OFFICERS CLUB 

BUILDING No. 114 

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT 

Sandy Hook Unit 

Gateway National Recreation Area 

By 

James J. Lee III 

Architectural Conservator 

Historic Architecture Program 

Northeast Region, National Park Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

Lowell, Massachusetts 

June 2006 

iii 

CONTENTS 

LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS ............................................................................................ix 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................xvi 

ABBREVIATIONS .....................................................................................................................xvii 

I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 3 

 PURPOSE AND SCOPE ........................................................................................................ 3 

 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE..................................................................................... 4 

 RESEARCH CONDUCTED ................................................................................................. 4 

 RESEARCH FINDINGS........................................................................................................ 5 

 RECOMMENDED TREATMENT...................................................................................... 6 

 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA ............................................................................................. 8 

 LOCATION OF SITE............................................................................................................. 8 

 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES............................................................ 8 

 NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK .............................................................................. 9 

 LIST OF CLASSIFIED STRUCTURES INFORMATION................................................. 9 

 PROPOSED USE.................................................................................................................... 9 

 RELATED STUDIES ...........................................................................................................10 

II. DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY............................................................................13 

 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT ...........................................15 

 SANDY HOOK.....................................................................................................................15 

 
iv 

 MILITARY OCCUPATION AT SANDY HOOK............................................................16 

 Early Fortification .......................................................................................................16 

 Sandy Hook Proving Ground....................................................................................17 

 Fort Hancock ................................................................................................................20 

 CHRONOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT AND USE ..........................................32 

 CONSTRUCTION OF THE “OFFICERS’ QUARTERS” ..............................................32

 ORIGINAL APPEARANCE................................................................................................41 

 Exterior Elements ........................................................................................................41 

 Size ......................................................................................................................41

 Style.....................................................................................................................41

 Foundation and Walls ...................................................................................... 42 

 Porches ...............................................................................................................42 

 Doorways and Windows.................................................................................. 43 

 Roofs...................................................................................................................46 

 Finishes...............................................................................................................47 

 Structural Elements .....................................................................................................48 

 Bearing Walls ..................................................................................................... 48 

 Structural Framing............................................................................................ 48 

 Roof Framing..................................................................................................... 48 

 Interior Elements .........................................................................................................49 

 Basement ............................................................................................................49 

 First Story........................................................................................................... 50 

 Second Story...................................................................................................... 52 

 Attic Level .......................................................................................................... 54 

 Utilities ...............................................................................................................54 

 ALTERATIONS ....................................................................................................................70 

 Early Repairs and Improvements (1879 - 1900)...................................................70 

 The Proving Ground as a Permanent Installation (1901 – 1905)......................71 

 1901 Upgrades................................................................................................... 72 

 
v 

 Circa- 1905 Addition to the “Brick House” .................................................. 72 

 Planning and Construction of the Addition..........................................72 

 Exterior Alterations................................................................................74 

 Interior Alterations.................................................................................75 

 Additional Ca.- 1905 Alterations .................................................................... 77 

 Exterior Alterations..............................................................................77 

 Interior Alterations...............................................................................78 

 Lounge (Room 108)...............................................................................78 

 Latter Years of the Proving Ground (1906 – 1919)...............................................79 

 Fort Hancock (1919 – 1974).......................................................................................80 

 Alterations in the 1920’s................................................................................... 82 

 Alterations in the 1930’s ..................................................................................83 

 1937 Alterations....................................................................................84 

 1938 Fire ................................................................................................84 

 Alterations in the 1940’s ..................................................................................85 

 New Dining Room (Room 107), Circa 1940 .......................................85 

 Men’s Lounge (Room 104) Alterations................................................86 

 1943 Addition........................................................................................86 

 Alterations in the Cold War Era (1959 – 1974) .............................................87 

 National Park Service (1974 – present)...................................................................89 

 USES OF THE OFFICERS CLUB......................................................................................89 

 Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103).......................................................................................90 

 Men’s Lounge (Room 104).........................................................................................90 

 Kitchen (Room 105).....................................................................................................91 

 Dining Room (Room 106) ..........................................................................................92 

 New Dining Room (Room 107).................................................................................93 

 Lounge (Room 108) .....................................................................................................93 

 Bar (Room 109).............................................................................................................93 

 ANCILLARY STRUCTURES .............................................................................................94 

 Building No. 113...........................................................................................................94 

 Barbecue Terrace.........................................................................................................94 
vi 

 CURRENT PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION..............................................................115 

 EXTERIOR ELEMENTS ..................................................................................................115 

 Foundation ..................................................................................................................115 

 Walls..............................................................................................................................115 

 Piazza ............................................................................................................................116

 Doorways and Windows...........................................................................................116 

 Roofs .............................................................................................................................117 

 Other Elements...........................................................................................................118 

 INTERIOR ELEMENTS ..........................................................................................................118 

 Basement......................................................................................................................118 

 First Story.....................................................................................................................119 

 Second Story................................................................................................................120 

 Attic ...............................................................................................................................122 

 Utilities .........................................................................................................................122 

 Finishes.........................................................................................................................123 

III. TREATMENT AND USE..........................................................................................129 

 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................131 

 CHARACTER- DEFINING FEATURES..............................................................133 

 Exterior Elements ......................................................................................................133 

 Design and Context ........................................................................................133 

 Porches .............................................................................................................133 

 Fenestration.....................................................................................................133 

 Roof and Related Elements ...........................................................................134 

 Materials...........................................................................................................134 

 Finishes.............................................................................................................135 

 Interior Elements .......................................................................................................135 

 Plan ...................................................................................................................135 

 Floors................................................................................................................135 

 Walls .................................................................................................................135 

 Ceilings .............................................................................................................135 

 Doorways .........................................................................................................136 

 Woodwork.......................................................................................................136 

 Fireplaces .........................................................................................................136 
vii 

 Utilities .............................................................................................................137 

 Finishes.............................................................................................................137 

 RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................138 

 EXTERIOR ELEMENTS ..................................................................................................138 

 Design and Context ...................................................................................................138 

 Porches .........................................................................................................................138 

 Fenestration ................................................................................................................139 

 Roof and Related Elements .....................................................................................139 

 Materials ......................................................................................................................139 

 Finishes.........................................................................................................................139 

 INTERIOR ELEMENTS ...................................................................................................140 

 First Story.....................................................................................................................140 

 Plan ...................................................................................................................140 

 Vestibule (Room 101).....................................................................................140 

 Center Hallway (Room 102)..........................................................................140 

 Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) ..........................................................................140 

 Men’s Lounge (Room 104)............................................................................141 

 Kitchen (Room 105) .......................................................................................141 

 Dining Room (Room 106) .............................................................................141 

 New Dining Room (Room 107)....................................................................142 

 Lounge (Room 108)........................................................................................142 

 Bar (Room 109) ...............................................................................................142 

 Finishes.............................................................................................................143 

 Second Story................................................................................................................143 

 Attic ...............................................................................................................................143 

 ACCESSIBILITY.................................................................................................................144 

IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................145 
viii 

V. APPENDICES...................................................................................................................153 

 APPENDIX A. ANNOTATED BUILDING PLANS...................................................155 

 APPENDIX B. ROOM USE CHART ...........................................................................161 

 APPENDIX C. FINISHES ANALYSIS..........................................................................165 
ix 

LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS 

Historic maps, drawings, and photographs were reproduced from the Gateway National 

Recreation Area Museum Collection at Sandy Hook, unless otherwise noted. Photographs from 

2004 and 2005 were taken by the author, James J. Lee III. 

1. Lower New York Harbor, showing Sandy Hook, with inset of a portion of the 

 Eastern Seaboard. NPS photograph, 2004................................................................................. 23 

2. Map of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, showing location of lighthouse and fort, 1873. 

 From “Portions of Middletown and Ocean Townships,” in the Beers, Comstock & 

 Cline Atlas of Monmouth County New Jersey. Copy at Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 2255) ................................................................................................................. 24 

3. Map of Sandy Hook, NJ, June 30, 1892, showing Sandy Hook Proving Ground 

 structures and the first two batteries built for Fort Hancock. Detail of “Map of 

 Sandy Hook, NJ,” June 30, 1892, “showing location of Gun Lift Battery and 

 Mortar Battery and track connection with dock for hauling material.” Tracing 

 made from survey map of January 30, 1892. Prepared by Corps of Engineers, 

 U.S.A., Lieut. Colonel G.L. Gillespie. Original in RG 77, NAB; copy at Gateway 

 NRA, Sandy Hook.......................................................................................................................... 25 

4. Old barracks in front (west) of new barracks, Building 102, circa 1909. Annual 

 Report, 1909; Binder 6, 1909; Annual Reports, 1904- 1907 and1909; General 

 Records; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1527; RG 156; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) .......... 26 

5. Old barracks in front (west) of new barracks, Building 102, circa 1909. Annual 

 Report, 1909; Binder 6, 1909; Annual Reports, 1904- 1907 and1909; General 

 Records; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1527; RG 156; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) .......... 26 

6. “Gun Lift Battery No. 1” (Battery Potter), Isometric View, June 30, 1893. 

 Prepared by Corps of Engineers, U.S.A., under the direction of Lieut. 

 Colonel G.L. Gillespie by First Lieut. J.G. Warren. Gateway NRA, 

 Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 10312) ........................................................................................27 

7. Map of Sandy Hook Proving Ground, January 23, 1908 (revised December 

 30, 1918), showing structures and boundary lines. Original in RG 77, 

 NAB; copy at Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE10602) ..................................... 28 

8. Map Fort Hancock, circa 1900, showing the first 36 buildings constructed 

 there. Drawn by J.M. Milton, Quartermaster General’s Office. Original in 

 RG 77, NAB; copy at Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook....................................................................29 
x 

9. Map of Fort Hancock, March 21, 1908. Drawn by J.H. Peterson, 

 Superintendent of Construction, Quartermaster General’s Office. Original 

 in RG 92 (Blueprint file #4),; NARA – Northeast Region (NY)............................................... 30 

10. View of Fort Hancock from the Sandy Hook Light, looking west, circa 1911. 

 Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 16865).............................................................31 

All of the following five plans bear the following notation: “Approved by Brigadier General Stephen 

V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, July 11, 1878.” Source: Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of 

Ordnance, from Lt. Col. H.G. Wright, July 23, 1878; Record 3605 enclosure; Letters Received 1812-

1894; General Records; Entry 21; RG 156; NAB. 

11. Officers’ Quarters, proposed front elevation plan, July 1878 .................................................. 34 

12. Officers’ Quarters, proposed cellar plan, July 1878...................................................................35 

13. Officers’ Quarters, proposed first- story plan, July 1878 ..........................................................36 

14. Officers’ Quarters, proposed second- story plan, July 1878 .................................................... 37 

15. Officers’ Quarters, proposed attic plan, July 1878.....................................................................38 

16. Map of Sandy Hook, 1878, showing location of the “Officers’ Quarters,” with 

 alternate “position preferred by Col. Benham” marked with an X. “Site 

 Approved” by Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, July 11, 

 1878. Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, from Lt. Col. H.G. 

 Wright, July 23, 1878; Record 3605 enclosure; Letters Received 1812- 1894; 

 General Records; Entry 21; RG 156; NAB ..................................................................................39 

17. The granite fort at Sandy Hook, with the Officers Club in the background, circa 

 1879. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7298).................................................... 40 

18. Detail of the Officers Club, north and east elevations, circa 1879. Gateway 

 NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7298) ...............................................................................40 

19. Officers Club, east/front facade, circa 1900. Courtesy of the Monmouth 

 County Historical Association, George Moss Collection [84.17.7 (F 0- 8)] .......................... 55 

20. “Officers’ Quarters,” 1892. Detail of “Map of Sandy Hook, NJ,” June 30, 1892. 

 Tracing made from survey map of January 30, 1892. Prepared by Corps of 

 Engineers, U.S.A., Lieut. Colonel G.L. Gillespie. Original in RG 77, NAB; 

 copy at Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook............................................................................................56 

21. “Ordnance Officers Mess,” 1901. Detail of “Map of Northern Part of Sandy 

 Hook, New Jersey, Sandy Hook Proving Ground,” 1900, revised July 13, 1901. 

 Drawn by Captain E.B. Babbitt, Ordnance Dept. Original in RG 92, NAB; copy 

 at Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook ..................................................................................................... 56 

22. Officers Club, north elevation, porch brackets. NPS photograph, 2005............................... 57 
xi 

23. Officers Club, east facade, piazza ceiling. NPS photograph, 2005 ......................................... 57 

24. Officers Club, east façade, showing front entrance; detail from figure 19, 

 circa 1900. Courtesy of Monmouth County Historical Association, George 

 Moss Collection [84.17.7 (F 0- 8)]................................................................................................58 

25. Officers Club, east façade, second story, showing typical window elements; 

 detail from figure 19, circa 1900. Courtesy of Monmouth County Historical 

 Association, George Moss Collection [84.17.7 (F 0- 8)] ........................................................... 58 

26. Officers Club, north elevation, bay window. NPS photograph, 2005.................................... 59 

27. Officers Club, showing window openings; detail from photograph of the “Fort 

 at Sandy Hook,” circa 1904. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7303) ............ 59 

28. Officers Club, east elevation of mansard roof, showing dormer with paired 

 windows. NPS photograph, 2005................................................................................................60 

29. Officers Club, interior side of dormer sashes with arched top rail (taken from Room 

 313). NPS photograph, 2005 ........................................................................................................60 

30. Officers Club, basement of rear ell, south wall, showing extant framing 

 and brick infill that is evidence of earlier opening. NPS photograph, 2005..........................61 

31. Officers Club, south- elevation entry to rear ell; detail of first- story proposed 

 plans, 1878. Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, from Lt. Col. 

