. 25 July 1926.
  21. ↑ Landauer, Jerry (26 April 1960). "'Temp' Built in First World War Still Used as 'Munitions Building'". Washington Post.
  22. ↑ "Main Navy Will Switch to Arlington". Washington Post. 19 February 1970.
  23. ↑ Hoffman, Ellen (16 July 1970). "Last 'Tempos' Fall in Style". Washington Post.
  24. ↑ Parker, Pauline E. (2002). Women of the Homefront. McFarland. p. 65. ISBN   0-7864-1346-8.
  25. ↑ Thomas, Christopher A. (2002). The Lincoln Memorial & American Life . Princeton University Press. pp.  136. ISBN   0-691-01194-X.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.