The information on this page was obtained directly from the Texas Historical Commission website
The orginal document can be found here: http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/shell-county.htm
Enter "Orange" county, and search for Navy Park.

Back to National Register Listing    

 

Navy Park Historic District

                Navy Park Historic District (1941) is a housing development in northeast Orange, Texas, seat of Orange County.  Orange lies at the junction of the Sabine River and the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway near the Texas/Louisiana border.  Navy Park covers 100 acres in northeast Orange, bounded roughly by Park Place, Dewey Avenue and Decatur Avenue on the north, Farragut Street on the east and south, Cooper's Gully on the south, and Sixth Street on the west.  The district features a well-organized plan of straight and curvilinear streets and boulevards, with buildings set back uniformly on flat, tree-covered lots.  All Navy Park buildings are utilitarian 1-story gable-roofed, steel-frame and stucco houses, with nine plan variations and three major types (singles, duplexes, and quadruplexes).  The complex is largely intact, retaining roughly 80% of its original buildings (56 units of 257 have been demolished or relocated, mostly from a single area on the far west side of the project), and retains its original architectural and landscape planning integrity, with 183 of 208 resources classified as contributing to the district.

 

                Navy Park contains 203 of its original Navy-built buildings, with almost no post-war infill, laid out along a street plan which combines a regular linear grid intersected by a U-shaped curve. The primary east-west artery, Morrell Boulevard, and the primary north-south artery, Third Street, both feature grassy medians.  Most lots feature trees and a variety of plantings, but no driveways or sidewalks.

 

Navy Park houses are composed of steel frames and joists on concrete piers, with steel rafters and hardwood floors, executed in a utilitarian style.  Most of these houses are set parallel to the street, with the exception of those at the intersections of Knox Avenue with 2 nd and 4 th streets, which are set diagonally to the street.  The exteriors are Cellotex fiberboard (derived from sugar cane fibers), covered with a layer of metal lath and stucco.  The original windows and window screens are steel casement, but many houses have had windows replaced.  The interior plans follow uniform patterns, each unit having a living room, bathroom, kitchen, dining area, and either one or two bedrooms. Each has a gabled roof with simple porch roofs over the entrance.  There are 3 basic types of houses (single, duplex, and quadruplex), which follow nine configurations (see plans, p. 7-12 through 7-17):

 

·         Types A and A a : Single-family, single bedroom units, both approximately 725 sq. feet.

Type A features a front-gabled roof, while A a features a side-gabled roof, and a minor variation in plan.

 

·         Types B, B b , and F : Two-family, two bedroom duplex units, all approximately 1425 sq. feet. Type B b has paired entrances under a single central porch, while type B features separate porches and slightly different plan. Type F was designed to allow division into a 3-bedroom/single bedroom plan, and features a central paired entranceway.

 

·         Types C and C c : Four-family, two bedroom units, approximately 2800 sq. feet. Type C features two paired entrances separated by four windows, while type C c features a central paired entrance, and two single entrances near both ends of the primary elevation.

 

·         Type D : Two-family, single bedroom units, approximately 1305 sq. feet, all featuring separate (unpaired) entrances.

 

·         Type E : Four-family, single bedroom  units, approximately 2523 sq. feet, featuring a central paired entrance, and two single entrances near both ends of the primary elevation.

 

Registration Requirements

 

Buildings which are contributing to the Navy Park historic district remain in their original locations, and retain the original stucco exterior finish and original window configuration (though not necessarily the original window material or window type).  Variations exists in porch configuration (some have gabled porch roofs, while others have simple cantilevered roofs, with or without supports), in keeping with the variety of porch types originally built. Contributing houses may have minor landscape enhancements (trees, gardens, fences) and carports, but no additions which greatly alter the primary elevations.  Houses with a combination of two or more non-historic enhancements (predominately synthetic siding and windows alterations) are considered non-contributing to the district, as are houses with dramatic changes to fenestration, porches, or entryways, which detract from the original utilitarian design. The metal Butler shed (1812 1 st Street), which currently serves as a rental property office and shop is non-contributing to the district, as it dates to 1948, outside the period of significance. The pattern of streets within the Navy Park is a contributing resource to the district as a structure , for its distinctive plan, which combines a regular grid intersected by a U-shaped road, and also for its thoughtfully designed boulevards (3 rd Street and Morrell Avenue) which feature grassy curbed medians. The parcel known as “Cooper's Gully,” undeveloped during the period of significance, and currently used as a city park, is largely unchanged and is contributing to the district as a site .  Two simple bridges over Cooper's Gully (2 nd and 3 rd streets) are contributing structures .