 H.G. Wright, July 23, 1878; Record 3605 enclosure; Letters Received 1812- 1894; 

 General Records; Entry 21; RG 156; NAB ..................................................................................61 

32. Officers Club, mansard roof, lower cornice brackets. NPS photograph, 2005 ....................62 

33. Officers Club, mansard roof, dormer roofing material. NPS photograph by 

 Douglas Law, Sept. 30, 1992; from Completion Report, Emergency Stabilization 

 of Historic Fort Hancock, Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook Unit, by C. Thomas Ballos 

 (U.S. DOI, NPS, North Atlantic Regional Office, Building Conservation Branch, 

 1993).................................................................................................................................................62 

34. Officers Club, east facade, piazza roof, showing original framing and repairs. 

 NPS photograph by C. Thomas Ballos, Sept. 1, 1991; from Completion Report, 

1993 .................................................................................................................................................63 

35. Officers Club, east facade, piazza roof, showing original framing with 

 extended rafters for integral gutters. NPS photograph by C. Thomas Ballos, 

 Sept. 7, 1991; from Completion Report, 1993 ..............................................................................63 

36. Officers Club, east- façade piazza, showing period paint scheme; detail from 

 figure 19, circa 1900. Courtesy of Monmouth County Historical Association, 

 George Moss Collection [84.17.7 (F 0- 8)].................................................................................. 64 
xii 

37. Construction of Battery Potter, looking northwest; Officers Club in 

 background, ca. 1895. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7816).......................64 

38. Officers Club, showing exterior bearing- wall construction at transition from 

 first story to second story; also shows pockets in masonry for framing. NPS 

 photograph, 2005 ...........................................................................................................................65 

39. Officers Club, typical brick relieving arch above window opening, as seen from 

 Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103). NPS photograph, 2005............................................................... 65 

40. Officers Club, attic, showing framing of lower slope of mansard roof with 

 alternating jack rafters. NPS photograph, 2005 ........................................................................66 

41. Officers Club, attic framing detail, showing joinery of wall stud and jack rafter 

 into upper plate of mansard roof. NPS photograph, 2005 ......................................................66 

42. Officers Club, Men’s Lounge (Room 104), detail from historic photograph 

 showing parquetry floor no longer extant, ca. 1942. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 3144) ................................................................................................................. 67 

43. Officers Club, Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), looking south at typical doorway. 

 NPS photograph, 2005 .................................................................................................................. 67 

44. Officers Club, center hallway (Room 102), stairway, showing parquet pattern 

 on treads and risers. NPS photograph, 2005 .............................................................................68 

45. Officers Club, Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), south- wall fireplace. NPS photograph, 

 2005 ..................................................................................................................................................68 

46. Officers Club, second- story center hallway (Room 201), ceiling plaster on wood 

 lath. NPS photograph, 2005 ......................................................................................................... 69 

47. Officers Club, second- story center hallway (Room 201), parquetry floor. NPS 

 photograph, 2005 ...........................................................................................................................69 

48. Detail of map of Sandy Hook Proving Ground, showing Officers Club “footprint” 

 with ca.- 1905 additions, January 23, 1908, revised December 30, 1918. 

 Original at NAB; copy at Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 10602).................95 

49. Sandy Hook Proving Ground, Greenhouse with Officers Club in background, 

 south elevation. 1907 Annual Report; Letters and Endorsements 

 Received, 1889- 1907; General Records, SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1519; RG 156; 

 NARA – Northeast Region (NY) .................................................................................................96 

50. Detail of figure 64, showing Officers Club, April 24, 1924 ....................................................... 96 

51. Officers Club, west- elevation window W124, seen from the Dining Room 

 (Room 106). NPS photograph, 2005...........................................................................................97
xiii 

52. Officers Club, west elevation of rear ell, ca.- 1905 portion; shows oculus window 

 (W 311) and arched window (W 312) in gable end. NPS photograph, 2005 ........................ 97 

53. Officers Club, west elevation of rear ell, flared eave of ca.- 1905 addition. NPS 

 photograph, 2005 ...........................................................................................................................98 

54. Officers Club, north elevation of rear ell, dormer of ca.- 1905 addition. NPS 

 photograph, 2005 ...........................................................................................................................98 

55. Officers Club, basement plan illustrating original appearance and alterations. 

 NPS drawing by James Lee, 2005 (based on figure 73, not to scale) ....................................... 99 

56. Officers Club, Dining Room (Room 106), view of south and west walls, ca. 1905. 

 Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7346).............................................................100 

57. Officers Club, Dining Room (Room 106), view of north and east walls, ca. 1905. 

 Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7347).............................................................100 

58. Stained- glass window from ca.- 1905 Dining Room addition (Room 106) to 

 Officers Club, incorporating Ordnance Corps insignia; currently located at 

 the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 7314) ...............................................................................................................101 

59. Officers Club, Dining Room addition (Room 106), detail of fireplace and 

 mantelpiece, ca. 1905. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7346).....................101 

60. Officers Club, east- façade main entrance; photograph taken after October 

 1979 and before June 1986. From Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data 

 Section (Volume IV), The Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, Sandy Hook 

 Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey, by Barry Sulam and John 

 B. Marsh (U.S. DOI, NPS, Denver Service Center, NPS, August 1988)................................102 

61. Officers Club, transom above east- façade main entrance, as seen from center 

 hallway (Room 102). NPS photograph, 2005 ..........................................................................102 

62. Officers Club, doorway from Dining Room (Room 106) to Lounge (Room 108), 

 ca. 1905. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7347)............................................103 

63. Officers Club, Lounge (Room 108), fireplace surround and mantelpiece. NPS 

 photograph, 2005 .........................................................................................................................103 

64. “Detail 40, 4/24/24, 14th Photo Section, Fort Hancock, New Jersey.” Aerial 

 photograph of northern end of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, April 24, 1924. 

 Historical Records of Buildings and Records of Equipment and 

 Conditions of Buildings, 1905- 1942; Entry 393; RG 77; NACP............................................104 

65. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, “Feb 1922.” Historical 

 Records of Buildings and Records of Equipment and Conditions of Buildings, 

 1905- 1942; Entry 393; RG 77; NACP........................................................................................104 
xiv 

66. Officers Club, west and south elevations, ca. 1940. Photograph taken by 

 Henry Neri. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 19303)....................................105 

67. Officers Club, chimney work on rear- ell gable roof, ca. 1937. Photograph 

 by Mike Lacomie. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 7227CCC)...................106 

68. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, ca. 1937. Gateway NRA, 

 Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 759.31) .....................................................................................106 

69. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, April, 9, 1938. Gateway NRA, 

 Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 2037) ........................................................................................107 

70. Officers Club, south elevation, April, 9, 1938. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 2036) ...............................................................................................................107 

71. Officers Club, east façade. From Fort Hancock Post Record Book, ca. 1940. 

 Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (GATE cat. 220)..........................................................................108 

72. Officers Club, east façade, ca.- 1941 postcard from the Fort Hancock Post 

 Exchange, by Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 18079PC)........................................................................................................108 

73. “First Floor Plan, Permanent Building, Building No. 114, Officers Club, 

 Office of the Post Engineer, Fort Hancock, N.J.” Drawn by K. Jones, 

 October 9, 1959 (drawing no. 700- 433). Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 10349) .............................................................................................................109 

74. “Second Floor Plan, Permanent Building, Building No. 114, Officers Club, 

 Office of the Post Engineer, Fort Hancock, N.J.” Drawn by K. Jones, 

 October 9, 1959 (drawing no. 700- 433). Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 10350) .............................................................................................................110 

75. Officers Club, Dining Room (Room 106), north- wall mural depicting northern 

 end of Sandy Hook; painted by Harvey Haddon between 1967 and 1973. NPS 

 photograph, 2004 .........................................................................................................................111 

76. Officers Club, Men’s Lounge (Room 104), 1942. Gateway NRA, 

 Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 1942- 303)................................................................................112 

77. Officers Club, New Dining Room (Room 107), south and east walls, 1944. 

 Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (Catalog # GATE 1944- 575) ....................................................112 

78. Officers Club, Bar (Room 109), 1944. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

 (Catalog # GATE 1944- 585) ......................................................................................................113 

79. Officers Club, Bar (Room 109). NPS photograph, 2005 ........................................................113 
xv 

80. Laundry/Caddy House, Building No. 113. From Fort Hancock Post Record 

 Book, ca. 1940. Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook (GATE cat. 220) .............................................114 

81. Laundry/Caddy House, Building No. 113. NPS photograph from the LCS, 1995 ............114 

82. Officers Club, east façade. NPS photograph, December 2004..............................................125 

83. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation. NPS photograph, December 2004 ..........125 

84. Officers Club, south elevation. NPS photograph, December 2004......................................126 

85. Officers Club, west elevation. NPS photograph, December 2004........................................126 

86. Officers Club, north and west elevations. NPS photograph, December 2004....................127 

87. Officers Club, north elevation. NPS photograph, December 2004......................................127 

88. Officers Club, basement plan annotated with room numbers. NPS drawing 

 by James Lee, based on figure 73, 2005 ( not to scale).............................................................157 

89. Officers Club, first- story plan, annotated with 1959 room names and room 

 and window numbers (not to scale). From First- Floor Plan, Historic Structure 

 Assessment Report, Fort Hancock- Building 114, Officers Club, Gateway National 

 Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit (Center for Architectural Conservation, 

 Atlanta, GA, 1989) ........................................................................................................................158 

90. Officers Club, second- story plan, annotated with room and window numbers 

 (not to scale). From Second Floor Plan, Historic Structure Assessment Report...................159

91. Officers Club, attic plan, annotated with room and window numbers (not to 

 scale). From Attic Plan, Historic Structure Assessment Report; some partitions 

 added by James Lee......................................................................................................................160 
xvi 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The preparation of this report would not have been possible without the assistance of the staff 

of the Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area. Richard Wells, Park 

Superintendent, provided useful advice during the project review meetings. Lou Venuto, Chief 

of Interpretation and Cultural Resources, provided direction and coordinated the efforts of his 

staff. Thomas Hoffman, Park Historian, provided copies of existing records and documents, as 

well as oral histories of Fort Hancock and the Officers Club. On a number of occasions 

Hoffman also provided access to the Officers Club. Mary (Trocchia) Rasa, Curator, provided 

access to historic photographs and maps in the Gateway NRA Museum Collection at Sandy 

Hook. Michael Thomas, Cultural Resource Specialist, also provided access to historic 

documents and the building. Constance Witherby, Supervisory Park Ranger, also provided 

assistance during investigation of the building. 

 

Research undertaken by Edwin C. Bearss in the 1980’s proved extremely useful in determining 

where to conduct further primary source research. Research at the Northeast Region National 

Archives and Records Administration would not have been successful with out the assistance of 

Richard Gelbke, Archives Specialist. At the National Archives and Records Administration 

inWashington, D.C., Jill Abraham, Old Military Records Archivist, provided guidance for 

research in the record groups pertaining to military records. 

James J. Lee III 
xvii 

ABBREVIATIONS 

The following abbreviations have been used in this report: 

CDF Character- defining Feature 

DOE Determination of Eligibility 

DOI Department of the Interior 

HAP Historic Architecture Program, Northeast Region, NPS 

HSR Historic Structure Report 

LC Library of Congress, Washington, DC 

LCS List of Classified Structures 

NAB National Archives Building, Washington, DC 

NACP National Archives at College Park, MD 

NARA – National Archives and Records Administration – 

Northeast Region Northeast Region (New York, New York) 

(NY) 

NER Northeast Region of the National Park Service 

NPS National Park Service 

NRA National Recreation Area 

RG Record Group 

RG 77 Records of the Chief of Engineers 

RG 156 Records of the Chief of Ordnance 

SHPG Sandy Hook Proving Ground 

1

I. INTRODUCTION 

3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Purpose and Scope

This historic structure report (HSR) was produced by the Historic Architecture Program (HAP) 

of the Northeast Region, National Park Service (NPS). The purpose of the report is to 

document the development and use of the Officers Club (Building No. 114) at the Sandy Hook 

Unit (SAHO), Gateway National Recreation Area (Gateway NRA), Fort Hancock, New Jersey. 

Furthermore, it is intended to inform and guide the rehabilitation of that historic structure. 

The scope of this historic structure report, as stated in its Project Agreement, was to perform a 

“thorough” investigation of the Officers Club (Building No. 114) as defined by the Park Service’s 

Cultural Resource Management Guideline.

1

 The report, which deals primarily with the subject 

building, incorporates context and background information about Sandy Hook and the various 

military installations located there. The HSR contains Part I, “Developmental History,” and Part 

II, “Treatment and Use,” which includes a list of character- defining features (CDFs), in 

accordance with NPS standards. An analysis and color- matching of the building’s exterior 

finishes, and of finishes in the primary first - story rooms, are included as an appendix to this 

report. Based on examination of the paint evidence and extant building materials, it was 

determined that the period paint- color matches required by the Project Agreement would 

reflect the dates circa 1905 and circa 1940. The report does not include a Condition Assessment, 

nor does it include a Part III, “Record of Treatment.” The latter should be prepared after 

treatment is completed by the contractor in charge of the work. 

The physical investigation of the building was limited to finishes analysis, and observation and 

recordation of existing conditions. The deteriorated condition of some materials allowed the 

researcher to observe construction methods and building features that would have otherwise 

been hidden. The failure of certain building materials creates a peeling away of accumulated 

layers of building materials, which can reveal both original features and alterations to the 

building. In particular, the damage to plaster and lath walls from water infiltration revealed the 

method of structural framing. Further information regarding the structure’s early configuration 

and alterations might have been gained from destructive investigation, but this was not within 

the scope of the project, nor would it advance the preservation and rehabilitation of the Officers 

Club. 

 1

 Release No. 5, 1997; also called NPS- 28. 
4

Statement of Significance

The red- brick, Second Empire structure under study has been known over the years by many 

names. For the purposes of consistency, the structure will be referenced as the Officers Club 

throughout this report. Other names may be used when appropriate, or in excerpts from 

correspondence and documents; in either case, the building name will appear as a quotation. 

The Officers Club is a contributing structure to the Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving 

Ground Historic District. This district includes approximately 380 acres containing more than 

100 historic structures, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 

1980. The nomination form denotes the period of significance as spanning from 1859 through 

the 1950’s and 1960’s Cold War era.2

 The Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook National Register 

District received National Landmark status on December 17, 1982. 

Completed in 1879, the Officers Club is one of the oldest extant buildings at Sandy Hook. It was 

used as Ordnance Officers’ Quarters until 1919, when the proving ground was relocated to 

Aberdeen, MD, and the building became part of Fort Hancock. “The Brick House was 

intimately associated with the (Sandy Hook) Proving Ground from 1878 until 1919. When onsite the various Ordnance Boards responsible for developing, testing, and proving the heavy and 

much of the light artillery with which the nation fought the Spanish- American War and World 

War I, met and stayed in this handsome structure. Here, the boards entertained important 

visitors, such as the Secretary of War, and officers assigned to the Proving Ground slept, studied, 

ate, and relaxed.”3

 The Officers Club is considered to be one of the most architecturally 

distinctive buildings at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. Its proposed preservation and 

rehabilitation will insure its continued contribution to the historic district. 

Research Conducted

This HSR documents the evolution of the Officers Club by relying on physical investigation of 

extant building materials, and on documentary research using both primary and secondary 

sources. Repositories consulted and utilized for materials pertaining to the subject are as 

follows: 

• Gateway NRA Museum Collection, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, 

Fort Hancock, NJ 

• National Archives and Records Administration, Archives I, Washington, D.C. 

• National Archives and Records Administration, Archives II, College Park, MD 

• National Archives and Records Administration, Northeast Region, New York, NY 

 2

 Richard E. Greenwood, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, “Fort 

Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District,” June 28, 1976 (rev. Nov. 9, 1982), item 

7, p. 1, and item 8, p. 1. 3

 Edwin C. Bearss, Historic Resource Study, The Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, Sandy Hook 

Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey (Denver: U.S. DOI, NPS, Denver Service Center, Aug. 

