united states department of the interior national park service national … · (oct. 1990) united...

(Oct. 1990) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM 1. NAME OF PROPERTY HISTORIC NAME: Facility 6, Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Dallas OTHER NAME/SITE NUMBER: Manufacturing Plant 2. LOCATION STREET & NUMBER: 9314 Jefferson Boulevard NOT FOR PUBLICATION: N/A CITY OR TOWN: Dallas VICINITY: N/A STATE: Texas CODE: TX COUNTY: Dallas CODE: 113 ZIP CODE: 75265-5907 3. STATE/FEDERAL AGENCY CERTIFICATION As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this _x_nomination ___request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _x_meets ____does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant ___nationally ___statewide _x_locally. (See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of certifying official Date State Historic Preservation Officer, Texas Historical Commission State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property ___meets ___does not meet the National Register criteria. (See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau 4. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that this property is: Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____ entered in the National Register

___ See continuation sheet. ____ determined eligible for the National Register

___ See continuation sheet. ____ determined not eligible for the National Register ____ removed from the National Register ____ other (explain):

USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form Facility 6, NWIRP Dallas, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas 5. CLASSIFICATION OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY: Public-Federal CATEGORY OF PROPERTY: Building NUMBER OF RESOURCES WITHIN PROPERTY: CONTRIBUTING NONCONTRIBUTING

1 0 BUILDINGS 0 0 SITES 0 0 STRUCTURES 0 0 OBJECTS

1 0 TOTAL

NUMBER OF CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES PREVIOUSLY LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER: 0 NAME OF RELATED MULTIPLE PROPERTY LISTING: Historical and Architectural Resources as Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Dallas, Dallas, Texas 6. FUNCTION OR USE HISTORIC FUNCTIONS: INDUSTRIAL/manufacturing facility CURRENT FUNCTIONS: INDUSTRIAL/manufacturing facility 7. DESCRIPTION ARCHITECTURAL CLASSIFICATION: no style MATERIALS: FOUNDATION concrete

WALLS concrete, ribbed steel panels ROOF composition shingles OTHER

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION (see continuation sheet 7-5)

USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form Facility 6, NWIRP Dallas, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas 8. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE APPLICABLE NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA _X_ A PROPERTY IS ASSOCIATED WITH EVENTS THAT HAVE MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE BROAD

PATTERNS OF OUR HISTORY. ___ B PROPERTY IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIVES OF PERSONS SIGNIFICANT IN OUR PAST. ___ C PROPERTY EMBODIES THE DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF A TYPE, PERIOD, OR METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION

OR REPRESENTS THE WORK OF A MASTER, OR POSSESSES HIGH ARTISTIC VALUE, OR REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT AND DISTINGUISHABLE ENTITY WHOSE COMPONENTS LACK INDIVIDUAL DISTINCTION.

___ D PROPERTY HAS YIELDED, OR IS LIKELY TO YIELD, INFORMATION IMPORTANT IN PREHISTORY OR HISTORY. CRITERIA CONSIDERATIONS: N/A AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE: Industrial PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE: 1942-1974 SIGNIFICANT DATES: 1942, 1945, 1947, 1951, 1962 SIGNIFICANT PERSON: N/A CULTURAL AFFILIATION: N/A ARCHITECT/BUILDER: Turnball, J. Gordon Inc. NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE (see continuation sheet 8-6 through 8-7) 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY (see Historic Resources Survey Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Dallas) PREVIOUS DOCUMENTATION ON FILE (NPS): N/A

X preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested. _ previously listed in the National Register _ previously determined eligible by the National Register _ designated a National Historic Landmark _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #

PRIMARY LOCATION OF ADDITIONAL DATA: _ State historic preservation office (Texas Historical Commission) _ Other state agency _ Federal agency _ Local government _ University _ Other -- Specify Repository:

USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form Facility 6, NWIRP Dallas, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas 10. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF PROPERTY: approximately 31.7 acres UTM REFERENCES Zone Easting Northing