 

Forty-eight houses on the periphery of Navy Park are wood-framed buildings constructed after the completion of Navy Park, starting in late 1941.  The boundary of the National Register District is drawn to exclude these properties, in keeping with the original plans for the housing development, which consisted solely of steel-framed houses and an administration building.  (See Boundary Justification, page 10-34).

 

                Navy Park retains a high degree of architectural and historic integrity of location, setting, materials, workmanship, design, feeling and association.  The complex is intact (less 53 housing units, the administration building and 2 garages), and most of its buildings still serve as strong reminders of the wartime period in Orange.  The majority of Navy Park buildings which have been moved or demolished were located at the most remote west section of the development, and their loss in the 1960s has not detracted from the significance of the remaining properties.  Navy Park is nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A, in the Area of Planning and Community Development, and under Criterion C in the Area of Architecture, both at the local level of significance.

 

Navy Park Property List

All properties built in 1941 unless otherwise noted

 

1.         

1812 1st Street

Butler metal building

Non-contributing, built 1948

2.         

201-203 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

3.         

202-204 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

4.         

205-207 Decatur (Duplex

duplex

Contributing

5.         

206 Decatur

single

Contributing

6.         

208, 210, 212, 214 Decatur

quad

Contributing

7.         

209 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

8.         

211, 213, 215, 217 Decatur

quad

Contributing

9.         

216 Decatur

single

Contributing

10.      

219-221 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

11.      

301-303 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

12.      

302-304 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

13.      

305 Decatur

single

Contributing

14.      

306-308 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

15.      

307, 309, 311, 313 Decatur

quad

Contributing

16.      

310 Decatur

single

Contributing

17.      

312-314 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

18.      

315-317 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

19.      

319-321 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

20.      

401-403 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

21.      

405-407 Decatur

duplex

Contributing

22.      

409 Decatur

single

Contributing

23.      

411-413 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

24.      

415 Decatur

single

Contributing

25.      

417-419 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

26.      

503 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

27.      

505 Decatur

single

Contributing

28.      

507 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

29.      

511 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

30.      

515 Decatur

single

Contributing

31.      

519 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

32.      

523 Decatur

duplex

Non-contributing

33.      

611 Decatur

apartment building

Non-contributing, built c. 1970

34.      

201-203 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

35.      

202-204 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

36.      

205 Dewey

single

Contributing

37.      

206-208 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

38.      

207-209 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

39.      

210-212 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

40.      

214 Dewey

single

Contributing

41.      

216-218 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

42.      

219 Dewey

single

Contributing

43.      

301 Dewey

single

Contributing

44.      

302, 304, 306, 308 Dewey

quad

Contributing

45.      

303, 305, 307, 309 Dewey

quad

Contributing

46.      

310-312 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

47.      

311-313 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

48.      

314-316 Dewey

duplex

Contributing

49.      

101-103 Knox

duplex

Contributing

50.      

102-104 Knox

duplex

Contributing

51.      

105 Knox

single

Contributing

52.      

106 Knox

single

Contributing

53.      

108 Knox

single

Contributing

54.      

110-112 Knox

duplex

Non-contributing

55.      

111 Knox

single

Contributing

56.      

113 Knox

single

Contributing

57.      

114 Knox

single

Contributing

58.      

201 Knox

single

Contributing

59.      

202 Knox

single

Contributing

60.      

204-206 Knox

duplex

Contributing

61.      

208-210 Knox

duplex

Contributing

62.      

211-213 Knox

duplex

Non-contributing

63.      

212 Knox

single

Contributing

64.      

214-216 Knox

duplex

Contributing

65.      