1988), p. 2. Hereinafter HRS, 1874- 1919.
5

• Historic Architecture Program Library, Northeast Region, NPS, Lowell, MA 

• United States Army records at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 

• Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Northeast Region, NPS, Brookline, MA 

• New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, NJ 

• Monmouth County Historical Association, Freehold, NJ 

Research Findings

Review of the reports, photographs, maps, and drawings available in the Gateway NRA Museum 

Collection provided background for further research and physical investigation of the Officers 

Club. Extensive research was undertaken by Edwin C. Bearss in the 1980’s during the 

preparation of several historic resource studies for the Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway NRA. Mr. 

Bearss’ reports proved extremely useful in determining where to conduct further primary 

source research. 

The National Archives and Records Administration proved most fruitful for primary source 

material. At National Archives Building, Washington, D.C., research in Record Group (RG) 156, 

“Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance,” led to the discovery of the 1878 proposed 

plans for the Officers’ Quarters, which were endorsed by Chief of Ordnance Brigadier General 

Stephen V. Benét. Further research within that same record group, both at the National 

Archives Building and the National Archives’ Northeast Region repository in New York City, 

provided more detailed information regarding the ca.- 1905 addition to the Officers Club. 

Investigation of the records in RG 77, “Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers,” at 

National Archives, College Park, MD, produced textual records that included annual reports 

and maintenance records, as well as historic photographs. All of these records, combined with 

the existing reports for the Officers Club, led to a better understanding of the history and 

evolution of the building. 

The initial physical investigation of the Officers Club posed some questions as to the 

configuration of the original structure. Upon further examination, it became clear from the 

extant building materials that the building had been altered a number of times during its 

association with both the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and Fort Hancock. The physical 

evidence on site was supported by the documentary evidence. 

Significant discoveries included a better understanding of the original appearance of the 

building and the rear ell, as well as a clearer delineation of the later additions. In particular, it 

was found that the ca.- 1905 alterations resulted in a much larger addition to the rear ell than 

previously documented, and included the Colonial Revival- style Dining Room (Room 106). 

Research and investigation also revealed more information about some missing features and 

changes to the Officers Club during the period of significance for the district. The evolution of 

the Officers Club is further elucidated in this HSR. 

The many names borne by the Officers Club over the years reflect the use of the building 

throughout its association with the U.S. Army. When first constructed, the building was 

referred to as the “quarters for the Ordnance Board,” due to its function. It was also listed as the 

“Officers’ Quarters” on early maps and correspondence. The building was called the “Brick 
6

House” as early as 1898, a name which was commonly used through the 1930’s. In 1901 it was 

referenced as the “Officers’ Quarters and Mess.” The 1908 map of the Proving Ground (revised 

in 1918) lists the structure as “5. Officers’ Quarters (Brick House).” During its association with 

Fort Hancock, the building was officially designated “Officers Quarters – Brick House,” as well 

as “Building No. 114.” The official designation was changed in 1935 to “Officers Quarters and 

Officers Club,” which was shortened to the “Officers Club” soon thereafter. The Fort Hancock 

Officers’ Wives Club used the Officers Club during the 1960’s for meetings and receptions. 

Military personnel used the building through 1974, the year when most of Fort Hancock was 

transferred to the National Park Service. The Officers Club was occupied as a residence by park 

personnel from 1977 through 1981, when its use was discontinued.4

 It is apparent that 

throughout its history, the Officers Club has served a prominent and important role in the 

vitality of Sandy Hook. 

Recommended Treatment

Planning documents for the Gateway National Recreation Area state that the goal for structures 

within the Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District, including the 

Officers Club, is rehabilitation. The proposed rehabilitation of the structures should conform to 

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, which includes 

the Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. The 

Secretary’s Standards define rehabilitation as: 

the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property 

through repair, alterations, and additions, while preserving those 

portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural 

values.5

The NPS has determined that the Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic 

District should emphasize the continuum of history throughout the period of significance, 

which is defined by the National Historic Landmarks nomination (in “Statement of 

Significance”) as 1895 to 1974.6

In its current configuration, the exterior of the Officers Club reflects the evolution of the 

building throughout its association with the military at Sandy Hook. Immediately recognizable 

is the original Second Empire structure and the grand nature of that period and style. The 

current structure, with its various additions, also communicates changes over time, which serves 

as a testament to the Officers Club and the military history of Sandy Hook. 

The preservation of the character- defining features of the Officers Club is an important goal of 

any rehabilitation. The Finding of No Significant Impact, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the 

 4

 Interview with Thomas J. Hoffman, Park Historian, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway NRA. 

5

 Kay D. Weeks and Anne E. Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of 

Historic Properties, with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic 

Buildings (Washington, D.C.: U.S. DOI, NPS, 1995), p. 62. 6

 Statement of Significance, National Historic Landmark Program website (http://tps.cr.nps.gov/

nhl/detail.cfm? ResourceId=1828&ResourceType=District). 
7

Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District (July 2003) for Sandy Hook/Gateway NRA states 

that the Officers Club is “unique among Fort Hancock’s historic buildings, in that it has grown 

and changed over time with additions that are not necessarily compatible with its Second 

Empire style.”7

 Though not all of the additions to the building are compatible with the original 

design, the structure does represent the continuum of the military presence at Sandy Hook. 

Therefore, accretions to the building – including additions made circa 1905, circa 1941, and in 

1943 – should be treated as character- defining. The rehabilitation of the Officers Club should 

include the retention of the alterations to the building throughout its association with the U.S. 

military presence at Sandy Hook. The preservation of the building’s character- defining features 

would be one way of furthering the goal of the Gateway NRA to interpret and present a 

continuum of history throughout the period of significance for the district. 

The current plan to reuse the Officers Club for hospitality is in keeping with the plans for the 

historic district. As stipulated in the lease, any work on the building, including alterations, 

demolition, and additions, requires the approval of the National Park Service and must be 

reviewed for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. In 

addition, the existing structure, as well as all future work, should be thoroughly documented by 

written, photographic, and graphic means, according to NPS standards. 

 7

Finding of No Significant Impact, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground 

Historic District (U.S. DOI, NPS, Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook Unit, Monmouth County, New Jersey, July 

2003), p. 3. 
8

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA 

Location of Site

Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground are part of a NPS unit under the control of 

the Gateway National Recreation Area. The unit consists of approximately 2,044 acres in 

Monmouth County, Middletown, New Jersey, on a peninsula that begins east of the town of 

Highlands and extends north to the main entrance channel to outer New York Harbor. On 

October 27, 1972, President Nixon signed the legislation for Public Law 92- 592, which 

established the Gateway National Recreation Area. This law caused Fort Hancock (including 

the former proving ground) to be transferred from the Department of Defense to the 

Department of the Interior after the deactivation of the post in 1974.8

 The Officers Club is 

located within what was historically the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, and which is currently 

the Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District. 

National Register of Historic Places

The Sandy Hook Proving Ground constitutes one portion of the Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway 

National Recreation Area. The 1976 National Register nomination form acknowledged that the 

Sandy Hook Proving Ground was a significant and contributing resource to the Fort Hancock 

and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District. When the district was listed on the 

National Register on April 24, 1980, the area was recognized for a period of significance 

spanning from 1859, when construction on the granite “Fort at Sandy Hook” was begun, 

through the 1960’s, when the Nike defense system became obsolete. 

The Federal reservation at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, has played a double 

role in the United States military history, as the site of both the Army 

Ordnance Board’s Proving Ground from 1874 to 1919, and Fort 

Hancock, the chief unit in the defense of New York Harbor from the 

Spanish- American War through the Cold War.9

As the National Register nomination form points out, the buildings, batteries, radar sites, and 

missile installations exhibit an important piece of the districts history. 

These structures reflect the history of the U.S. Army’s Ordnance 

Department Proving Ground and Fort Hancock Military Reservation, a 

vital defense installation for New York City from the Civil War through 

the 1950’s and 1960’s Cold War.10

 8

 Barry Sulam and John B. Marsh, Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section (Volume IV), The 

Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey

(Denver: U.S. DOI, NPS, Denver Service Center, Aug. 1988), p. 1. 9

 Greenwood, “Statement of Significance,” item 8, p. 1. 

10 Greenwood, “Description,” item 7, p. 1. 
9

The National Park Service has thus determined that the period of significance for the Fort 

Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District will highlight the entire history 

of the district, as defined by the National Register of Historic Places. 

National Historic Landmark

The Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District was listed as a 

National Historic Landmark (NHL) on December 17, 1982. The NHL nomination chooses to 

acknowledge the history of Fort Hancock as the most significant period for Sandy Hook. 

Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District 

reflects the history of a vital defense guarding New York City and its 

harbor from 1895 to 1974. This landmark played a key role in the 

development of advanced weaponry and radar....11

List of Classified Structures (LCS) Information

A majority of the structures at Gateway NRA are within the historic district. The LCS notes that 

the Officers Club is the oldest brick building on Sandy Hook peninsula. The building is situated 

facing east- northeast; for the purposes of this report, the front of the building will be called the 

east façade, which is consistent with previous reports. 

The LCS file information for the Officers Club is as follows: 

 

Preferred Structure Name: Sandy Hook Proving Ground- Brick Officers’ Quarters 114 

 Other Structure Names: Brick House, Fort Hancock- Officers Club 

 Park Structure Number: SH- 114 

 LCS ID Number: 008505 

National Register Date: 04/24/1980 

National Register Reference Number: 80002505 

National Historic Landmark Date: 12/17/1982 

Significance Level: Contributing 

Proposed Use

The 1979 General Management Plan (GMP) for Gateway NRA specifies a “rehabilitation zone” 

that includes the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and Fort Hancock. It further states that the area 

of the fort and proving ground, denoted as the Fort Hancock Gateway Village, should “retain 

the integrity of the historic scene,” with the goal of “adaptive use through rehabilitation of 

historic structures.” An amendment to the General Management Plan in 1990 (GMP- AMEND) 

 11 Statement of Significance, National Historic Landmark Program website. 
10

proposed that the NPS, through its Historic Leasing Program, enter into partnerships with 

lessees that would serve to preserve and maintain the historic structures through adaptive use. 

Under this arrangement the allowed uses would include educational facilities, research centers, 

conference centers, professional offices, restaurants, and overnight accommodations, among 

others.12 In accordance with this proposal, Gateway NRA has signed a letter of intent and a lease 

agreement with Sandy Hook Partners LLC for the rehabilitation of 36 buildings at Fort 

Hancock, including the Officers Club, for a mixed use of education, hospitality, and professional 

offices. 

The LCS record for the Officers Club states that it “must be preserved and maintained,” and that 

the ultimate treatment is rehabilitation, as identified in the GMP- AMEND. The lessee’s 

proposal for the building is adaptive use, which combines a restaurant, overnight 

accommodations, conference rooms, and exhibit space. This plan will preserve the Officers 

Club as a part of the historic district, as well as generate new uses for the building that will make 

the building a vital part of the Gateway Village. 

Related Studies

Several publications identified in the Cultural Resources Management Bibliography (CRBIB) 

were consulted in the preparation of this report. Some of these publications provide more 

background information about the history of the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and Fort 

Hancock. Readers desiring a broader discussion of the military presence at Sandy Hook should 

consult the publications listed here. 

Edwin C. Bearss, Historic Resource Study, The Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, 

Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey (Denver: U.S. 

Department of the Interior, National Park Service, September 1983) 

Bearss, Historic Resource Study, Fort Hancock, 1895- 1948, Gateway National Recreation 

Area, New York/New Jersey (Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park 

Service, May 1981) 

Environmental Assessment, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving 

Ground Historic District (U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, in 

association with Sandy Hook Partners LLC, February 2002, revised July 2003) 

Finding of No Significant Impact, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook 

Proving Ground Historic District (U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 

Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 

July 2003)

 12Environmental Assessment, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic 

District (U.S. DOI, NPS, in association with Sandy Hook Partners LLC, February 2002, revised July 2003), 

p. 2. 
11

General Management Plan Amendment: Development Concept Plan and Interpretation 

Prospectus: Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New York/New Jersey 

(U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, January 1990) 

Richard E. Greenwood, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination 

Form, “Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District,” June 28, 

1976 

Richard E. Greenwood, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination 

Form, “Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District,” revised 

November 9, 1982 

Historic Structure Assessment Report, Fort Hancock- Building 114, Officers Club, Gateway 

National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit (Atlanta, GA: Center for Architectural 

Conservation, 1988- 1989) 

Chandler McCoy, Fort Hancock Rehabilitation Guidelines, Sandy Hook, New Jersey (U.S. 

Department of the Interior, National Park Service, March 1999) 

Barry Sulam and John B. Marsh, Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section 

(Volume IV), The Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway 

National Recreation Area, New Jersey (Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, National 

Park Service, August 1988) 

13

II. DEVELOPMENTAL 

 HISTORY 

15

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 

AND CONTEXT 

Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook is a peninsula of land extending from the confluence of the Shrewsbury River and 

Sandy Hook Bay, approximately 6 1⁄2 miles northward to Lower New York Harbor (fig. 1). This 

spit of land is very close to the natural deep- water channel to the outer harbor of New York 

City, and its importance was recognized early on by maritime explorers and merchants. Ships 

attempting to sail into New York Harbor had to rely on the channel passing the tip of Sandy 

Hook. Henry Hudson was reported to have anchored off the shores of Sandy Hook during his 

initial explorations of the Hudson River in 1609. In 1680, the English Governor of New York, 

Richard Nichols, recommended the installation of a beacon and fortifications at Sandy Hook.1

 

The dangers of the passage into Sandy Hook Bay led to numerous shipwrecks in the early 18th 

century. The losses irritated many New York merchants, who in 1761 petitioned the Colonial 

Assembly of New York to erect a lighthouse on Sandy Hook. The lighthouse at Sandy Hook 

was first lit in June 1764, and it remains the oldest functioning lighthouse in the United States 

(fig. 2).2

The ownership of eastern New Jersey during the colonial period was embroiled in land disputes. 

“Sandy Point” (later known as Sandy Hook) was included in the “Monmouth Patent” issued by 

Governor Richard Nicols in April 1665. He was apparently unaware that proprietorship of New 

Jersey had been granted to Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley. The patent was 

contested when the appointee as Governor of East New Jersey, Sir Phillip Carteret, arrived in 

July 1665. 3 One of the first owners of record for a large tract of land on Sandy Hook was 

Richard Hartshorne. Hartshorne’s heirs deeded the land on Sandy Hook to the United States in 

the early 19th century.4

During the 19th century Sandy Hook was home to activities of the U.S. Army, the U.S. 

