World War II "Temporary" Structures
World War II Structures
While we have divided the University's historic buildings into three geographical areas, the "temporary" structures have a common link to each other and to American architectural history. Contrary to popular belief, the frame structures built for Fort Douglas at the time of WWII were not "temporary" in the sense of being shoddily built. As part of the mobilization effort, they were constructed to serve specific war time needs. The main reason that these structures were labeled "temporary" was due to the general opinion that wars end. Wars are temporary. One must keep in mind that the "temporary" structures from Fort Douglas were part of a large scale operation that affected the whole country. As a result, the significance of these buildings often lies in their connection to a whole rather than as individual buildings.
It was a colossal undertaking to house an army of more than a million trainees in the space of just a few short months as was done at the beginning of WWII. Fort Douglas, although frequently left out of histories, played a part in this task. The Army was able to provide adequate housing for over 6 million troops in the United States alone by November 1944. More than thirty thousand "temporary" wooden buildings housed approximately 95 percent of the troops. At Fort Douglas, there were about seventy of these housing structures built. Most of these "temporary" structures were built in just a few years.
These structures were built at a time when the building standards of military facilities were being raised to include indoor plumbing, electricity, and central, forced-air heating, which had become the standard for most Americans. Consequently, these were among the first lot of buildings to possess such features. The U.S. economy was greatly impacted by the Mobilization construction, which contributed to the recovery of the building industry following the Great Depression.
The architecture of these buildings is straightforward. The design, greatly influenced by cost was intended to facilitate efficient and speedy construction. The designing of these buildings was guided by the following five principles: speed, simplicity, conservation of materials, flexibility and safety. Apparently, this was the order of their priority as well. The construction of "temporary" structures during WWI was a cumbersome process. Shortly after WWI, the military began design on the 700 Series that was used at the onset of WWII. These plans were often revised so it was decided that a "leaner and meaner" building was needed; therefore, the 800 Series was created. Both the 700 and 800 Series were employed at Fort Douglas. The most quickly constructed building during WWI was completed in three hours. The average during WWII was one per hour with the record being fifty-four minutes. To accomplish this speed, the Army used techniques such as using a few standardized plans, prefabricated components, and the assembly-line approach to construction.
These structures were built with the expectation that they would last only 5 to 20 years. However, they have been somewhat over-designed if the objective was to erect temporary structures. President Roosevelt promised the mothers of servicemen that modern facilities and adequate shelter would be provided. It was determined that the troops would get the basic comforts that were considered to be a standard among average American citizens by 1940 - no less and no more. This required substantial improvements in the way facilities were built. This is also why the buildings were painted at the cost of millions of dollars in spite of the concept that they were only meant to last a few years. The painting and other improvements were done on the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt, who argued that it made a big difference to the morale of the soldiers.
These "temporary" buildings were built to house the troops with a standard of health and comfort previously unknown by U.S. troops during wartime. A typical barrack could accommodate half a company, or 63 men. There are presently only eight of these left in contrast to 33 that existed on Fort Douglas in 1946. In 1940, the Surgeon General set the minimum space requirements at 700 cubic feet per person in order to ensure good health sanitation. This was quite a change from the 400 cubic feet in 1916. In meeting this goal of a higher standard of living, the objective of impermanence was lost.
An interesting feature on many of the 700 Series buildings was the skirt roof, which continued around all four sides just above the ground story windows. These eyebrows or canopies, officially referred to as aquamedia, also extended the eave line on the gable ends to span the width of the building on both single-story and two-story structures. Their purpose was to allow the window sash to remain open for ventilation even during inclement weather. This feature was discontinued due to the possible occurrence of leaks where the stub rafters were framed into the wall and because it did not shield against blowing rain. The buildings in this survey that have or may have had this feature are 101, 113, 126, 307, 316, 318, 502, 503, 504, 505, 528 and 553.
Though few renowned individuals, if any, have graced these buildings' halls, thousands of the unsung did on their way to and from the battlefield. As social history, these "temporary" buildings are just as important as the other historic buildings of Fort Douglas. They are also significant for the way they influenced the building industry. These "temporary" buildings represent a construction methodology that swept the country after the war; that is, standardized plans, prefabrication of components and construction crews that specialized in only one aspect of the construction process. Developers were faced with the same pressure for expedience after the war as millions of veterans returned home with the dream of owning a home for the first time. The many suburban developments that sprung up all over the country - where entire tracts were laid out, constructed, and marketed by a single developer - were largely made possible by the experience that both developers and laborers gained while constructing the "temporary" military structures.
Another way in which these buildings are significant is through the part they played in furthering various building technologies. For example, many early twentieth-century products such as plywood, hardboard, gypsum board (sheetrock) and asbestos cement gained acceptance as standard products due to their extensive use by the military during WWII. Some of these were still considered by many as being in their experimental stage prior to the war. For example, the glues used for plywood was too weak prior to the 1940s. Others met opposition among tradesmen, as was the case with gypsum board with many plasterers. This methodology and these "technological innovations" were neither invented by the military nor new. However, such practices and materials were neither considered to be nor proven to be effective prior to their large scale use by the military for these "temporary" buildings.
These "temporary" buildings have served both the military and the University of Utah in much the same way. Both institutions intended to only use them temporarily and both had a great need for a large number of buildings to be provided quickly. Just as the Army disposed of the "temporary" structures as their usefulness diminished, so too has the University of Utah. Perhaps the reason these buildings are still around in spite of being thought of as "temporary" is because they are needed. Costly new construction has often been postponed or even avoided in many instances by simply upgrading these "temporary" buildings with relatively inexpensive modifications such as adding insulation, making them ADA accessible, interior remodeling, a periodic painting, or as has often been the case, moving them to a needed location.
Home Page | Bibliography | Building List | Campus Map | Area I | Area II | Area III