Main Navy and Munitions Buildings
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The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings were constructed in 1918 along
Constitution Avenue Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened betw ...
(then known as B Street) on Washington, D.C.'s
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
(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 The Bureau of Yards and Docks (abbrev.: BuDocks) was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair. ...
, with the
United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...
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 in use long after the end of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In August 1939, the
Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, until 1942, when some space became available in the
Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...
, which was under construction. The Munitions Building was turned over to the Navy in 1943, when the Department of War completely vacated the Munitions Building once construction of the Pentagon was completed. Both buildings suffered serious structural problems in the 1960s. In December 1969, President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
announced that both buildings would be demolished, a plan which was carried out in 1970. The land was then reclaimed and turned into
Constitution Gardens Constitution Gardens is a park area in Washington, D.C., United States, located within the boundaries of the National Mall. The park is bounded on the west by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, on the east by 17th St NW, on the north by Constitu ...
, with the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those s ...
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 Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, then the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depar ...
, who put forth the idea to President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
. Roosevelt originally suggested a temporary building be placed on the
Ellipse In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focus (geometry), focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special ty ...
, but President Wilson disliked the idea of a building on the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
's front lawn. Thus, Roosevelt suggested placing the buildings on the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
(Potomac Park) along B Street (renamed Constitution Avenue in 1931), near the
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...
. Roosevelt wanted them to be ugly wooden buildings, so that people would want to tear them down right away after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. However, to make the buildings more fire resistant, concrete and steel materials were recommended. 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." 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 A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
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 The Bureau of Yards and Docks (abbrev.: BuDocks) was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair. ...
, and the buildings were completed in 5 months. 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.


Munitions Building

The Munitions Building, constructed in 1918, contained of space across three stories, and was designed to provide temporary accommodations for 9,000 Department of War employees. 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 The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
. A large parking lot wide and long, was located at the rear of the Munitions Building, with space to accommodate approximately 1,000 cars. 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. The Munitions Building was separated from the Main Navy Building by a vehicle entryway at 19th Street, and the main entrance of the Munitions Building was located at 20th Street. The Munitions Building had a total of eight wings. At the end of World War I, the Munitions Building housed technical branches, including the Quartermaster General,
United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...
, Ordnance Corps,
Chemical Warfare Service The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activities that until ...
, Signal Corps, and
Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...
. In March 1923, the Army's Finance Office also moved into the Munitions Building. In February 1924, plans were put forth to build an oil steam plant for the Main Navy and Munitions Building. 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. The
National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...
also was housed in the Munitions Building, as was the
Army Industrial College The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Eisenhower School), formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), is a part of the National Defense University. It was renamed on September 6, 20 ...
.


Headquarters

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 The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
. By the 1930s, the War Department was being squeezed out by the
Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
, and the White House was also in need of additional office space. In August 1939, Secretary of War
Harry H. Woodring Harry Hines Woodring (May 31, 1887September 9, 1967) was an American politician. A Democrat, he was the 25th Governor of Kansas and the United States Assistant Secretary of War from 1933 to 1936. His most important role was Secretary of War in Pr ...
, along with Acting Chief of Staff of the Army
George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...
, 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 Foggy Bottom is one of the oldest late 18th- and 19th-century neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., located west of the White House and downtown Washington, in the Northwest quadrant. It is bounded roughly by 17th Street NW to the east, Rock Cr ...
, but upon completion, the new building did not solve the department's space problem, and ended up being used by the Department of State. To help deal with the space shortage, a fourth story was added to the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Coming into office, with World War II breaking out in Europe, Secretary of War
Henry L. Stimson Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and D ...
was faced with the situation of the War Department spread out in numerous buildings across Washington, D.C., as well as
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, and the Munitions Building was overcrowded. On 28 July 1941,
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
authorized funding for a new Department of War building in
Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
, which would house the entire department under one roof. When office space became available in 1942 at
the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. 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 metony ...
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 construction of the Pentagon was completed. 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.