Lighthouse Service, the U. S. Life- Saving Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Army 

Ordnance Department, and the U. S. Army Corps of Artillery, as well as an office of the Western 

Union Telegraph Service.5

 The 20th century saw continued use by the U.S. Army at Fort 

Hancock, as well as the arrival of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Women’s Auxiliary Army 

Corps (later the Women’s Army Corps) during World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. 

 1

 Also spelled Nicolls. Naomi D. Kroll and Sharon K. Ofenstein, Historic Structure Report, Building 25, 

Enlisted Men’s Barracks, Fort Hancock, New Jersey, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area

(Lowell, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, NER Building Conservation Branch, February 2002), p. 17. 2

 Thomas J. Hoffman, Sandy Hook Lighthouse (Gateway NRA). 3

 Edwin Salter and George C. Beekman, Old Times in Old Monmouth County, NJ (Freehold, NJ: James S. 

Yard, 1890). 4

 “History of Sandy Hook Proving Ground, July 22, 1909”; Vol. 1, p. 1; General Records; SHPG, N.J., 

1889- 1919; Entry 1537; RG 156; NARA – Northeast Region (NY). 5

 Edwin C. Bearss, Historic Resource Study, Fort Hancock, 1895- 1948, Gateway National Recreation 

Area, New Jersey (Denver: U.S. DOI, NPS, May 1981), p. 14. Hereinafter HRS, 1895- 1948. 
16

Army Air Defense Command during the Cold War. Currently the peninsula is occupied by the 

National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) and the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Military Occupation at Sandy Hook

Early Fortification 

The description of the Sandy Hook from Historical and Bibliographical Atlas of the New Jersey 

Coast adds to the lore of the peninsula. In it the authors note that “the proximity of Sandy Hook 

to New York City, and its wild uninhabited state, with its easy accessibility and good and 

convenient harbor, made it a favorite rendezvous for refugees, outlaws and pirates during the 

Revolutionary War.”6

 In 1776 British troops recognized the military advantage of Sandy Hook, 

and used it as a rendezvous point during the successful invasion and capture of New York City. 

The British built a stockade around the Sandy Hook lighthouse and fortified the area 

throughout most of the Revolution. The fortifications were purported to include a camp for 

Tory refugees that was known as Refugees Town.7

 

During the War of 1812, a wooden stockade fort called Fort Gates was built by American troops 

to protect New York City against another invasion by the British. The fort served its function 

and was abandoned at the end of the war. Following this successful defense of New York’s 

outer harbor, the U.S. government could no longer ignore the significance of the peninsula, and 

in 1817 it purchased the remainder of the land from the Hartshorne family.8

The history of military occupation continued at Sandy Hook with the construction of a large 

granite fort. Again spurred by the need to defend New York’s outer harbor, the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers began planning the granite fort in 1857, and in that same year built a wharf 

on the western shore of the hook to facilitate construction efforts (fig. 2).9

 The Corps of 

Engineers also erected housing for personnel and other structures at Sandy Hook to support the 

construction of the “Fort at Sandy Hook,” thus establishing a Corps of Engineers presence in 

the area that would last into the 20th century. Ground was broken for the fort in 1859, and with 

the onset of the Civil War, troops were garrisoned there in 1863 to man the armaments and 

guard public property. Construction of the fort was terminated in 1868, however, due to new 

advances in rifled artillery that could obliterate a granite masonry fortress.10

 6

 Theodore F. Rose, H.C. Woolman, and T.T. Price, Historical and Bibliographical Atlas of the New 

Jersey Coast (Philadelphia, PA: Woolman & Rose, 1878), p. 18. 7

 “History of Sandy Hook Proving Ground.” 

8

 Kroll and Ofenstein, p. 17. 

9

 Greenwood, item 7, p. 1. 

10 Kroll and Ofenstein, p. 17. 
17

Sandy Hook Proving Ground 

After the Civil War, in an effort to keep abreast of the new technology and remain competitive 

with European powers, the Army’s Ordnance Department took on the task of designing and 

testing rifled guns of increased size and power. 

On June 6, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law an act making 

available $270,000 “for experiments and tests of heavy rifled ordnance”; 

provided “this appropriation shall be applied to at least three models of 

heavy ordnance to be designated by a board of officers.”11

In the following years the Ordnance Department proceeded with the conversion of 

conventional cannons to rifled artillery, as well as the development of new artillery. 

The development of new ordnance highlighted the need for an adequate proving ground. A 

specially convened Board of Ordnance Officers, known as the Laidley Board, reported in 1874 

that the proving ground should be installed in a level area with easy access 

not traversed by “highways or extensive watercourses, uninhabited and 

sufficiently removed from any settlements to avoid any possible accident, 

and embrace an extension of land of seven to eight miles in length and 

from one- half to one mile in width.”12

The Army’s existing ground at Fort Monroe, VA, on Chesapeake Bay, was not sufficient for the 

requirements of the newly developed ordnance. In its search for a better site the board 

identified Squan Beach, New Jersey, as the recommended site, and Sandy Hook was suggested 

as an interim site prior to the acquisition of Squan Beach.13

 

Colonel Silas Crispin, Commander of the New York Ordnance Agency, provided estimates for 

the construction of the Sandy Hook Proving Ground to Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, 

Chief of Ordnance. Brigadier General Benét submitted the estimates to Secretary of War 

William W. Belknap in August 1874, in a letter that stated: 

Col. S. Crispin estimates of funds for erection of suitable temporary 

appointments for an experimental and trial ground for heavy ordnance at 

Sandy Hook, NJ. $4000.• and recommends that, if there is no objection 

by the Chief of Engineers, authority be given the Ord. Dept. to erect the 

same on that portion of the reservation, marked “C” on the enclosed 

drawing.14 

 11 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 6. 12 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 11. 13 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 9- 12. 14 Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, to William W. Belknap, Secretary of War, 

Aug. 5, 1874, with response from Belknap to Benét, Aug. 7, 1874; Record 3605; Letters Received 1812-

1894; General Records; Entry 21; RG 156; NAB. 
18

The Secretary of War approved the installation, and construction began on the site in October 

of that year. The initial proving ground was to include “four wooden platforms, one proof butt, 

one bombproof, building for chronoscope, wires and other apparatus, [and] two wooden 

casements for covering guns” (fig. 3).15

The Sandy Hook Proving Ground received its first shipment of experimental ordnance by 

October 1874. These were 10- inch smoothbore Rodman guns converted into 8- inch rifled 

artillery. The first test of the Rodman guns was conducted on October 24, 1874, at Sandy Hook. 

This was the first in what would become numerous tests of not only the Rodman guns but other 

experimental ordnance. During the latter part of the 1870’s the proving ground performed trials 

and proofs of several models of breech- loading rifles and Gatling guns, as well as powders and 

projectiles. The Sandy Hook Proving Ground was also the facility for improving and testing the 

carriages that were necessary to support the guns.16 Experimentation with the various guns and 

carriages became an essential part of the nation’s defense. 

The establishment of the proving ground and the increased activity there throughout the 1870’s 

made housing for necessary personnel an important matter. Since housing for the Ordnance 

personnel is not indicated in any records or maps that were reviewed from that period, it is 

presumed that they occupied some of the existing structures belonging to the Corps of 

Engineers. It is documented that in 1876 the Ordnance Department requested the use of 

Engineers barracks for temporary quarters, which led to the eventual construction of the 

“Officers’ Quarters” in 1878- 1879. Indeed, the Ordnance Department did utilize some of the 

Engineer buildings as barracks until a new barracks was built in 1909, and the old wooden 

structures were removed (figs. 4 - 5).17 These old barracks were located west of the new barracks 

(Building 102), along the western shoreline of Sandy Hook. 

In 1886 the Endicott Board, headed by Secretary of War General William C. Endicott, reported 

on the deficiency of the nation’s coastal defenses. Though the recommendations of the board 

were never fully implemented, the report did impact activity at the Sandy Hook Proving 

Ground, beginning at the end of the 19th century and continuing into the 20th century. The 

additional appropriations for artillery led to an increase in testing at the proving ground,18 and 

the facilities there underwent significant improvements and expansion during the late 19th 

century. 

The Endicott Report also led to the establishment of a number of coastal defense installations. 

The importance of Sandy Hook for the protection of New York’s outer harbor was again 

recognized by the construction of the nation’s first two concrete gun batteries there. Completed 

in 1895, Battery Potter – named for General Joseph Potter – was the first steam- powered 

hydraulic- lift gun battery (fig. 6). This innovation allowed the gun to be raised and lowered 

inside the protection of a concrete bunker, which in turn was encircled within an earthwork 

slope for protection and camouflage.19 The Sandy Hook Mortar Battery, the first of its kind built 

for American harbor defense, was completed in 1894. Mounting 16 mortars of 12- inch caliber, 

the battery could fire half- ton armor- piercing projectiles in high arcs that could smash through 

 15 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 13. 16 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 24- 25. 17 Annual Report, 1909; Binder 6, 1909; Annual Reports, 1904- 1907 and 1909; General Records; SHPG, 

1889- 1919; Entry 1527; RG 156; NARA – Northeast Region (NY). Report includes photographs. 18 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 81- 83. 19 Thomas J. Hoffman, The Defenses of Sandy Hook (Gateway NRA). 
19

the decks of battleships and cruisers.20 The creation of Battery Potter, the Sandy Hook Mortar 

Battery, and subsequent batteries at Sandy Hook marked an important stage in the development 

of coastal defenses. 

The earliest batteries at Sandy Hook were manned after their completion by a combination of 

Ordnance and Engineer Corps personnel. However, responsibility for them passed to the U.S. 

Army Corps of Artillery in 1895 when Fort Hancock was established at Sandy Hook adjacent to 

the proving ground. Fort Hancock was operated by the Artillery Corps as a coastal- defense site 

defending New York Harbor through 1974. 

On December 11, 1901, after more than a quarter of a century of active duty, the Sandy Hook 

Proving Ground was finally recognized as a permanent installation by the Ordnance 

Department. The Chief of Ordnance, General William Crozier, notified Captain Edwin B. 

Babbitt, Commander of the Proving Ground, of the change, and noted that all new construction 

and building improvements would be designed accordingly.21 Capt. Babbitt subsequently 

developed a master plan for Sandy Hook, which included the creation of “definite spheres of 

jurisdiction” among the various military departments represented in the area (fig. 7).22 His plan 

called for the division of the northern section of Sandy Hook into two sectors, and the further 

division of the Ordnance sector into two areas. His plan was approved by the Ordnance Board, 

but a specially formed Demarkation Board recommended against the creation of the proving 

ground as an independent post, citing that an interdependent relationship needed to exist 

between the proving ground and Fort Hancock. Captain Babbitt and his superiors argued 

against the Demarkation Board’s findings, and they finally prevailed after a long conflict. The 

Ordnance Department recommended boundaries dividing the jurisdiction of the northern end 

of Sandy Hook. The Secretary of War approved the establishment of the boundaries, and the 

Sandy Hook Proving Ground received permanent status in March 1903. Unfortunately Captain 

Babbitt himself was not present to witness the fruition of his plans: he had been succeeded as 

post commander by Major Charles S. Smith in November 1902.23

From the first tests in 1874 until it was deactivated in 1919, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground 

remained an important site for the Ordnance Department’s proving of weaponry. Edwin C. 

Bearss summarizes the significance of the proving ground as follows: 

All the experimental guns and carriages for seacoast defenses were tested at Sandy 

Hook. After a model had been accepted by the Ordnance Board and placed in 

production, all the guns and carriages manufactured by the Army Gun Factory, other 

arsenals, or private contractors were shipped to Sandy Hook to be proof fired before 

being sent to the site where they were to be emplaced. This practice continued for 

many years. All the big guns and mortars and their carriages mounted in the nation’s 

Endicott- and Taft- period coastal fortifications from the early 1890s through World 

War II were developed at Sandy Hook and many were proved there. The heavy and 

field artillery used in the United States Army in the Spanish- American War and 

World War I was tested at Sandy Hook, as were various types of Gatling guns and 

mitraileuses. The Life- Saving Service’s Lyle gun was tested at the Proving Ground. 

Powders, both explosive and propellant, and fuses were tested.24

 20 Information from Thomas J. Hoffman, Park Historian, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway NRA. 

21 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 188- 189. 22 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 189. 23 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 194- 203. 24 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 1. 
20

Fort Hancock 25

The establishment of Fort Hancock, named in honor of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, 

was a direct response to America’s increased need for harbor defense installations. Although 

the order establishing Fort Hancock was issued in 1895, the first buildings were not ready for 

occupancy until August 1898 (fig. 8).26 Nevertheless, the post’s first garrison of U.S. Artillery 

Corps troops arrived in March of that year to man the gun batteries protecting New York 

Harbor. In addition, two battalions of the Third New Jersey Volunteer Infantry joined the 

Ordnance Department and the Corps of Engineers at Sandy Hook during the summer of 1898.27

The completion of the Sandy Hook Mortar Battery in 1894 and Battery Potter in 1895 marked 

the first of many gun batteries constructed at Sandy Hook prior to World War I. During the 

period 1901- 1916, Fort Hancock was garrisoned by four to six companies of the U.S. Coast 

Artillery, whose job was the “care and use of the fixed and movable elements of land and coast 

fortifications, including the submarine mine and torpedo defenses.”28 In addition, the Coast 

Artillery and the National Guard held training, practice, drills, and exercises at the post.29 Some 

25 permanent buildings were added to the post during this period, as evidenced by period site 

plans and photographs (figs. 9- 10). 

The number of troops assigned to Sandy Hook increased during World War I. In addition, Fort 

Hancock served as a training base for artillery units before they were sent to France.30 This 

expansion of the forces at Fort Hancock prompted the construction of numerous temporary 

wooden structures to support the needs of the troops. The end of the war witnessed the 

deactivation of the Sandy Hook Proving Ground in 1919, as well as a dramatic reduction in the 

number of forces assigned to Fort Hancock and the demolition of the temporary structures.31

 

Activity at Fort Hancock continued at a slow pace. During the 1920’s and 1930’s the post was 

home to several Coast Artillery units, and it provided facilities and training for the National 

Guard, the Civilian Military Training Corps (CMTC), and the Army Reserve.32 As the 

technology of the artillery at the fort became obsolete and the guns lay in disuse, some of the 

batteries were dismantled and their emplacements converted to other uses. One such reuse was 

as a site for anti- aircraft guns, to combat the increased threat of aerial attacks.33

 25 The section partially relies on research presented in Judith Q. Sullivan, Building 32, Quartermaster’s 

Storehouse, Fort Hancock, New Jersey, Historic Structure Report (Lowell, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, Historic 

Architecture Program, 2004), pp. 26- 30. 26 Kroll and Ofenstein, p. 28. 