217-219 Knox

duplex

Non-contributing

66.      

218-220 Knox

duplex

Contributing

67.      

301-303 Knox

duplex

Contributing

68.      

302-304 Knox

duplex

Contributing

69.      

306 Knox

single

Non-contributing

70.      

308-310 Knox

duplex

Contributing

71.      

307,309,311,313 Knox

quad

Contributing

72.      

317-319 Knox

duplex

Contributing

73.      

320-322 Knox

duplex

Contributing

74.      

401, 403, 405, 407 Knox

quad

Contributing

75.      

402-404 Knox

duplex

Contributing

76.      

406, 408, 410, 412 Knox

quad

Contributing

77.      

409 Knox

single

Contributing

78.      

414-416 Knox

duplex

Contributing

79.      

418 Knox

single

Contributing

80.      

419-421 Knox

duplex

Contributing

81.      

420-422 Knox

duplex

Contributing

82.      

501-503 Knox

duplex

Contributing

83.      

502-504 Knox

duplex

Contributing

84.      

505 Knox

single

Contributing

85.      

506, 508, 510, 512 Knox

quad

Contributing

86.      

507-509 Knox

duplex

Contributing

87.      

511-513 Knox

duplex

Contributing

88.      

514 Knox

single

Non-contributing

89.      

515 Knox

single

Non-contributing

90.      

516 Knox

single

Contributing

91.      

517-519 Knox

duplex

Contributing

92.      

518, 520, 522, 524 Knox

quad

Contributing

93.      

521-523 Knox

duplex

Non-contributing

94.      

526 Knox

single

Non-contributing

95.      

601-603 Knox

duplex

Contributing

96.      

605 Knox

single

Contributing

97.      

607, 609, 611, 613 Knox

quad

Contributing

98.      

615 Knox

single

Contributing

99.      

101-103 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

100.   

102,104,106,108 Morrell

quad

Contributing

101.   

105 Morrell

single

Contributing

102.   

107, 109, 111, 113 Morrell

quad

Contributing

103.   

110-112 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

104.   

114, 116, 118, 120 Morrell

quad

Contributing

105.   

115-117 Morrell

postwar wood frame house

Non-contributing

106.   

201-203 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

107.   

202-204 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

108.   

205-207 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

109.   

206 Morrell

single

Contributing

110.   

208-210 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

111.   

209 Morrell

single

Contributing

112.   

211-213 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

113.   

212, 214, 216, 218 Morrell

quad

Contributing

114.   

215 Morrell

single

Contributing

115.   

217-219 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

116.   

220 Morrell

single

Contributing

117.   

301 Morrell

single

Contributing

118.   

302 Morrell

single

Contributing

119.   

303-305 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

120.   

304-306 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

121.   

307, 309, 311, 313 Morrell

quad

Contributing

122.   

308, 310, 312, 314 Morrell

quad

Contributing

123.   

315-317 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

124.   

316-318 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

125.   

319-321 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

126.   

320 Morrell

single

Contributing

127.   

401-403 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

128.   

402-404 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

129.   

405 Morrell

single

Contributing

130.   

406, 408, 410, 412 Morrell

quad

Contributing

131.   

407-409 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

132.   

411-413 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

133.   

414-416 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

134.   

415, 417, 419, 421 Morrell

quad

Contributing

135.   

418 Morrell

single

Contributing

136.   

420-422 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

137.   

502-504 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

138.   

506, 508, 510, 512 Morrell

quad

Contributing

139.   

514 Morrell

single

Contributing

140.   

516, 518, 520, 522 Morrell

quad

Non-contributing

141.   

524 Morrell

single

Contributing

142.   

526-528 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

143.   

602 Morrell

single

Contributing

144.   

604-606 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

145.   

608 Morrell

single

Contributing

146.   

610-612 Morrell

duplex

Contributing

147.   

614 Morrell

single

Contributing

148.   

1 Park Place

single

Non-contributing

149.   

2 Park Place

single

Contributing

150.   

3 Park Place

single

Contributing

151.   

4-5 Park Place

duplex

Contributing

152.   