World War II

The
Signal Intelligence Service The Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) was the United States Army codebreaking division through World War II. It was founded in 1930 to compile codes for the Army. It was renamed the Signal Security Agency in 1943, and in September 1945, became th ...
was located in the Munitions Building during the early years of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In September 1939, the Signal Intelligence Service was able to break Japan's cipher,
Purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...
. The Department of War continued to receive intercepted messages, codenamed
Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
, including final messages to the Japanese Embassy in Washington before the
Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
.


Main Navy

The Main Navy building was used by the Navy from the time it was built, until it was demolished in 1970. The building contained of space, nine wings, and was connected to the Munitions Building by an elevated covered walkway. Navy offices housed in the Main Navy building soon after it opened included the
Bureau of Ships The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships (BuShips) was established by Congress on 20 June 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) and the Bureau of Engineering (BuEng). The new bureau was to ...
,
Bureau of Navigation The Bureau of Navigation, later the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection and finally the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation — not to be confused with the United States Navys Bureau of Navigation — was an agency of the United ...
,
Bureau of Supplies and Accounts The Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BuSandA) was the United States Navy's supply organization between 1892 and 1966. Established in 1842 as the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, the bureau was responsible for the procurement, receipt, storage, ...
,
Bureau of Steam Engineering The Bureau of Steam Engineering was a bureau of the United States Navy, created by the act of 5 July 1862, receiving some of the duties of the former Bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repair. It became, by the Naval Appropriation Act of 4 June ...
,
Bureau of Construction and Repair The Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was the part of the United States Navy which from 1862 to 1940 was responsible for supervising the design, construction, conversion, procurement, maintenance, and repair of ships and other craft for the ...
, the
Bureau of Yards and Docks The Bureau of Yards and Docks (abbrev.: BuDocks) was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair. ...
,
Bureau of Ordnance The Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd) was a United States Navy organization, which was responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval weapons, between the years 1862 and 1959. History Congress established the Bureau in the Departmen ...
,
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) is an agency of the United States Department of the Navy that manages health care activities for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. BUMED operates hospitals and other health care ...
, the
Secretary of Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the sec ...
's offices, along with Naval Operations, and the Compensation Board. Later on, other Navy Offices moved into Main Navy, including the
Dispensary A dispensary is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispen ...
, the Navy Red Cross, Examining Board, and Retiring Board, which were previously housed in Corcoran Courts, an apartment building converted into offices. The
Hydrographic Office A hydrographic office is an organization which is devoted to acquiring and publishing hydrographic information. Historically, the main tasks of hydrographic offices were the conduction of hydrographic surveys and the publication of nautical cha ...
and
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
moved to Main Navy from a Navy Annex building, located at New York Avenue and 18th Street, and the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
relocated from the Munsey Building. The Navy Department Library was relocated to the Main Navy building in 1923. From 1926 to 1941, a small reinforced concrete roof penthouse on the Main Navy building was used for radio and communication intercepts training.


Criticism

The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings were disliked by many, as going against the intentions of Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant of making the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
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 a long period.


Demolition

By 1960, the Munitions Building housed approximately 7,000 employees of not only the Navy, but also the
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
,
Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...
, and the
Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
. 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. 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 Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
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. The Main Navy and Munitions Buildings remained on the Mall until 1970, when they were demolished. In the 1970s,
Constitution Gardens Constitution Gardens is a park area in Washington, D.C., United States, located within the boundaries of the National Mall. The park is bounded on the west by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, on the east by 17th St NW, on the north by Constitu ...
was built on the former site of the Main Navy and Munitions Buildings, and the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those s ...
was built nearby in the early 1980s.


In popular culture

The buildings are briefly featured in the 1970 film ''
Tora! Tora! Tora! ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' ( ja, トラ・トラ・トラ!) is a 1970 epic film, epic war film that dramatizes the Empire of Japan, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, T ...
'' and are used as a backdrop setting in the matters of the War Department leading up to the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
. Shortly after the film was made, the buildings were demolished.


References


External links


Main Navy Building: Its Construction and Original Occupants
Naval Historical Foundation publication

{{good article Buildings of the United States government in Washington, D.C. Demolished buildings and structures in Washington, D.C. Installations of the U.S. Department of Defense 1918 establishments in Washington, D.C.