27 Information from Thomas J. Hoffman, Park Historian, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway NRA. 

28 HRS, 1895- 1948, p. 176. 29 HRS, 1895- 1948, p. 189. 30 Edwin C. Bearss, NPS memorandum, Feb. 20, 1976, p. 6. NER Archives, Boston, MA. 

31 Sullivan, p. 26. 

32 Richard E. Greenwood, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, “Fort 

Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District,” 1976, revised November 9, 1982; item 

8, p. 4. 33 John A. Scott, Fort Hancock Gatehouse, Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, 

Historic Structure Report (Lowell, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, NER Historic Architecture Program, 2004), p. 12. 
21

In 1937 Fort Hancock became the site for the testing and development by the U.S. Army Signal 

Corps of the country’s first radar system. This began an increase in activity at Fort Hancock that 

continued through World War II. During that period Fort Hancock once again became 

headquarters for the harbor defenses of New York. It was the home of the 113th Regimental 

Combat Team, which was responsible for the protection of the Long Island and New Jersey 

shorelines against enemy attacks.34 Fort Hancock also served as a training base and staging area 

for units being readied for service overseas. 

The military personnel at Fort Hancock swelled once again. This led to the erection in 1942 - 

1943 of more than 200 temporary structures, including barracks, mess halls, latrines, recreation 

halls, infirmaries, nurses’ quarters, garages, and warehouses.35 But as the tide of the war turned 

in favor of the Allied forces, the need for reinforcements was reduced and the urgency of the 

coastal defenses was no longer an immediate priority. The number and the strength of the units 

assigned to Fort Hancock was reduced, and during 1945- 1946 the post served as a reception 

center for troops returning from the European theater of operations.36

In the post- World War II era, the once- mighty guns of Sandy Hook became obsolete. The 

development of the atomic bomb, missiles, and modern warfare led to the disarming of the 

batteries at Fort Hancock. Reductions in defense spending and the decline in use of the post 

prompted the deactivation of Fort Hancock in June 1950, leaving only the keepers of the Sandy 

Hook Lighthouse and the crew of the Sandy Hook Coast Guard Station.37

Fort Hancock was again called into action in April 1951 to provide anti- aircraft defense for the 

New York City area during the Korean War.38 However, usage of the post was brief, and it was 

again deactivated in May 1953.39

 

The next phase of activity at Sandy Hook began with the development of the Nike missile 

systems in the 1950’s. Beginning in 1954, the anti- aircraft guns at Sandy Hook were replaced by 

Nike- Ajax surface- to- air missiles. This eventually led to the reactivation of Fort Hancock in 

July 1956 to provide support for the newly installed missile systems.40 The Nike- Ajax missiles 

started to be replaced in 1958 by the longer- range Nike- Hercules missles, which had nuclear 

capabilities. 

The Nike missile system was rendered obsolete by the introduction of the Intercontinental 

Ballistic Missile (ICBM), and the program at Fort Hancock was phased out of service in 1974.41

 34 Greenwood, item 8, p. 4. 

35 HRS, 1895- 1948, p. 598. 36 Greenwood, item 8, p. 5. 

37 Edwin C. Bearss, Historic Resource Study, Fort Hancock: 1948- 1974, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway 

National Recreation Area, Monmouth County, New Jersey (Denver: U.S. DOI, Nov. 1982) p. 18, and pp. 22-

23. Hereinafter HRS, 1948- 1974. 38 HRS, 1948- 1974, p. 24. 39 HRS, 1948- 1974, p. 29. 40 HRS, 1948- 1974, p. 54. 41 Hoffman, The Defenses of Sandy Hook, p. 4. 
22

In October 1972, when the Gateway National Recreation Area was created, the military 

presence at Fort Hancock consisted of: 

• tactical positions for Nike missiles; 

• family housing; 

• a U.S. Army Reserve Center; 

• the First U.S. Army Recreation Area; and 

• the Fort Monmouth Officers Club beach.42

Also present at Sandy Hook were the U.S Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy Reserve, the Fort 

Hancock First Army Recreation Area, the U.S. Department of Commerce Marine Laboratory, 

and the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ Electronics Support Command.43

The closing of Fort Hancock was aptly summarized by Thomas Hoffman as follows: 

Fort Hancock’s long role of guarding the harbor ended on August 15, 

1974. The Army formally deactivated the 16th Air Defense Artillery 

Group at Fort Hancock, and dedicated “Guardian Park” to 

commemorate the Nike Missile Air Defense Era. When Fort Hancock 

closed on December 31, 1974, Sandy Hook had witnessed the entire 

progression of fortifications and weapons used to defend an American 

Harbor.44

On January 1, 1975, Fort Hancock was transferred to the Department of the Interior, ensuring 

the preservation of the site and the interpretation of this important part of American history. 

 42 HRS, 1948- 1974, p. 161. 43 HRS, 1948- 1974, p. 161. 44 Hoffman, The Defenses of Sandy Hook, p. 4. 
23

 N 

Figure 1. Lower New York Harbor, showing Sandy Hook, with inset of a portion of the Eastern Seaboard, 2004. 
24

Figure 2. Map of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, showing location of lighthouse 

 and fort, 1873. 

 N 
25

Figure 3. “Map of Sandy Hook, NJ, June 30, 1892,” showing Sandy Hook Proving Ground structures 

 and the first two batteries built at Sandy Hook.
26

Figure 4. Old barracks in front (west) of new barracks, Building 102, 

circa 1909.

Figure 5. Old barracks in front (west) of new barracks, Building 102, 

circa 1909.
27

Figure 6. “Gun Lift Battery No. 1” (Battery Potter), Isometric View, June 30, 1893. 
28

Figure 7. Map of Sandy Hook Proving Ground, January 23, 1908 (revised December 30, 1918), showing structures and boundary lines. Officers 

Club (Building 5) is indicated with the oval. 
29

Figure 8. Map of Fort Hancock, circa 1900, showing the first 36 buildings constructed there. 
30

Figure 9. Map of Fort Hancock, March 21, 1908; Officers Club is indicated with a circle. 
31

Figure 10. View of Fort Hancock from the Sandy Hook Light, looking west, circa 1911. 
32

CHRONOLOGY OF 

DEVELOPMENT AND USE 

Construction of the “Officers’ Quarters”

In 1876, Colonel Silas Crispin – Commander of the New York Ordnance Agency – notified his 

superiors of the need for additional housing for the personnel stationed at the Sandy Hook 

Proving Ground. Arrangements were made for the ordnance personnel to occupy buildings at 

Sandy Hook that the Corps of Engineers was not using. This was a temporary agreement that 

ended in 1878, when the engineers required the space for an increase in personnel at the site.45

 

Congress approved the appropriation of $12,500 for the construction of a single building to be 

“quarters and accommodations for the Ordnance Board at the Proving Ground, Sandy Hook, 

N.J.” in June 1878.46 On July 3, 1878, Colonel Crispin sent a letter to Chief of Ordnance 

Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, containing proposed plans for the building and a map 

showing the preferred site, 650 feet from the masonry fort (figs. 11- 16). General Benét 

approved the plans and site, and forwarded the correspondence to the Chief of Engineers, 

General Humphreys, asking if there was any objection to the site selected. Upon the request of 

his superiors, Colonel Henry W. Benham, Superintending Engineer at Sandy Hook, reviewed 

the site and recommended the building be positioned northwest of the site selected by Colonel 

Crispin (see notation on fig. 16). 

When they evaluated the site, Colonel Benham told Crispin that, 

unfortunately, it was in the dead angle of the fort’s salient, and thus 

outside the direct line of fire from the masked wall. Even the fire that 

might be borne upon it from the pan coupe of the south front would be 

obstructed by a projected caponniere [sic]. Consequently, a direct 

approach on this salient by the foe would be masked by the proposed 

quarters, which were to be located on the highest ground in the area. Its 

cellar walls of stone would form a breast- height wall for a counterbattery directed against the weakest part of the fort.47

However, Lt. Col. of Engineers H.G. Wright (in the absence of General Humphreys) supported 

the Ordnance Department’s site selection, and forwarded it to the Secretary of War with a 

recommendation that it be approved. He noted that: 

Should the danger ever arise of this building being taken advantage of by 

an enemy as a cover for his approaches or the site of a battery as 

 45 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 38- 39. 46 Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, from Col. Silas Crispin, July 3, 1878; Record 

3605; Letters Received 1812- 1894; General Records; Entry 21, RG 156; NAB. 47 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 42. 
33

suggested by Colonel Benham in his report, it could be readily destroyed 

by the garrison of the work.48

The recommendation of the Chief of Engineers was approved by the Secretary of War on July 

23, 1878.49

The issue of building materials was a point of contention between Colonels Benham and 

Crispin. Colonel Crispin planned on constructing the “Officers’ Quarters” from red brick, 

which he claimed was more comfortable and provided more warmth than a frame structure.50 In 

order to reduce the cost of the building, he wanted to use the granite left on site from the 

construction of the old fort for the foundation. Colonel Benham had already planned to use the 

granite to combat beach erosion. Furthermore, he objected to the use of brick, because he felt 

that the building could be used as cover by a potential enemy, and it would be difficult for the 

garrison to destroy the building in the event of such an attack.51 A compromised was reached: 

Crispin’s request to use the granite was withdrawn, but the building was constructed with brick. 

With the approval of the Secretary of War, General Benét informed Colonel Crispin that he 

should proceed with the construction of the Officers Club and make every effort to have it 

under a roof by winter. But the work did not progress as rapidly as planned. The “Officers’ 

Quarters” were not occupied until June 1879, and even at that point there “remained a number 

of details still requiring attention.”52 The earliest known photograph of the Officers Club (ca. 

1879, figs. 17- 18) documents the original appearance of the building minus the piazza that 

would later wrap around four sides of the main block of the building. The absence of the piazza 

may be evidence of the slow progress made in the construction of the building. However, once 

completed, the building assumed a prominent role in the Sandy Hook community. Its 

importance was readily identifiable from its location – on the highest point of the peninsula – 

and its permanent construction materials – red brick, with brownstone trim and a slate roof. 

 48 Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, from Lt. Col. H.G. Wright, July 23, 1878; 

Record 3605; Letters Received 1812- 1894; General Records; Entry 21, RG 156; NAB. 49 Benét from Wright, July 23, 1878. 

50 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 42. 51 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 42. 52 HRS, 1874- 1919, pp. 43- 44. 
34

Figure 11. “Officers’ Quarters,” proposed front elevation plan, July 1878. 
35

Figure 12. “Officers’ Quarters,” proposed cellar plan, July 1878. 
36

Figure 13. “Officers’ Quarters,” proposed first- story plan, July 1878. 
37

Figure 14. “Officers’ Quarters,” proposed second- story plan, July 1878. 
38

Figure 15. “Officers’ Quarters,” proposed attic plan, July 1878. 
39

Figure 16. Map of Sandy Hook, 1878, showing location of the “Officers’ Quarters,” 

with alternate “position preferred by Col. Benham” marked with an X. 
40

Figure 18. Detail of the Officers Club, north and east 

elevations; note the absence of the piazza. 

Figure 17. The granite fort at Sandy Hook, with the Officers Club in the 

background, circa 1879. 
41

Original Appearance

Throughout this section, references to “plans” or “drawings” indicate the proposed plans (figs. 

11- 15). Existing plans of the Officers Club, with the 1959 room designations,53 as well as room 

numbers and window numbers, are included for reference in Appendix A of this report. In this 

section and the following sections, the 1959 room names will be used for purposes of 

consistency (Appendix A and figs. 73- 74). 

The author relied on the proposed plans for the “Officer’s Quarters” for the overall intent of the 

original design, for the general organization of the interior spaces, and as confirmation of pieces 

of physical evidence. Physical and documentary evidence was used to corroborate the original 

appearance. In particular, a ca.- 1900 photograph of the east/front elevation (fig. 19) provided 

the earliest detailed view of the Officers Club. 

Research revealed that the building was not constructed exactly as depicted in the proposed 

plans, but that the main intent of the design was realized, along with the general room plan and 

period details shown on the plans. A jog in the north elevation was eliminated, probably 

because it would have complicated the construction of the walls and the roof. Also, the rear ell 

was extended by one room, most likely to provide more room for the servants. 

Exterior Elements 

Size 

The brick structure consisted of a two- and- one- half story main block measuring 

approximately 50 feet 7 inches wide by 45 feet 9 inches deep, and a two- story rear ell measuring 

approximately 18 feet 4 inches wide by 41 feet 6 inches deep. A one- story brick entry vestibule 

was attached to the front of the building, measuring 13 feet wide by 6 feet 3 inches deep. 

Style 

Colonel Crispin’s description of the “Officers’ Quarters” stated that “The structure is proposed 

to be of brick, with a Mansard attic, and piazzas, as shown in the drawings.”54 In accordance 

with the proposed plans, the “Officers’ Quarters” was built in the Second Empire style, which 

was a popular type of Victorian- era architecture. Its defining feature was the mansard roof, 

which is a double- pitched hip roof. The lower section is a steeply pitched roof, which is more 

 53 The plans of the Officers Club prepared in 1959 are the most recent documents depicting the room 

layout of the first and second stories of the building. The room designations used in the 1959 plans are 

used throughout this report for consistency and clarity. However, it has been noted that some of the 

room names and uses changed during the later years of the U.S. Army’s occupancy of the building. These 

name and use changes are discussed in the section “Alterations.” 54 Brigadier General Stephen V. Benét, Chief of Ordnance, from Col. Silas Crispin, July 3, 1878; Record 

3605; General Records, Letters Received 1812- 1894; Entry 21, RG 156; NAB. 
42

of an extension of the exterior walls, and the upper section is a shallow- pitched hip roof. This 

particular roof style was named for 17th- century French architect François Mansart, and was 

popularized during France’s Second Empire period and the reign of Napoleon III.55 However, 

as was typical of the period, the building exhibited a combination of various Victorian 

influences. 

In its original design and construction, the east/front façade of the building displayed a 

symmetrical five- bay pattern, which is illustrated in the plans (fig. 11), as well as in a ca.- 1900 

photograph of the building (fig. 19). The symmetry was carried up through the dormers in the 

mansard roof. The center dormer contained a single window; on either side of it was a larger 

dormer with paired windows. The façade’s piazza reiterated the rhythm, by having a projecting 

section and entry stairway at the center. The hierarchy of the façade would have marked this as 

the main entrance to this stately building. 

