NAS Chase Field-Building 1015
a.k.a. Landplane Hangar
Byrd St. 0.82 mi. SSE of jct. of TX 202 and Independence St., Beeville, TXBuilding 1015, the Landplane Hangar, is one of many temporary Quonset-type wooden airplane hangars built at naval air stations across the country in response to World War II. One of the first buildings completed at NAS Chase Field when it was commissioned in 1943, Building 1015 was the central defining element of the naval auxiliary air station built as part of the massive nationwide military construction program launched during the war. Because the primary mission of the base, throughout its entire existence, has been the training of Navy pilots, the Landplane Hangar, perhaps more than any other historic resource at the naval air station, is indicative of the role. Further, Building 1015 represents the Navy's expanded commitment to naval aviation. Finally, as the only World War II-era hangar erected on the base, Building 1015 represents that important chapter in the local history. Contextually the aircraft maintenance building relates to the historic context, Chase Field: A World War II Naval Auxiliary Air Station, 1943-1946, and to the statewide context, U.S. Military 1919-1945. In addition to its historic associations, the design and layout of Building 1015 provide insight into the Navy's effort to train pilots for combat duty during the war. It also represents a distinctive building type engineered by the Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks to meet the requirements of the emergency construction program as well as fulfill its mission. Therefore, Building 1015, is nominated to the National Register at the local level of significance, under both Criterion A, for its historic associations with NAS Chase Field and its role during World War II for its architectural merit.
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.