6-7 Park Place

duplex

Non-contributing

153.   

8-9 Park Place

duplex

Contributing

154.   

10 Park Place

single

Contributing

155.   

11-12 Park Place

duplex

Contributing

156.   

13 Park Place

single

Contributing

157.   

14 Park Place

single

Contributing

158.   

202, 204, 206, 208 S. Farragut

quad

Contributing

159.   

210-212 S. Farragut

duplex

Contributing

160.   

214, 216, 218, 220 S. Farragut

quad

Contributing

161.   

222 S. Farragut

single

Contributing

162.   

224, 226, 228, 230 S. Farragut

quad

Contributing

163.   

232 S. Farragut

single

Contributing

164.   

300 S. Farragut

single

Contributing

165.   

304-306 S. Farragut

duplex

Contributing

166.   

310 S. Farragut

single

Contributing

167.   

400 S. Farragut

single

Contributing

168.   

402-404 S. Farragut

duplex

Contributing

169.   

406 S. Farragut

single

Contributing

170.   

101-103 Schley

duplex

Contributing

171.   

102-104 Schley

duplex

Contributing

172.   

105 Schley

single

Contributing

173.   

106, 108, 110, 112 Schley

quad

Contributing

174.   

107-109 Schley

duplex

Contributing

175.   

201-203 Schley

duplex

Contributing

176.   

202, 204, 206, 208 Schley

quad

Contributing

177.   

205 Schley

single

Contributing

178.   

210-212 Schley

duplex

Contributing

179.   

211, 213, 215, 217 Schley

quad

Contributing

180.   

214 Schley

single

Contributing

181.   

216-218 Schley

duplex

Non-contributing

182.   

219-221 Schley

duplex

Contributing

183.   

220-222 Schley

duplex

Non-contributing

184.   

223-225 Schley

duplex

Non-contributing

185.   

301 Schley

single

Contributing

186.   

302-304 Schley

duplex

Contributing

187.   

303-305 Schley

duplex

Contributing

188.   

306 Schley

single

Contributing

189.   

307 Schley

single

Contributing

190.   

308, 310, 312, 314 Schley

quad

Contributing

191.   

309-311 Schley

duplex

Contributing

192.   

316 Schley

single

Contributing

193.   

318-320 Schley

duplex

Contributing

194.   

401-403 Schley

duplex

Contributing

195.   

402-404 Schley

duplex

Contributing

196.   

405 Schley

single

Contributing

197.   

406 Schley

single

Contributing

198.   

407-409 Schley

duplex

Contributing

199.   

408-410 Schley

duplex

Contributing

200.   

411 Schley

single

Contributing

201.   

412 Schley

single

Contributing

202.   

414 Schley

single

Contributing

203.   

416-418 Schley

duplex

Contributing

204.   

East Cooper's Gully Bridge

bridge

Contributing

205.   

West Cooper's Gully Bridge

bridge

Contributing

206.   

Cooper's Gully Tract

park (site)

Contributing

207.   

streets & infrastucture

structure

Contributing

 

 

Statement of Significance

 

Navy Park (1941) is a housing project built by U.S. Navy in response to an acute shortage of housing for Orange shipyard workers and Navy personnel in the months prior to U.S. entry into World War II.  Laid out along a thoughtfully-designed street plan, approximately 80% of the original 254 utilitarian, steel-frame houses remain in the district.  Navy Park is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A, in the area of Community Planning and Development, at the local level of significance, because it represents the growth of Orange due to the development of the wartime shipbuilding industry, and subsequent federal efforts to provide housing for civilian and military workers in a vital defense industry.  It is also nominated under Criterion C, in the area of Architecture, at the local level of significance, as a representative example of standard-plan steel-frame houses developed by the U.S. Navy in the early 1940s. 