Foundation and Walls 

As noted previously, the original planning for the Officers Club called for the use of some of the 

rough granite blocks already on site. The engineers had other plans for the granite, and on this 

point the Chief of Ordnance conceded: “Stone for the foundation, in view of the position taken 

by Colonel Benham, would be provided from the appropriation for the quarters.”56 As built, the 

exterior walls of the Officers Club, from the foundation to the attic level, were of red brick with 

brownstone trim at the doorway and window openings. The walls were five wythes (brick 

widths) thick at the basement level, four wythes thick at the first level, and three wythes thick at 

the second and attic levels. The bricks were typically laid up in a common bond pattern of seven 

stretcher courses and one header course. The mortar joints were approximately an eighth of an 

inch wide and tooled; the mortar appears to have been a sand/lime mortar. (Mortar analysis was 

not performed as part of this report.) A brownstone water table, dressed with a top beveled 

edge, extended around the exterior of the building. 

Porches 

The earliest photograph of the Officers Club, dated ca. 1879, shows it without a piazza on the 

east/front elevation (figs. 17 - 18). This was possibly one of the unfinished items at the time of 

occupancy. However, the proposed plan, building design, and proportions leave little doubt 

that the piazza was part of the original intent (fig. 11). The plan of the structure illustrates a 

piazza wrapping around all four sides of the main block, and smaller porches on the rear ell (fig. 

13). Early maps of Sandy Hook illustrate the “footprint” of the Officers Club with a porch 

extending along the entire south side of the rear ell (figs. 20- 21). These same maps also indicate 

that a porch was constructed on the north side of the rear ell. 

 55 Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf 

Publishing, 1984), p. 242. 56 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 43. 
43

Portions of the main block’s piazza are extant on the east elevation, and there is ample 

documentation of its configuration during the 20th century. However, on- site evidence does 

not convey the exact configuration of the porches on the rear ell, which were removed during 

later alterations. 

Paint samples from the piazza elements have a similar stratigraphy to samples taken from the 

original window openings. Based on this physical evidence and the documentary evidence, it is 

apparent that the porches were completed soon after the occupancy of the Officers Club in 

1879. 

 

As planned, the piazza was one story high. It began on the west elevation, at the rear ell, and 

extended continuously across the south and east elevations, and along the north elevation to the 

bay window on this elevation. It was 9 feet wide and covered approximately 1,336 square feet. 

On the east elevation the piazza projected out, echoing the projection of the vestibule and 

delineating the front entry. The projection was fronted by a flight of steps, which constituted 

the primary access to the piazza. Additional sets of steps were located at the northwest end of 

the piazza near the bay window, and on the west side of the piazza. 

The piazza was a wood- framed structure supported on brick piers set every 9 feet. Positioned 

above the piers were column bases that in turn supported square Doric columns extending to 

the cornice level. The edges of the columns were chamfered, with “lamb’s- tongue” stops. The 

columns were capped with Doric capitals. Above the column capitals, scroll brackets supported 

the cornice (fig. 22). These brackets were 14 inches high, 27 inches wide, and 3 inches deep, 

with a combination of ovolo, cyma, and quarter- round moldings typical of the Victorian era. 

The drawing of the proposed “Front Elevation” shows diagonal lattice between the brick piers 

and no balustrade. The photograph from ca. 1900 (fig. 19) depicts the porch with no lattice and 

no balustrade. Paint evidence indicates that the existing latticework and balustrade were later 

additions. 

The ceiling of the porch was tongue- and- groove beaded boards. A section of the ceiling at the 

front entry was recessed (fig. 23). It is not known why the porch was constructed in this 

manner. This feature does further delineate the entrance, and it is possible that the ceiling was 

so constructed to accommodate the high lintel of the entry doorway. 

The cornice of the porch was detailed with 4- inch- wide brackets set 13 1⁄4 inches apart. The 

brackets were elliptical ovolo moldings combined with a small cavetto at the top and a bevel at 

the bottom (fig. 22). The cornice brackets at each column were 5 1⁄4 inches wide and further 

detailed with fillet moldings at the edges. 

Doorways and Windows 

The placement of doorway and window openings in the building figures prominently in the 

Victorian design. This is illustrated in the drawing of the “Front Elevation” (fig. 11). Though 

the doorway and window details were not executed exactly as drawn, and the placement of 

some openings deviates from the proposed plan, the overall intent for the façade was 

implemented. Many of the building’s original openings are extant and continue to convey the 

intent of the original design, and they also provide evidence of original details and finishes. 
44

The five- bay pattern of the east façade of the Officers Club was defined by the fenestration. 

The primary rooms on the first story (Rooms 103 and 108) were furnished with large windows 

that extended from the piazza’s floor to ceiling. This admitted more light into those east- and 

south- facing rooms, and also gave weight to the design of the façade. Other window openings 

throughout the building contained conventionally sized double- hung sashes. The fenestration 

on the other elevations was less regimented and more dictated by the interior spaces. 

The windows at the basement level were single casement windows hinged at the top to open 

into the basement. Each sash measured 39 1⁄2 inches wide by 20 1⁄2 inches high and was divided 

into three lights. The basement windows each had a wooden header measuring 4 by 14 inches, 

faced with a 4- by 6- inch brownstone lintel. The window sill was a 2- by 14- inch wooden 

member faced with a 2- by 6- inch brownstone sill. The lintels of the basement windows were 

set flush with the foundation brick, and the sills extended 2 inches beyond the wall; both were 

unadorned. 

The cellar plan of the Officers Club placed the bulkhead on the west elevation of the rear ell. It 

is evident that the current bulkhead doorway is the original one, based on its brickwork and the 

construction of its header and lintel. The bulkhead doorway was a utilitarian opening 4 feet 4 

inches wide, with a tongue- and- groove, beaded- board door housed within a simple casing. 

The doorway was framed with a 4- by 14- inch wooden header and a 4- by 6- inch brownstone 

lintel. The lintel was tooled to a smooth finish and was flush with the exterior brickwork. 

The center bay of the east/front façade featured a projecting entry vestibule that identified the 

main entrance to the building. The doorway here was an inviting set of double doors with a 

brownstone lintel and sill (fig. 24). The lintel was constructed with shallow brackets at either 

end, and was dressed with beveled outside edges, a chamfered lower edge, and a shallow cyma 

profile on the brackets of the lintel. Each door had eight lights in the upper half and one small 

wooden panel below. These were framed by decorative molding. A transom light extended 

above the double doors. The entry was surrounded with a plain wood casing and flanked by 

sidelights. 

In plan, the trim elements of the first- and second- story windows were plain, capped elements. 

However, they received a more decorative design as built. The windows were faced with 

brownstone lintels and sills, similar to the front entry (fig. 25). The lintels protruded from the 

masonry wall 1 1⁄2 inches, the outside edges were beveled, the lower edge was chamfered, and the 

ears of the lintel had a shallow cyma profile. The brownstone sills had a shallow pitch, but were 

otherwise unadorned. The horns of the brownstone sills extended 1 1⁄2 inches beyond the rough 

opening. 

The first- story windows that opened into the primary rooms were large openings with 

brownstone headers and sills. These openings measured 44 inches wide by 120 inches high, and 

had double- hung, four- over- four sashes. The window lights measured 17 1⁄4 inches wide by 

26 3

/8 inches high. The muntins were 1 inch wide by 1 1⁄4 inches deep and had a slightly curved 

profile. 

As part of the original design and construction, the main block of the building had a one- story 

bay window on the north elevation (fig. 26). The bay window had angled sides; its three 

windows contained double- hung, two- over- two sashes measuring 42 1⁄4 inches wide by 94 
45

inches high. The brownstone lintels and sills of the bay window displayed the same detailing as 

other windows on the building. 

The typical window openings at the second- story level measured 44 inches wide by 82 inches 

high and had double- hung, one- over- one sashes (fig. 25). The second story also featured some 

atypical openings. Based on examination of the earliest photographs, the center bay of the front 

elevation was an elongated opening that contained double- hung sashes and a smaller two- light 

sash above (fig. 19). Tall window openings were also constructed on the north elevation above 

the bay window. In this location the sashes were paired to create a larger opening. This 

configuration is evident in both the plans and the early photograph (figs. 13, 18, and 27). 

Narrower windows 32 inches wide (W116 and W210) were used on both the first and second 

stories at the northwest corner of the main block near its junction with the rear ell. These held 

double- hung, one- over- one sashes with brownstone lintels and sills. 

The second story of the west elevation of the main block was designed with two windows: one 

centered in the wall of the southwest bedroom (Room 215), and a wide window at the landing of 

the main stairway to the second story (fig. 14). Two apparently original windows are extant in 

this elevation today: one at the extreme south end of the elevation (W223), and the narrow 

northwest- corner window just described (W210). The offset location of the southwest window 

suggests that Room 215 may have had two windows in this wall prior to the enlargement of the 

ell ca. 1905. This arrangement that would have mirrored that of the east elevation, but it cannot 

be confirmed without further destructive investigation. The interior casing of the original 

landing window appears to be intact, but nothing else of that window is visible. 

At the attic level, the east façade had five windows similar to the stories below, but they were 

grouped into three dormers: a center dormer with one window was flanked by two dormers 

with paired windows. This arrangement was echoed on the west elevation, contrary to the 

proposed attic plan (fig. 15). The north and south elevations each had three dormers, rather 

than the two shown on the proposed attic plan. These were symmetrically placed and had a 

single window each. 

All of the dormer windows in the mansard roof were framed in wood. All window openings had 

a segmentally arch head (fig. 28). The dormer casings were detailed with an applied fillet 

molding, chamfering on the outer and inner edges and on the segmental arch of the window 

opening, and they were flared at the base. Many of these details matched the proposed plans, 

but the flared bases were less elaborate than planned. The typical dormer cornice had an arch in 

the center, and the arched crown over the double window was extenuated and segmental in 

shape. 

The typical opening of the single dormers was 38 3⁄4 inches wide by 66 3⁄4 inches high. The paired 

windows were set within the same casing and separated by a mullion. Overall the doublewindow opening measured 81 inches wide by 66 3⁄4 inches high, and the individual openings 

were 32 1⁄2 inches wide by 62 1⁄4 inches high. All windows at this level had double- hung, oneover- one sashes. The top rail of the top sash was segmentally arched to match the window 

opening (fig. 29). 
46

On the proposed plan for the rear ell, the fenestration was regular and placed primarily to serve 

the function of the interior spaces. As previously explained, early photographs and physical 

investigation prove that the ell was built longer than planned. Photographs verify that the 

second story of the ell had four openings on the north elevation and two openings on the west 

elevation (fig. 27). No such documentation was found for the windows of the first story of the 

ell. However, extant windows W117 and W123 appear to be original. Based on an investigation 

of W117 and the photographs, the original window openings on the first story of the rear ell 

appear to have held double- hung, two- over- two sashes; those on the second story had 

double- hung, four- over- four sashes. 

The proposed plans for the Officers Club showed entrances on both the north and south 

elevations of the rear ell. The south- elevation opening is now the location of an interior 

doorway. Examination of extant framing in the basement and alterations in the foundation 

suggests that a feature formerly projected from the building at this point, but was later removed 

and infilled with loose bricks (figs. 30- 31). Paint evidence, which indicates that the current 

doorway to the rear ell was a later alteration, supports the existence of the earlier opening on the 

south elevation. Evidence of the north- elevation exterior doorway was removed during 

alterations. 

Roofs 

The main roof of the Officers Club was the defining feature of the structure’s Second Empire 

style, and made it unique among the buildings at Sandy Hook. As previously discussed, the roof 

was pierced with dormer windows. In the proposed plans the roof was shown topped by 

decorative iron cresting. No evidence of this feature was discovered on site, nor does it appear 

in archival photographs. 

The lower slope of the mansard roof was covered with gray slates. The slates were scallopshaped and set in a fish- scale pattern, approximately 6 inches to the weather. The hips of the 

mansard were finished with boards. 

Metal roofing material covered the low- pitched upper hip roof of the mansard. Previous 

reports documented this as a flat- seam metal roof, and maintenance records also referred to it 

as a metal roof, which was consistent with other roofs on the building.57

The mansard roof was constructed with two wooden cornices, a lower and an upper. The lower 

cornice was constructed with a typically deep overhang at the eave. Both the lower and upper 

cornice incorporated an integral gutter system. The lower cornice molding used built- up 

elliptical designs and was supported by heavy brackets projecting from the frieze (fig. 32). The 

brackets were 10 inches wide and carved with elliptical ovolo, cyma, and quarter- round designs 

to imitate Italianate details. Adding to the classical vocabulary of the cornice were dentil blocks 

placed between the brackets. The upper cornice was a wide feature, measuring approximately 2 

feet high. It was also constructed with a number of moldings joined together to form the crown 

of the mansard roof. 

 57 C. Thomas Ballos, Completion Report, Emergency Stabilization of Historic Fort Hancock, Gateway 

National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit (U.S. DOI, NPS, North Atlantic Regional Office, Building 

Conservation Branch, 1993), p. 15. 
47

The roofs of the dormers were also covered with flat- seam metal pans (fig. 33). They were 

constructed with a complex ridge/hip/valley combination, which allowed water to shed around 

the arched crown. 

The main roof of the Officers Club was pierced by four red- brick chimneys. Early photographs 

indicate that the chimneys were corbelled at the top, which was typical for the period. 

The profile of a roof hatch on the upper hip roof is visible in the earliest photograph of the 

building. This may have been the outline of an original skylight that would have illuminated 

both the attic hallway and the second- story hallway. The roof currently has two skylights that 

protrude from the roof, but which are roofed over. It is possible that both were part of the 

original structure: on- site examination could not confirm the installation date of the skylights. 

The rear ell was originally two stories high with a shallow- pitched hip roof. The roof was 

covered with metal and would have most likely used the same materials as those extant on the 

main roof. The roof configuration is evident in early photographs and in the proposed plan of 

the attic level (figs. 15, 18, and 27). A red- brick chimney extended up through the second story 

and the center ridge of the ell’s hip roof. It serviced the cooking hearth. 

Paint evidence demonstrates that the existing cornice of the rear ell is not original. Upon close 

examination of the earliest photograph, one can observe small brackets below the cornice of the 

original hip roof. This roof would have also incorporated an integral gutter system. 

The roof of the piazza was a low- pitched metal roof supported by a traditional framing system. 

Photographic documentation during the 1991 building stabilization demonstrates original 

construction techniques. The rafter system utilized dimensional lumber and was decked with 

tongue- and- groove fir boards (fig. 34). The rafter ends were extended with notched boards 

that supported the integral gutter and cornice (fig. 35). The roof covering was flat- seamed 

metal. The metal roofing material was bent upward at the wall of the building and then tucked 

into the brick, forming an integral flashing system.58

Finishes 

The earliest photograph of the Officers Club from ca. 1879 (fig. 18) depicts the building with 

light- colored window trim and dark- colored cornice trim (Appendix C). Paint analysis 

indicates that the window trim was painted off- white paint and the cornice brown. As 

previously discussed, the ca.- 1879 photograph appears to have been taken prior to the 

completion of the building. It is possible that the paints were intended as primers, but the paint 

evidence suggests that they were left exposed for some time before the second paint scheme. 