14 689107E 3624473N

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: The exterior walls of Facility 6 define the boundaries of the property to be nominated. An attached map graphically depicts the boundaries and is used in lieu of a detailed metes and bounds description of the boundaries (see continuation sheet Map-8). BOUNDARY JUSTIFICATION: Facility 6 is within an industrial complex that includes over 300 buildings and structures (see continuation sheet Map-9) 11. FORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE: Laurie A. Pospisil-Gotcher/Historian, Jennifer Ross/Architectural Historian, and Thomas P. Eisenhour ORGANIZATION: Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc. (HHM) DATE: November 1, 2001 STREET & NUMBER: 611 South Congress, Suite 300 TELEPHONE: 512-478-8014 CITY OR TOWN: Austin STATE: TX ZIP CODE: 78704 ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION CONTINUATION SHEETS MAPS (see continuation sheets Map-8 through 9) PHOTOGRAPHS (see continuation sheet Photo-10) ADDITIONAL ITEMS PROPERTY OWNER NAME: United States of America: Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command STREET & NUMBER: 47123 Buse Road TELEPHONE: CITY OR TOWN: Patuxent River STATE: MD ZIP CODE: 20670-1547

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Facility 6, NWIRP Dallas Section 7 Dallas, Dallas County, Texas

Description Constructed in 1943, Facility 6 is a massive 1, 381,141 square-foot, steel-frame manufacturing building. Facility 6

rests atop concrete slab-on-grade foundation in the north-central portion of NWIRP Dallas. Its exterior walls are clad with ribbed steel siding with a concrete foundation skirting. The facility displays a variety of roof heights and shapes, including flat and gambrel with parapet. The roof is covered with both composition shingles and built-up roofing materials. Facility 6’s principle physical feature is a large metal canopy door on its west façade. Architecturally, the building is noteworthy for its monumental size. Despite several minor additions, the resource appears much as it did when originally constructed. Facility 6 retains its historic integrity to a good degree.

Facility 6, erected in the north-central portion of NWIRP Dallas, is a massive, irregular-plan manufacturing building.

The building abuts to Facilities 7 and 49 on the north. Facility 10, an enclosed elevated passageway, connects Facility 6 to Facilities 1, 7, and 11. A second covered passageway or "staging area" adjoins Facility 6 to Facility 93. The facility, constructed during the 1943 expansion of the plant, rests atop a level terrain with paving on all sides.

The steel-frame facility sits atop a reinforced-concrete foundation. Exterior walls are reinforced concrete up to 5'-6' above finished floor, then vertical box-rib steel panels to the roofline. The facility’s corners are raised slightly above the main parapet and projected from the line of the facade, forming broad, articulated pilasters. The corners are further accentuated through the use of flat steel panel borders, painted dark gray in contrast to the white facade. Facility 6 's steel-frame roof has a variety of heights and shapes, including flat and gambrel with parapet. The resource's roof is constructed of metal decking, rigid insulation board, and built-up or composition shingle roofing.

Facility 6's primary entrance is a large pivoting canopy door on its west facade. The door consists of two 100'-wide x 30'-high sections. These sections can be opened either individually or together to provide a 200'-wide opening. Additional door types include sliding steel doors on the south, east, and west facades; overhead sectional metal doors on the south facade; overhead rubber doors on the south, east, and west facades; and aluminum-and-glass hinged doors on the west facade. Bomb baffles, solid concrete panels that are designed to protect building entrances from bomb blasts, shield east facade doors. Because Facility 6 was designed to blackout standards, it originally had no windows. Fixed-pane windows have recently been installed in an office on the facility’s west facade.

Facility 6 measures 454'-0" north/south x 1,205'-0" east/west and contains a total of 1,381,141 square feet of useable

interior space. The three-story facility contains a sub-basement, a ground floor, and two upper-level mezzanines. Facility 6’s interior space consists of a large open 30'-high x 200'-wide x 1,200'-long work area or “high bay” with smaller partitioned areas in the north end of the building and a two-level mezzanine in its south end. These first floor partitioned areas are situated on the east end of the high bay and along its north wall. The partitioned areas at the east end of the floor include an electronics test lab, an operational test lab, and a materials area. The partitioned spaces along the north wall are administrative offices. The first level of Facility 6’s mezzanine houses manufacturing areas, offices, and support functions related to the C-17A military transport. The second level mezzanine houses partitioned offices.

Since its construction, Facility 6 has served as a manufacturing plant. The facility remains on its original site and the essential features of its design, such as its overall form and roof shape, remain intact. Facility 6 is easily recognizable to its period of significance and retains its historic and architectural integrity to a good degree.