 

                Orange, Texas, has been a shipbuilding town since early in its history.  As early as 1846, Charles Baxter and John Fielding built and repaired schooners at Green's Bluff (in the vicinity of present-day Orange).  During the Civil War, the Confederacy built and repaired boats at Weavers Shipyard.  World War I spurred the modern shipbuilding industry in Orange, which was designated a deep-water port in 1916.  By 1918, four new shipyards had opened in the city, including the Levingston Shipyard, which initially built barges and tugboats, and the shipyard now known as Consolidated, which made two 3,500-ton steamships, the Arenas and the Gonzales, during the war.  After WWI, the shipbuilding industry collapsed, and International Shipbuilding Corporation, Orange Maritime Corporation, and National Shipbuilding Company ceased operations.  The expansive 1930s oil industry, however, stimulated the local economy, and helped support the Levingston Shipbuilding Company, which fulfilled orders for tugs and barges.  In 1937, Levingston began making steel ships. [1]

 

                Despite some activity in the shipbuilding industry, Orange's economy in 1940 primarily revolved around agriculture and timber.  With the coming of World War II, however, the local shipbuilding industry experienced dramatic growth.  Partially through the shrewd political manipulations of Martin Dies, Orange's representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, and John Nance Garner, Vice President of the U.S., the Levingston and Weaver shipyards received federal contracts to construct tugboats, oil and deck cargo barges, small tankers, minesweepers, and submarine chasers. 

The Levingston Shipbuilding Company and the Consolidated Western Steel Co. Ship Building Division shared a peninsula on the Sabine River in southeast Orange.  In 1940, the U.S. Navy awarded Consolidated a contract to operate a new shipyard adjacent to its existing plant.  In August, 1940, the Navy awarded Levingston Shipbuilding a contract to construct twenty-four 30-foot surf-landing boats. That same month, the Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, Orange, was established, with Commander E.B. Perry as the first Supervisor.  In September, the Navy awarded Consolidated an $82 million contract to build 12 Fletcher Class Destroyers.

 

                The increase in shipyard activity attracted thousands of job-seekers to Orange.  The Navy established training programs for new workers, and men and women poured in to take advantage of jobs and free training.  Navy personnel also came to Orange, as the Supervisor of Shipbuilding's staff grew from one (August 1940) to 463 men and women, of which 45 were officers and nine were enlisted men.  Orange's population grew from approximately 7,000 in 1940 to 60,000 by the end of the war.  This tremendous increase in population created a severe housing shortage for both shipyard workers and Navy personnel in Orange.

 

Defense Housing and the Construction of Navy Park

 

                The Roosevelt administration first addressed the defense housing shortage in June, 1940, by supporting a congressional measure (National Defense Act), which authorized the U.S. Housing Authority to assist the War and Navy departments and local housing authorities in building homes for military personnel and defense contractor employees in designated industrial areas.  The National Defense Act made no new appropriations for public housing, but instead allowed the USHA to use up $150 million in unexpended funds from its final $800 million prewar appropriation.  Such housing was to be leased to, and operated by, the War or Navy Departments, with the title remaining with the USHA. [2]

 

USHA funds became available to the Navy in August 1940.  By the end of 1940, the Navy had been awarded over $55 million to house families of married enlisted men, civilian personnel, and employees near posts, bases, and privately-owned industrial plants involved in defense work.  Public Act No. 781 (76 th Congress) allocated $100 million to the Navy and War Departments to construct defense housing, while the Lanham Act (Public Act No. 849, approved October 1940) provided additional funding through the Federal Works Agency.  Instead of allocating this money to an existing federal housing agency, the Navy's Bureau of Docks and Yards handled the funds, laid out the sites, designed the buildings, and managed the projects under the Low-Cost Defense Housing Section.  The Navy found great success with this strategy, and surpassed other federal agencies in the quest to build adequate housing quickly and efficiently in 1940-41.  By the end of 1941, 15,600 Navy-built family units were ready for occupancy. [3]  One of the reasons for the Navy's success was due to its previous experience with pre-assembled house manufacturers, and its decision to work with these companies on new projects.