A more detailed photograph of the Officers Club (figs. 19 and 36) from ca. 1900 and the ca.-

1895 photograph taken during the construction of Battery Potter (fig. 37) depict a polychrome 

paint scheme for the structure. In those photographs, the exterior brick was unpainted, and the 

window trim and cornice details are painted a dark color. The ca.- 1900 photograph of the east 

façade shows that the columns, column bases, and column brackets were finished with a lighter 

color, which was also evident on a portion of a column visible in the ca.- 1895 photograph. Paint 

 58 Ballos, pp. 19- 20. 
48

analysis indicates that the period trim color was a red- brown, and that the accent color applied 

to the column elements was a golden- tan during that period (Appendix C). As documented by 

the photographs, this paint scheme was on the Officers Club from ca. 1890 through ca. 1900. 

Structural Elements 

Bearing Walls 

The exterior brick bearing walls of the Officers Club began at the foundation level and extended 

up to the attic level to support the roof structure. The foundation walls were 20 inches thick and 

set on rough granite footings. At the first story the walls were 17 inches thick and were then 

stepped back by one brick wythe at the second story (fig. 38). At the attic level of the main 

block, the bearing wall formed a knee wall that carried the plate for the roof. Exterior openings 

in the bearing walls were constructed with segmental relieving arches (fig. 39). The two- story 

rear ell was similarly constructed, with exterior bearing walls supporting the hipped roof 

structure. 

The main block of the building had two interior bearing walls constructed with red brick. These 

walls were 12 inches thick and extended from the basement level up through the attic level, 

forming the east- west center hallway. Interior openings in the bearing walls at the basement 

level were headed with solid beams measuring 9 3⁄4 inches by 11 1⁄2 inches. Also at the basement 

level were interior brick partition walls. These were 12 inches thick and supported the wooden 

interior partitions at the first, second, and attic levels of the building. 

Structural Framing 

At the first, second, and attic levels of the Officers Club the floors were framed with vertically 

sawn floor joists measuring 3 by 10 inches, which spanned from the exterior bearing walls to the 

interior bearing walls. The framing members were set in pockets in the masonry walls (fig. 38). 

The four chimney bays of the main block were constructed with 4- by 10- inch framing. As part 

of the original construction, the joist framing was strengthened with 2- by 4- inch bridging 

fastened with cut nails. 

 The wall- framing studs at all levels were vertically sawn sticks measuring 2 1⁄2 by 3 3⁄4 inches, 

spaced roughly 12 inches on center. 

The structural framing of the window openings consisted of interior wooden headers that 

supported the relieving arches and were faced with brownstone lintels. The interior structural 

sills were also wood and faced with brownstone exterior sills, as described previously. 

Roof Framing 

The double- pitched mansard roof of the Officers Club was framed with a combination of 

framing members. The lower pitch of the roof was set on a 3- by 12- inch plate attached to the 
49

top of the brick bearing wall. It was framed with 4- by 4- inch hip rafters, and alternating 4- by 

6- inch and 21⁄2- by 33⁄4- inch jack rafters (fig. 40). All rafters sat directly on the plate and were 

beveled at a slight angle. A 4- by 6- inch upper plate formed the juncture between the lower and 

upper hips. The upper hip was constructed with 4- by 6- inch hip rafters and 3- by 6- inch jack 

rafters. The rafters were beveled and extended slightly beyond the upper plate to support the 

upper cornice of the mansard roof. The stud framing for the attic level was let into the upper 

plate with mortise and tenon joinery (fig. 41). The dormers of the mansard roof were framed 

with wood structural members measuring 4 1⁄4 by 6 1⁄2 inches. 

Interior Elements 

Basement 

In the basement of the Officers Club the two interior brick bearing walls were 7 feet 6 inches 

high; they formed an east- west center corridor that was used as a utility room (fig. 12). The 

basement was further divided by interior masonry walls, three wythes thick, that supported the 

structure above. The foundations for the vestibule and the bay window on the north elevation 

were separate areas connected to the main basement by openings in the walls. The brick walls at 

this level were left exposed. 

The basement of the rear ell was connected to the main block by an opening in the west exterior 

bearing wall. The ell basement was rectangular in plan and interrupted only by the chimney 

base for the kitchen fireplace. 

Based on the floor extant in Room 008, all basement floors were probably paved with pieces of 

brick. The basement ceilings were unfinished and consisted of exposed framing. Framing 

details were previously described in the “Structural Elements” section of this report. 

Physical analysis of the existing finishes in the basement revealed no visible accumulation of dirt 

between the substrate and the first finish. Further testing determined that the earliest finish was 

a lime/whitewash. This evidence suggests that the brick walls and exposed framing were 

whitewashed soon after the original construction. 

The exterior openings at this level were described in the “Exterior Elements” section. The 

interior openings were situated to facilitate access between the partitioned areas (fig. 12). These 

openings were headed with substantial timbers but not furnished with doors. 

The stairway from the basement to the first story was located in the rear ell. The only surviving 

evidence of the stairway is the framing. Based on that evidence, it appears that this was the 

location of the original and sole interior basement stairway. 

In the basement the four brick chimneys of the main block were supported by vaulted bases. 

These chimney bases were integral to the interior bearing walls. The base of the kitchen 

chimney has been altered, but the construction technique – along with photographs and 

proposed plans – indicate that the extant chimney was part of the original building. 
50

First Story 

Plan 

The plan for the first story of the Officers Club included a center hallway defined by the interior 

east- west bearing walls (figs. 13 and 73, and Appendix A, fig. 89). Projecting from the east end 

of the hallway was the entry vestibule. North of the hallway were a “Sitting Room” at the front 

of the building and a “Dining Room” behind it. These were separated by closets (later altered to 

bathrooms).59 As proposed, the area south of the hallway contained two rooms, an “Office” in 

the southeast corner and a “Board Room” in the southwest corner. 

The plan of the rooms north of the center hallway is relatively intact. The Sitting Room became 

the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), a primary room in the northeast corner of the building. The 

Dining Room, which contained the three- sided bay window and had direct access to the rear ell 

and kitchen area, eventually became the Men’s Lounge (Room 104). As planned, each of these 

rooms was accessed from the central hallway by two doorways, one on either side of a fireplace 

on the interior bearing wall. 

There was no evidence that the rooms south of the hallway were constructed as planned. 

Investigation of the physical evidence indicates that it is more likely that this was built as one 

large room. The double doorway from the hallway has the same casing as other original 

doorways on the first story. Observation of the construction of the doorway suggests that it was 

neither rebuilt nor constructed with reused materials. In addition, the paint evidence on the 

casing of the double doorway is similar to that of other casings in the room, as well as the 

baseboard (Appendix C). The location of the double doorway would not have allowed for a 

partition in the Lounge (Room 108). Furthermore, there is no physical evidence of an original 

partition. An existing doorway in the southwest corner of the hallway (Room 102) was 

originally an entry to the Lounge (Room 108). Evidence of other doorways from the hallway 

(Room 102) to the Lounge (Room 108) was not detectable visually. 

The rear ell of the Officers Club was one room wide and extended west from the main block in a 

“shotgun” fashion. In the proposed plan the rear ell was two rooms deep, but it was actually 

built as three rooms deep. The middle room had a cooking hearth and would have been a 

kitchen (Room 105). The kitchen was separated from the east room in the ell (Room 105a) by a 

stairway to the second story. Room 105a was probably originally a pantry; it had a doorway to 

the original dining room (now the Men’s Lounge, Room 104), and was historically used as a 

pantry. The doorway between the pantry and the dining room was designed as a conventionalsized doorway. Though no longer extant, this doorway – which provided the only access 

between the main block and the rear ell – was most likely constructed as planned. 

The ell room farthest to the west (Room 105b) was planned as a laundry room, but no evidence 

of that earlier use remains. The construction of the Laundry Building (Building 113) in 1905 

does suggest that that function may have moved from the Officers Club to the ancillary building 

at that time (see the subsequent discussion “Ancillary Structures”). 

 59 Park staff recalls that the Men’s Lounge was switched to Room 103 and the Ladies Lounge to Room 

104 sometime after plans of the building were prepared in 1959 and before the NPS took over in 1974. 

For the purpose of this report, the nomenclature used in the 1959 plans will be used throughout. 
51

Floors 

Some of the floors of the Officers Club were parquetry, which is an ornamental inlay pattern of 

closely fitted pieces of wood, typically using two or more colors or tones.60 The extant floor in 

the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) was typical for the period of construction, and was most likely 

original to the room. Historic photographs from the 1940’s of the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

show a floor with a similar pattern (fig. 42). Though no longer extant, this may have been an 

original parquetry floor. Based on this evidence and other extant examples at the second and 

attic levels, it appears that this type of floor was used in some of the first- story rooms. 

A brief description of work scheduled for the Officers Club in 1884 mentions repainting the 

floors of “uncarpeted” first- story rooms, which indicates that some rooms were carpeted at the 

time.61 This work occurred only five years after the building’s completion; it is unlikely that the 

flooring in the Officers Club would have been replaced so soon, nor is there any documentation 

of such changes. Therefore, it appears that some of the first- story rooms were carpeted when 

the building was first occupied. 

Walls and Ceilings 

The interior framing of the Officers Club was furred out with sawn wood lath 1 1⁄2 inches wide, 

which was evident in several rooms. The wall and ceiling lath was plastered in a traditional 

three- coat system. At the juncture of the wall and ceiling was a plaster cornice that was run in 

place. 

Doorways and Windows 

Most of the interior doorways were single doorways 3 feet 4 inches wide by 9 feet 5 inches high 

(fig. 43). The doorway to the vestibule was a double doorway with a pair of doors, a transom, 

and sidelights. The transom was a single light. The sidelights were also single lights, with a 

recessed wood panel below. The centered doorway to the Lounge (Room 108) was also a 

double doorway with a pair of doors. The doorway casings at this level were composite 

moldings that combined cyma, quarter round, and ovolo profiles. The corners of the casings 

were constructed with corner blocks. The original finish on the door surrounds was a dark 

resinous layer, probably shellac. 

The windows have been described previously as exterior elements. The window surrounds 

employed the same details as the doorway casings, and were originally finished with the same 

dark resinous layer. 

Stairways 

The stairway from the first story to the second story was located in the center of the main 

hallway (fig. 13). This was a double- return stairway that led to a landing and continued to the 

second- story hallway by way of two side flights of stairs. The first two steps of the stairway 

were curved, and the rest of the steps had 7 1⁄2- inch risers and 12- inch treads. The treads and 

 60 Cyril M. Harris, American Architecture an Illustrated Encyclopedia (New York: W.W. Norton & 

Company, Inc., 1998) p. 241. 61 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 67. 
52

risers were covered with wood strips to carry the parquetry flooring pattern to the next story 

(fig. 44). The balusters were turned in a classical form. The newel posts appear to have been 

replaced (see “Current Physical Description”). The handrail of the balustrade had a wide 

molded profile. The fascia board encircling the stairwell opening at second- story level was 

detailed with rectangular molded panels. The elements of the stairway were finished with a 

resin similar to other woodwork on the first story. 

A stairway to the second story of the rear ell was located in the kitchen (Room 105). As 

previously discussed, the rear ell was constructed with three rooms, rather than the two rooms 

shown in the proposed drawings. The physical evidence suggests that the staircase from the first 

story to the second story was constructed above the basement stairway, as depicted in the 1959 

floor plan (fig. 73). Thus, the staircase was situated between the former pantry (Room 105a) and 

the kitchen. 

Fireplaces 

The proposed plan for the first story of the Officers Club depicts five fireplaces in the main 

block and two in the rear ell. Judging from the construction of the chimney bases and the 

framing in the basement, the main block was constructed with the fireplaces as planned. Only 

three of the original fireplaces remain in the main block: one in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) 

and two in the Lounge (Room 108). One fireplace also remains in the kitchen (Room 105) in the 

rear ell. Other original fireplaces were removed during alterations. 

The fireplace in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) had a cast- iron fireback set in a slate surround 

(fig. 45). The fireback was inscribed by the manufacture as follows: “W. JACKSON & SON, 166 

BROADWAY, 246 FRONT ST, NEW YORK, NY.” W. Jackson & Son was established in New 

York City in 1827, and W.H. Jackson was given a patent for a cast- iron ornamental fireback on 

July 27, 1869. It appears that the same W. Jackson provided the cast- iron back for the fireplace 

in the Officers Club. The fireplace had a decorative wooden mantelpiece that consisted of 

pilasters supporting an entablature and mantel shelf. The surround was detailed with carved 

floral and shell designs, and was finished with a resinous coating matching other woodwork. 

Surviving evidence indicates that all the woodwork on the first story was resin- coated, probably 

shellac (Appendix C). Wall and ceiling coverings and/or finishes were difficult to ascertain due 

to the lack of remaining scraps. 

Second Story 

Plan 

The east- west interior bearing walls of the main block extended through the second story, 

maintaining a center corridor flanked by rooms to the north and south. As planned and 

constructed, there were five “Bed Rooms” at this level of the main block (figs. 14, 74, and 

Appendix A, fig. 90). All of the bedrooms opened off the center hallway. Adjoining closets 

separated the bedrooms on both sides of the hallway. 
53

The rear ell was built with three bedrooms. These were servant’s quarters and, according to 

documentation, were initially unheated spaces. Originally there was no doorway between the 

main block of the building and the rear ell at the second- story level. The ell was accessed only 

by a service stairway that ran from the middle bedroom down to the first- story kitchen area.62

Floors 

The floors in the hallway provide a good example of how other floors in the building may have 

originally looked. The main area of the floor is laid in a parquet pattern, which is bordered by 

parquetry in a Greek fretwork design (fig. 47). The parquet floor is also extant on the 

intermediate stairway landing to the second story. In this latter case, the border had parallel 

inlays of different colored woods. 

Walls and Ceilings 

The walls and ceilings were furred out with sawn wood lath and coated with plaster. A plaster 

cornice was run at the transition between the walls and the ceilings (fig. 46). Original wall 

finishes could not be determined from the extant evidence. However, the hallway ceiling is 

intact; the earliest surviving paint layer was off- white, but it is unclear what period this 

represents. 

Doorways and Windows 

Two surviving early casings were found on the second story of the main block. Both of these 

casings had the same profile as those on the first story. One was located at the intermediate 

stairway landing to the second story, and surrounded what was originally a large window 

opening on the west elevation. (The opening was later converted to a doorway to the rear ell; 

see “Alterations”). That casing was originally finished with a resinous coat similar to the firststory doorway casings. The other casing surrounded the doorway to Room 215. It was 

originally painted: the first layer of paint was an off- white primer, followed by a golden- tan 

finish color. 

