NAS Chase Field-Building 1001
a.k.a. Administration Building
Independence St., 0.45 mi. S of jct. with TX 202, Beeville, TXBuilt in 1943 as the center for military management and supervisory activities at NAS Chase Field, Building 1001 (the Administration Building) remained the symbolic heart of the naval air station until it closed in 1993. The Administration Building was one of the first buildings completed at the auxiliary naval air station, and all commanding officers who have overseen the operation of the base have maintained their offices in the 2- and 4-story frame building. The Administration Building is strongly associated with domestic U.S. military activity of World War II, specifically of the increased significance of naval aviation since the 1940s. Contextually, NAS Chase Field is a product of the phenomenal military base construction program conducted throughout the country immediately before and during World War II. It was one of nearly one hundred naval air stations and auxiliary flying fields built to meet the critical demand for trained combat pilots during the war. As base headquarters, the Administration Building was a tangible link to the Navy's presence in the Beeville area and illustrates the important role NAS Chase Field played in local history. The Administration Building relates closely to the historic context established for the base, Chase Field: A World War II Naval Auxiliary Air Station, 1943-1946, and to the statewide context, U.S. Military 1919-1945. Since its importance lies primarily in its historic associations, the Administration Building is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places at the local level of significance.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.