 

The Navy first built a “trial run” housing project in Norfolk, VA, which served as the model for future projects, including Navy Park.  Stran-Steel, a subsidiary of Great Lakes Steel Corp. (a unit of National Steel), supplied steel framing members for the Norfolk Naval Operating Base, completed in the Fall of 1940.  Based in Ecorse, MI, Stran-Steel manufactured steel studs, joists, plates, and other structural members, welded them together to form trusses and wall panels, and shipped them partially pre-assembled to site. [4]   Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Navy Department's Bureau of Yards and Docks, described the project houses to the U.S. Congress, noting: “the Bureau of Yards and Docks…has developed standard floor plans for single family and two-family units.  By minor changes in partition arrangements, the two-family units can give combinations of one bedroom, two bedrooms, or three bedrooms, which should meet the requirements of most families… With ordinary care and maintenance they should last 30 years.” [5] (photos, p 8-28)

 

Navy Park served as the first federal defense housing project in Orange, but featured standardized building plans used in Norfolk, VA, Long Beach, CA, Jacksonville, FL, and numerous other Navy defense housing projects.  The Navy awarded the contract for the construction of Navy Park to the Brown-Lane Company of Beaumont, Texas, and the Central Contracting Company of Dallas, Texas in early 1941.  H.L. McKay worked with both firms as the general superintendent, while Hugh Field supervised road work.  Construction of 500 housing units (in 254 freestanding buildings) began February 17, 1941, and by April, some families started moving in.  The project was completed by May 23, 1941, at the cost of $1.5 million.  A wood frame administration building (demolished c. 1970) and two garages were built immediately south of Park Place, a small enclave at Sixth and Decatur Streets, with housing reserved for Naval officers.  Enlisted men and civilians lived throughout the rest of the project, which was an all-white neighborhood.

 

                In addition to Stran-Steel, Navy Park houses utilized materials from various parts of the country, including lumber from Deweyville, Texas, and exterior Cellotex wall boards (made from sugar cane fibers) from New Orleans, Louisiana.  More than 15,000 yards of concrete, approximately 500 tons of steel, and 50,000 yards of dirt were used in the construction of Navy Addition.  Navy Park houses, painted white, light gray, pale blue, pink, and other pastel colors, had steel windows and window screens.  Each unit featured a living room, bathroom, kitchen, dining area, and either one or two bedrooms, and was equipped with a gas cooking range, electric refrigerator, built-in cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and a hot water heater.  Families provided their own furniture, and established telephone service.   Navy Park's special sewage equipment lifted the sewage to the level of the city sewage where it entered the city line.  The city-maintained streets were named for distinguished naval figures, including Rear Admiral Moreell. [6]

 

J.W. Edgar, Superintendent of Schools, obtained Lanham Act funds for new public schools, and from 1942 to 1944, the number of public schools increased from five to twelve.  In 1942, Lutcher Stark Senior High School replaced Orange High School (the only white high school in Orange).  Navy Park children attended Colburn Elementary, one of three new elementary schools in the nearby Riverside housing development.  Public nursery schools, for children ages two to five, also served families involved in the war effort.  Navy Park's recreational park, at the southwest of the housing units in the Copper's Gully Tract, featured a baseball diamond. 

 

Orange Shipyard Activity and Increased Defense Housing

 

On April 17, 1941, the U.S. Navy awarded Weaver Shipyards a contract to build auxiliary motor minesweepers (YMSs), followed by a September 1941, contract for two wooden sub-chasers.  Navy activity was not restricted to Orange, as Resident Offices were established all along the Gulf Coast in Houston, Galveston, Seabrook, Rockport, Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Brownsville.  All personnel, however, were furnished from the Orange offices. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the demand for ships increased dramatically, and housing in Orange had to be expanded.  The USS Aulick, launched on March 2, 1942, was the first combatant warship built for the U.S. Navy on the entire gulf coast. A total of 39 destroyers were built in Orange, along with approximately 100 destroyer escorts, and other smaller ships during the war.  The federal government built additional defense housing projects in Orange, including the West Park, Farnsworth, Pine Grove, and Riverside projects.  Riverside, the largest federal public housing project in the U.S., consisted of pre-fabricated buildings with a 10-20 year life expectancy, hastily constructed and densely packed on reclaimed marshland, with little or no vegetation.  By the end of the war, the Federal Public Housing Authority had built a total of 4580 family units in Orange, 1660 of which were permanent construction, intended for retention after the war. [7]

 