Statement of Significance Facility 6 was the centerpiece of the Plant “B” expansion project, and, like Facility 1, was used for aircraft production and final assembly. Whereas Facility 1 was designed for the manufacture of trainers and fighters, Facility 6 was designed for B-24 Liberator bomber production. Unlike most, if not all, other contemporaneous aircraft manufacturing plants, NWIRP Dallas was a diversified industrial complex and was capable of producing trainers, fighters, and bombers. Facility 6 also functioned as the final assembly area for Chance Vought Aircraft and thus is closely associated with jet aircraft, missile, rocket, and stealth bomber manufacturing during the Cold War period. Therefore, Facility 6 is closely associated with important trends in history and is significant within the historic context NWIRP Dallas: A World War II and Cold War Aircraft and Missile Manufacturing Plant, 1942-1945 and 1949-1989. Because it retains sufficient integrity and is associated with an important historical trend, Facility 6 is eligible for inclusion in the NRHP under Criteria A.

Constructed from March 1942 to October 1943, Facility 6 served as supplemental manufacturing space within the

North American plant. Facility 6 was designed by J. Gordon Turnball Inc. for the mass production of B-24 Liberator bombers under a licensing agreement with Consolidated Vultee. Facility 6 was comparable to Facility 1 in its production role during the war effort; therefore, the War Department and DPC instructed J. Gordon Turnball, Inc. to design it as a blackout-type building as a measure of protection against possible enemy air attack. War Department blackout specifications included no external windows, special ventilation, artificial lighting, thick firewalls, and solid exterior walls and roofing. Almost all of the vast interior space within Facility 6 was reserved for manufacturing purposes.

By January 1943, Facility 6 was completed and employees began full-scale manufacturing of the B-24s. Workers produced B-24 Liberator bombers at an average rate of six per day; ultimately, they manufactured only 300 aircraft at the plant. Following V-J Day in August 1945, North American Aviation closed the plant as a result of a dramatic reduction in aircraft orders.

Facility 6 remained unused in the years immediately following the war, but in 1947 the Department of Navy assumed responsibility for the plant and planned to reopen it. The Navy leased part of the plant, including Facility 6, to Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation of Stratford, Connecticut. Vought subsequently transferred more than 1,300 people to Dallas in 1948. In addition, the company moved 27,077,078 pounds of its own machinery to be installed in Facility 6. Manufacturing activities began in 1949 with the F4U Corsair, F6U Pirate, and the F7U Cutlass jet aircraft and the Regulus I guided missile, the first to carry an atomic warhead.

In 1961 Chance Vought merged with Ling-TEMCO to form LTV. The company produced the F8U Crusader and A-7 Corsair II line of jets and the Regulus II guided missile throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The A-7 Corsair II had an enormous impact on the Vietnam Conflict, flying more than 90,000 combat missions and serving in 27 different squadrons. The Corsair II was the last Vought-designed jet aircraft to be produced in Facility 6. In the mid-1980s, production activities focused on fulfilling a $1.3 billion subcontract from Rockwell International to build the aft fuselage of the B-1 Stealth Bomber aircraft.

In 1992 Northrop Grumman acquired LTV and became the lessee of NWIRP Dallas. Throughout the 1990s, Northrop Grumman continued subassembly production on the B-1 Stealth Bomber, as well as production of electronics and guidance systems for other Northrop Grumman products that were shipped to the company's Southern California plants for final assembly. The building's current tenant is Vought Aircraft Industries.




Whereas Facility 1 was designed for the manufacture of fighter and trainer aircraft, Facility 6 was designed for heavy bomber production. Facility 6 is closely associated with important trends in history and is significant within the context of aircraft manufacturing during World War II. It also functioned as the final assembly area for the Chance Vought production line and thus is closely associated with aircraft manufacture during the Cold War era. Facility 6 appears much as it did when originally constructed and is easily recognizable in its period of significance.



National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet

Facility 6, NWIRP Dallas

Section Map Dallas, Dallas County, Texas



National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet

Facility 6, NWIRP Dallas

Section Photo Dallas, Dallas County, Texas

Photo Log Facility 6 Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Dallas, Facility 6 Dallas, Dallas County, Texas Photographed by Thomas Eisenhour March 2001 Negative with HHM Inc. Detail of east façade, camera facing northwest Photograph 1 of 3 Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Dallas, Facility 6 Dallas, Dallas County, Texas Photographed by Thomas Eisenhour March 2001 Negative with HHM Inc. Detail of west façade aircraft door, camera facing east Photograph 2 of 3 Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Dallas, Facility 6 Dallas, Dallas County, Texas Photographed by Thomas Eisenhour March 2001 Negative with HHM Inc. Interior, camera facing north Photograph 3 of 3

Detail of E facade of Facility 6, camera facing NW

Detail of W facade aircraft door of Facility 6, camera facing E

Interior of Facility 6, camera facing N

united states department of the interior national park service national … · (oct. 1990) united...

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