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The Camp Evans WW2 Administration Annex Preservation Progress at InfoAge |
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Restoration of the Camp Evans WW2 Administration Annex ( 9032 aka the Classified Technical library) is in progress. The building is a challenge. It is a wooden structure built in 1942 to last the expected duration on the war. It is four 30' by 93' standard quartermaster designs abuted into an "L" shape. The sections are labeled A, B, C and D. There are firewalls and a corridor between sections A to B and between sections C to D. Thanks to Larry Wilkins we now have an original 1942 drawing of 9032.
Up until BRAC stopped maintenance of this building it was in remarkable shape.
Section A was built as one large room and a single small office until it was divided into all offices in the 1970s and then smaller offices in the 1980s. We are in the process of removing the post WW2 partitions as approved by the NPS. So far it appears all the original WW2 treatments are intact. Once the partitions are removed we hope the building will look close to it WW2 appearance. Once BRAC turned off the heat and electric this section became infested with mold, especially the central corridor. We have disinfected the walls to facilitate their safe removal.
Sections B and C have their WW2 floorplans and treatments almost intact. It appears the only major change is the replacement of the original doors with 1980s solid wood core doors. The Women's restroom is a mess due to hole in the roof which allowed water damage. The hole is repaired. The men's room is completely gutted. An asbestos covered water line burst during the winters without heat. A professional firm was required to clear the asbestos fiber filled room including fixtures and sheetrock. Althought mold began to infest the building we were able to place dehumidifiers in time to stop its advance. We then disinfected the affected corridor walls and repainted them.
Section D was originally one large room and one small office. In the 1980s it was renovated. Two offices were added and a utility room with an airconditioning unit. Althought BRAC contractors had removed the compressor and damaged the exterior unit with a backhoe we were find a used compressor, repair the damage and recharge the system. In this section we were allowed to store the contents of the National Broadcaster Hall of Fame and to place a humidifier in 2001. We were only allowed to access the building with a request in advance and with an escort. Net, the single home dehnumidifier controlled the mositure and there was no mold problem at all. Today Section D is the home of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
This building was connected to the sewer system by accident. The contractors hooked up the laterals when the replacement sewer line was installed. It made sense to them at the time. When the BRAC officials saw this, the contractor were instructed not to hook up the laterals on any other buildings and to back fill the trench. Wall Township offered to have their water department crews hook up the laterals while the trenches were open, but BRAC would not allow this. Again more of the BRAC's efforts to sabotage our work.
This is an April 1999 view of 9032 sections D, C and B. The roof in the foreground is 9010 section A
The Marconi Hotel is the masonry structure with the red tile roof. The boards were just put on the windows,
the heat worked, there was no mold, the exterior paint was in good condition, the building was ready for reuse.
By March 2004 the condition of the building was so bad the Asbury Park Press reported it to the public.
This is a view of the south sides of 9032 section D and C.
Click here to read the March 30, 2004 article by Dan Kaplan - Wall fears Army buildings unusable.
From May 2000 this building was on the state register of historic places. This made it eligible for the National Register giving it protection and requiring stablization under Army Cultural Regulation 200. The BRAC office blocked the progress of the nomination as long as they could, 18 months. A written protest was filed with the Keeper of the National Register citing the failure of the Army to list the property as called for in Army Cultural Regulation 200 and a Presidential order. Finally in April 2002 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places which unquestionalbly qualified it as a historic structure under Army Cultural Regulation 200. BRAC did not do any maintence, nor did they provide minimal heat in the winter or provide moisture control. InfoAge and Wall Township offered in writing to do maintenance on these buildings to reduce the amount and cost of our restoration work. BRAC refused to allow InfoAge or Wall to work on this bulding. They cited that there were tripping hazards on site. They refused to accept that we were insured and we would sign a hold-harmless agreement. Only when a NJDEP official put into writing that the paint chips peeling off the building could be lead-based paint, did the BRAC office change their position. The offical put in writing that if nothing was done he would invoke the spill-act. As BRAC was now in a bind they allowed InfoAge to repaint the buildings and clean up all paint debris using lead paint safe methods. Our director, a state of NJ certified Lead-based paint worker, volunteered and repainted 9032. Five 55-gallon drums were filled with suspected paint chips and disposed of by Fort Monmouth.
BRAC Guidelines call for BRAC personal to cooperate with the community, not to prevent it from preserving America's Hertiage, not tp block the progress of a National Register nomination, and not to sabotage volunteer efforts to preserve historic property.
This is the condition the BRAC office allowed this building to get to.
Not maintained and Not ready for reuse....
The windows are boarded, the vines are growing up and onto the roof, the gutters are full and small trees have grown taller than the windows.
Another example of BRAC making no effort to hurt us while they ignore Army regulations, national law, Presidential orders and common sense.
Is this the treatment the historic site was given by BRAC. It took alot of work to cut back the trees, vines and bushes.
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The InfoAge
volunteers go to work......
(Lots of photos of the work progress to be added)
Section D in September 2006 thanks to InfoAge and NJARC members.
9032 Section D interior views of the revitalized Hall of Fame on September 16, 2006
(Lots of photos of the work progress to be added)
Section D in September 2006 thanks to InfoAge and NJARC members.
9032 Section D interior views of the revitalized Hall of Fame on September 16, 2006
Page updated January 5,
2007
page created January
2,
2007