Additional defense housing was added to the periphery of Navy Park, as well as in other parts of Orange, as early as 1941.  These houses were not part of the original Navy Park plan, but were instead built on readily available lots near the blocks originally platted for the Navy.  No records have been located which explain their relationship to Navy Park; indeed, no known source (including GSA maps of Navy Park dating to 1953, and documents relating to the auction of Navy property in the 1960s) associates the wood frame buildings with Navy Park, nor do they reveal anything conclusive about their placement, design, or construction.  It is likely that as the war emergency continued, standard wood frame buildings were built as needed because they could be assembled quickly with locally available materials, while metal building components would have to be factory-made.

 

After the war, most Navy Park homes were turned over to the Federal Public Housing Authority and rented to the public.  In 1945, the Navy established a $2 million naval base in Orange, which became one of eight locations for the storage of deactivated vessels.  In 1962, the Orange naval station was closed, and in the mid 1960s, the General Services Administration sold the houses in a series of auctions.  Despite protests from a large constituency in Orange, who wanted the land cleared of “slums,” most of the houses remained in place as family-owned homes or rental units.  Navy Park became integrated in the 1960s, but eventually became a predominately African-American neighborhood.  Most of the houses are owned by single families, but many have been purchased by Donald Ball and Navy Park Properties, who has restored the original windows to many of his rental units.

 

Navy Park dates to the beginning of Orange's contribution to the war effort.  Navy Park retains its original site plan, building orientation, and setting, as well as a high percentage of original buildings.  The houses are largely in good construction, fire resistant, and provide housing for many families.  The largest number of removed or demolished Navy Park buildings were in the most remote end of the development, leaving a dense core of historic properties remaining. Most houses retain original building features, including roof configurations, fenestration patterns, and facade materials.  It is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C, in the Area of Architecture because it represents an excellent example of standard plan steel-frame housing built by the U.S. Navy in the early 1940s. Navy Park is also nominated under Criterion A, in the area of  Community Planning and Development because it represents the rapid growth of Orange brought about by the development of the Navy-supported shipbuilding industry during WWII, for which the construction of federal housing for migrating civilian workers and their families was imperative.  Navy Park is a good example of a large-scale housing project in which uniformity of design, and thoughtfully arranged streets and boulevards, resulted in a well-crafted environment for both military personnel and civilian workers.  Most houses in Navy Park retain a good or high degree of integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and the development as a whole retains its significance as an early World War II-era defense housing project. 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

 “$1,500,000 Navy Housing Project at Orange Will Be Opened Tomorrow at 4.” Beaumont Enterprise, May 22, 1941, 7.

 

Beaumont Enterprise,  May 21, 1941, page 1.

 

“Building for Defense: The Navy Turns to Steel.” Architectural Forum 74 (February 1941), 84.

 

Bureau of Yards and Docks. Building the Navy's bases in World War II (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1947.

 

Chalkley, Capt. H.G., History of the Office of  the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, Orange, Texas , unpublished manuscript dated 1 October, 1945.

 

Cornish, Bruce, and Marshall Ham. “General Services Administration Appraisal of Portions of Navy Park Housing Project, Orange, Texas.” General Services Administration records, Box TX 243, National Archives Southwest Regional Records Services Facility, Ft. Worth, TX.

 

Fairchild, Louis. They Called It The War Effort, Oral Histories From World War II Orange, Texas , (Austin: Eakin Press), 1993.

 

Freeman, Martha Doty. U.S. Naval Station, Orange. (Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet) .  Written Historical and Descriptive Data. Historic American Engineering Record, Southwest System Support office, 1996.

 

National Archives, Southwest Regional Records Services Facility, Ft. Worth, TX (RG 291, G.S.A.)

 

“Navy Prefabricates.” Business Week , September 21, 1940, p. 36.

 

“One-Family Defense House Partially Prefabricated for the Navy in Norfolk, Va.” Architectural Forum 73 (November 1940), 450.

 

Orange City Directory, 1944.

 

Orange Leader , April 17, 1941.

 

“Orange's Navy Addition is a Window on the Past.” Beaumont Enterprise , April 19, 1997, pp. 1, 3A.

 

Williams, Dr.,. Howard C, ed.  Gateway to Texas - The History of Orange and Orange County (Austin: Wind River Press), Second Ed., 1988.

 

Interviews conducted by Stephanie Rowland, 1997:

Marilyn Skeeler,  Orange Public Library

Margaret Louviere, The Heritage House Museum of Orange

Carolyn Rose, The Heritage House Museum of Orange

Elizabeth Williams, The Heritage House Museum of Orange

Tommy Vercher, City of Orange

Eddi Mae Scarborough, Orange school teacher during WWII

Albert Adams (telephone interview), native of Orange

Arthur Black, historian and a native of Orange

Dr. Howard C. Williams, Chair, Orange County Historical Commission

 

 

Verbal boundary description

All of blocks a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, O, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z, aa, bb, Navy GSA; plus Cooper's Gully Tract, plus all street infrastructure between these blocks of Navy GSA, Orange, Orange County, TX

 

Boundary Justification

The boundary of Navy Park Historic District is drawn to include all extant steel frame houses built by the U.S. Navy in the spring of 1941.  This boundary corresponds to the original Navy Park boundary, with the exception of the Navy GSA property deeded to the Orange Independent School District in the 1960s (bounded by Decatur Avenue, Cordrey St., 6 th St., and 8 th St.).  The western edge of the historic district thus terminates at 6 th Street, beyond which all steel frame houses (43 in all) were removed to make way for a public school.  With the exception of an apartment building at the northwest corner of W. Knox and 5 th Street, a c1970 duplex at 115-17 Morrell, and the 1948 Butler building on 1 st Street, no postwar infill has occurred within the historic district.

 

Forty-eight wood frame houses dating to the period of significance lie on the north and south edges of the district, but these houses do not share architectural characteristics of Navy Park houses.  Built in late 1941 after the completion of the steel frame units in Navy Park, they feature wood shiplap siding and wooden pier-and-beam foundations. General Services Administration records regarding Navy Park (dating from 1953 onward) do not address these houses, indicating that they were not integral to Navy Park.  The blocks in this portion of Navy GSA are designated by numbers, while all (and only) the blocks containing metal frame houses are designated by alphabetical letters, indicating that the blocks not originally containing metal frame houses were not part of the original Navy Park plat.  A 1961 General Services Commission appraisal of Navy Park makes a clear distinction between the wood and metal-frame houses:

 

The area immediately to the north of the Navy Park Housing Addition, was formerly a portion of low cost housing that was constructed during World War II to serve the needs of the many construction workers which located in this area. This housing was primarily of two unit frame duplexes and have since been sold to private individuals. Many have been remodeled and moved away and many have been cut to make single living units. [8]  

 

Furthermore, the majority of  wood-frame houses lack integrity, with 28 out of 48 suffering from the addition of unsympathetic siding, as well as conspicuous changes in fenestration; only two out of 48 such houses retain a high degree of integrity

 

[1] Freeman, Martha Doty. U.S. Naval Station, Orange. (Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet) .  Written Historical and Descriptive Data. Historic American Engineering Record, Southwest System Support office, 1996.

[2] Building the Navy's Bases in World War II , Vol. 1,  p. 371.

[3] Ibid.,  p. 373.

[4] “Building for Defense: The Navy Turns to Steel.” Architectural Forum 74 (February 1941), 84.

[5] “One-Family Defense House Partially Prefabricated for the Navy in Norfolk , Va.” Architectural Forum 73 (November 1940), 450.

[6]  The incorrect spelling of Moreell's name (as Morrell) occurs on all current city maps and property records, and is thus used in this nomination as the official street name.

[7] Freeman.

[8] General Services Administration, Appraisal of Portions of Navy Park Housing Project, Orange Texas , March 27, 1961. Box TX 243, RG 291, GSA,  National Archives, Southwest Regional Records Services Facility, Ft. Worth, TX.  Navy Park properties were sold in a series of auctions.  The boundary for the Navy GSA is described in the “Neighborhood Data” section of the March 1961 appraisal, and correspond to the boundary for the proposed National Register district.