Stairways 

The two short flights of steps of the double- return stairway led from the intermediate landing to 

the center hallway. The second- story hallway also had a central double- return stairway that led 

to the attic level. The risers and treads of this stairway were detailed with parquetry, which 

continued the decorative theme of the parquetry flooring up to the attic. 

Fireplaces 

In plan the second story had four fireplaces. They were located in each of the large bedrooms, 

directly above the first- story fireplaces. There is no extant evidence of these fireplaces. 

 62 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 186. 
54

Attic Level 

The attic was planned with seven bedrooms to accommodate Ordnance personnel (fig. 15). The 

1938 fire and subsequent remodeling have altered some of the building materials, but records 

and physical evidence have survived to help to interpret some original details. 

Records document that in the early 20th century (prior to the 1938 fire) the main block of the 

attic had five bedrooms. The existing physical evidence indicates that the framing in this part of 

the attic was not substantially altered after the 1938 fire. Though the partition walls are covered 

with metal lath and plaster, it seems likely that the current partitions in the main block are 

similar to the original configuration (Appendix A, fig. 91). Therefore, it is likely that the attic 

was constructed with five bedrooms, probably with some closets between the rooms, similar to 

the arrangement on the second story. 

The double- return stairway from the second story was located in the center hallway, and the 

rooms opened off of the hallway. The walls and ceilings originally would have been finished 

with wood lath and plaster, similar to those elements on the lower levels of the building. This 

was evident from the plaster burns (marks) on the exposed framing. Also extant was the 

parquetry floor in the hallway, which has a mosaic wood border. 

Utility Systems 

The proposed plan for the Officers Club included a hot- air furnace, which was to be installed in 

the center corridor of the basement. The typical hot- air furnace for that period would have 

been coal- fired, with air ducts leading to floor grates and/or vents in the chimney mass, as 

illustrated in the plan (fig. 12). The system is no longer extant, but the first- story floor contains 

framing that suggests vents for a hot- air heating system were part of the original construction. 

The materials used in framing the floor vents appears to be similar to other period framing 

materials, including the use of cut nails as fasteners. 

On the first and second stories, evidence of the original utilities has either been removed or was 

covered during later alterations. The floor framing does indicate that there were vents with 

floor grates on the first story, and the plan shows vents for distributing heat from the chimney 

mass, but there was no extant evidence of chimney vents. The attic level was apparently 

unheated when the building was first occupied.63

The first use of electric light in the Officers Club was well- documented in annual reports for the 

post (see the section “Alterations”); it did not occur until eight years after construction. Other 

buildings on the post used oil lamps and lanterns, which may have been the original means of 

lighting the Officers Club. It is also possible that the building employed a system of piped gas for 

lighting, but no evidence was found for such a system. 

 63 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 186. 
55

Figure 19. Officers Club, east/front facade, ca. 1900. 
56

Figure 20. “Officers Quarters,” 1892. Note the delineation of porches. 

 N 

N

Figure 21. “Ordnance Officers Mess,” 1901. Note the delineation of porches.
57

Figure 22. Officers Club, north elevation, piazza brackets, 2005. 

Figure 23. Officers Club, east façade , piazza ceiling, 2005. 
58

Figure 25. Officers Club, east 

façade, second story, showing 

typical window elements, ca. 1900.

Figure 24. Officers Club, 

east façade, showing front 

entrance, ca. 1900. 
59

Figure 26. Officers Club, north elevation, bay window, 2005. 

Figure 27. Officers Club, showing window openings, ca. 1904. 
60

Figure 28. Officers Club, east elevation of mansard roof, showing dormer 

with paired windows, 2005. 

Figure 29. Officers Club, 

interior side of dormer 

sashes with arched top rail, 

2005.
61

Figure 30. Officers Club, basement of rear ell, south wall, showing extant 

framing and brick infill that is evidence of earlier opening, 2005. 

Figure 31. Officers Club, 

south- elevation entry to 

rear ell, 1878. 
62

Figure 32. Officers Club, mansard roof, lower cornice brackets, 2005. 

Figure 33. Officers Club, 

mansard roof, dormer 

roofing material, 1992. 
63

Figure 34. Officers Club, east façade, piazza roof, showing original framing 

and repairs, 1991. 

Figure 35. Officers Club, east facade, piazza roof, showing original framing 

with extended rafters for integral gutters. 
64

Figure 36. Officers Club, east- facade piazza, showing period paint 

scheme, ca. 1900. 

Figure 37. Construction of Battery Potter, looking northwest; Officers Club 

in background, ca. 1895. 
65

Figure 38. Officers Club, showing exterior bearing- wall construction at 

transition from first story to second story; also shows pockets in masonry 

for framing, 2005. 

Figure 39. Officers Club, typical brick relieving arch above window 

opening, as seen from Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), 2005. 
66

Figure 40. Officers Club, attic, showing framing of lower slope of mansard 

roof with alternating jack rafters, 2005. 

Figure 41. Officers Club, attic framing detail, showing joinery of wall 

stud and jack rafter into upper plate of mansard roof, 2005.
67

Figure 42. Officers Club, Men’s Lounge (Room 104), detail from historic 

photograph showing parquetry floor no longer extant, ca. 1942. 

Figure 43. Officers 

Club, Ladies’ Lounge 

(Room 103), looking 

south at typical 

doorway, 2005. 
68

Figure 44. Officers Club, center hallway (Room 102), stairway, 

showing parquet pattern on treads and risers, 2005. 

Figure 45. Officers Club, Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), 

south- wall fireplace, 2005. 
69

Figure 46. Officers Club, second- story center hallway (Room 201), 

ceiling plaster on wood lath, 2005. 

Figure 47. Officers Club, 

second- story center hallway 

(Room 201), parquetry floor, 

2005. 
70

Alterations

Though there may have been some details still requiring attention, the Officers Club was ready 

for occupancy by June 30, 1879.64 From the initial requirement of quarters for the Ordnance 

Officers, through the history of the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and Fort Hancock, the 

Officers Club continued to fill an important role in the military life at Sandy Hook. 

Physical investigation of the building, materials analysis, and archival research indicate that a 

majority of the extant materials are original. This includes the brick foundation, exterior brick 

walls of the main block, brownstone water table, brownstone window sills and lintels, and much 

of the exterior wood trim. Photographs and maintenance records indicate that the original 

mansard roof had slate on the lower hip and flat- seamed metal pans on the upper hip. Records 

and paint research also indicate that some of the early fenestration is extant. This included 

double- hung, four- over- four sashes in the large first- story window openings, double- hung 

sashes in the second- story windows, and double- hung, one- over- one sashes in the dormers on 

the mansard roof. 

Early Repairs and Improvements (1879 - 1900) 

Records of the earliest repairs to the Officers Club include appropriations approved on 

September 30, 1884. In that year Colonel Baylor, the commander of the proving ground, 

requested funds for general repairs, repainting of the floors in the hallways and uncarpeted 

rooms on the first story, and additions to and alteration of the plumbing.65

The contents of this project list give some information about the early appearance of the 

building. This is the first mention of plumbing, and it includes both additions and alterations, 

suggesting that some plumbing existed. A 1901 letter discussing the sanitary conditions at the 

Officers Club states that a privy near the house was removed.66 The only plumbing apparent in 

the proposed plans for the Officers Club was for the laundry room. It is therefore reasonable to 

assume that the original building did not have toilets. It was not possible to tell from extant 

materials when the building was first fully plumbed, but the projects listed in 1901 indicate that 

there was some plumbing in the building at that time. 

As previously discussed, the mention of “uncarpeted” first- story rooms in the records of 1884 

indicates that some floors were carpeted at the time. 

The budget for fiscal year 1889 included $2,000 for repairs to the Officers Club. Though the 

records did not indicate specific projects, the budget amount did represent approximately nine 

percent of the annual budget for facilities at the proving ground. 

 64 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 43. 65 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 67. 66 Captain Edwin B. Babbitt to Brigadier General A. R. Buffington, Chief of Ordnance (Apr. 1899 – Nov. 

1901), Apr. 4, 1901 (Babbitt to Buffington); Vol. 16, pp. 128- 129; General Records, Letters and 

Endorsements Sent to the Chief of Ordnance, 1890 – 1905 (Letters Sent, 1890- 1905); SHPG, 1889- 1919; 

Entry 1516; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 
71

In fiscal year 1897 (ending June 30, 1897), when the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was under the 

command of Captain Frank Heath, the Officers Club was one of two buildings at the post to 

receive electric lighting during the installation of the earliest electrical system. The electrical 

cables for the Officers Club were carried underground to a “double pole, knife- edge switch 

with fuze (sic)”67 in the basement, which controlled the lights in that building. The wiring from 

the basement fed a cut- out box on the second story, which in turn fed eight lamp circuits via 

“No. 12 Grimshaw white core, insulated copper wire.”68 This early system consisted of 62 110-

volt lamps. “The cellar of the officers’ quarters is provided with drop cord lights: but the rest of 

the building is furnished with electroliers and brackets in antique brass, fitted for Edison 

sockets.”69 The new lighting system included two exterior lights as well, one of which was 

located in front of the Officers Club.70

 

The following fiscal year, appropriations in the amount of $2,000 were made to improve the 

water system at the proving ground. The primary goal of the work performed during fiscal year 

1898 was the replacement of the post’s water system, which was insufficiently large to provide 

adequate fire protection for the post. The new system included a 12,000- gallon cypress water 

tank, mounted on a 45- foot- high galvanized steel structure 100 feet south of the Officers Club 

(visible in several turn- of- the- century photographs). The new water pipes supplied several 

new 2- 1⁄2 inch fire hydrants and were also connected to existing tanks, including the “two small 

tanks of about 850 gallons capacity in the Brick House.”71

The Proving Ground as a Permanent Installation (1901 – 1905) 

The beginning of the new century witnessed an increase in activity at the Sandy Hook Proving 

Ground, and in December 1901, General William Crozier, Chief of Ordnance (November 1901 – 

1918) began the process of establishing the proving ground as a permanent installation. As part 

of that process, Post Commander Captain Edwin B. Babbitt was to prepare a master plan for the 

proving ground, with the instruction that all new buildings and additions would be designed 

with the new permanent status in mind.72 Captain Babbitt worked diligently to establish the 

boundaries of the proving ground and prepare a master plan for the facility, which included an 

allotment for an addition to the Officers Club. 

 67 Captain Frank Heath to Brigadier General Daniel Webster Flagler, Chief of Ordnance (1891 – Mar. 

1899), 1897 (Heath to Flagler); Vol. 5, p. 400; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1516; RG 

156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 68 Heath to Flagler, 1897; Vol. 5, p. 401; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1516; RG 

156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 69 Heath to Flagler, 1897; Vol. 5, pp. 401- 402; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1516; 

RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 70 Heath to Flagler, 1897; Vol. 5, p. 402; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1516; RG 

156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 71 Heath to Flagler, 1898; Vol. 8, p. 232; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1516; RG 

156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 72 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 189. 
72

1901 Upgrades 

Improvements to the utilities at the Officers Club continued in 1901 with improvements to both 

the heating and plumbing systems. During that same year it was noted that the plaster ceilings 

had been damaged by the firing of guns at the proving ground, and that they would be changed 

to metal when funds became available.73

Post Commander Captain Babbitt initially requested funds for a new heating system for the 

Officers Club in a letter to the Chief of Ordnance, dated December 18, 1900, nine days after he 

assumed command of the post.74 Subsequent correspondence between Babbitt and various 

contractors discussed plans for the new heating system for the “Ordnance Officers Mess 

Building,” as the building was referred to during that period.75 Work commenced on a new hotwater heating system during 1901, which for the first time included service to the attic level and 

the servants’ wing.76

According to correspondence from Captain Babbitt to the Chief of Ordnance, dated April 4, 

1901, the faulty plumbing of the Officers Club was responsible for illness among the officers 

during the previous winter. The sanitary conditions of the building were inspected and 

recorded by the Building and Sanitary Inspection Company of New York, who evidently found 

the conditions among the worst they had ever inspected. Captain Bobbitt’s letter requests “that 

an allotment of $2,500.00 be made for at once installing an adequate sanitary system of 

plumbing.”77 This same letter discusses removing a privy near the house and completing the new 

heating system for the “entire house.” Thus, by the close of 1901, the systems at the Officers 

Club were vastly improved and up- to- date. 

Circa- 1905 Addition to the “Brick House” 

Planning and Construction of the Addition 

Major Charles S. Smith succeeded Captain Edwin B. Babbitt as Post Commander in November 

1902 and, when the Sandy Hook Proving Ground received official permanent status from the 

Secretary of War in March 1903, Major Smith began implementing the master plan.78 

 73 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 186. 74 Babbitt to Buffington, Dec. 18, 1900; Vol.15, p. 176a; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; 

Entry 1516; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 75Babbitt from Edmund J. Maurer, Apr. 27, 1901; Vol. by year, 1901; General Records, Letters and 

Endorsements Received, 1889 - 1907; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1519; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region 

(NY). 76 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 186. 77 Babbitt to Buffington, Apr. 4, 1901; Vol. 16, pp. 128- 129; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; 

Entry 1516; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 78 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 203. Note: HRS cities “Lt. Col. Charles S. Smith,” but letters from 1903 were 

signed “Major Charles S. Smith.” The exact date of Major Smith’s promotion to Lieutenant Colonel was 

not researched. 
73

A letter from Major Smith to the Chief of Ordnance, dated March 18, 1903, discussed the 

reasons for hiring a draftsman for the post. Included in the duties of that position was the 

preparation of “plans and specifications for adding a wing to the Brick House.”79 Apparently the 

draftsman was very efficient, for in April of that same year Major Smith submitted a preliminary 

design of the addition to the Officers Club to the Chief of Ordnance, with a letter that included 

this description: 

The principal feature of the remodeled building will be the dining room, 

which, as designed, is to be a large, comfortable room, facing South, 

finished in Colonial style, and fronted by a broad porch, which it is 

proposed to provide with wire mosquito netting for summer use in 

connection with the dining room.80

Captain Babbitt had included an initial estimate for the project in his master plan for the proving 

ground in 1901. The proposal for the addition submitted to the Appropriations Committee on 

June 30, 1903, estimated the cost of construction of $8,000. The following explanation was 

included in the records: 

For adding to the wing of the Brick House for accommodation of officers 

temporarily at the Proving Ground, including heating, lighting and 

plumbing. 

note: The present accommodations for officers temporarily at the 

Proving Ground are insufficient and the object of the above item is to 

enlarge the wing of the brick house so as to provide more adequate 

accommodations. 

A. R. Buffington 

Brigadier General, Chief of Ordnance81

The funds were allocated by the Fortifications Act of 1902, but the high cost of construction at 

Sandy Hook prompted an increase in the estimate to $11,000.82 The work on the building was 

accomplished during fiscal year 1905 and, according to the annual report for that year, the 

“addition to the wing of the Brick House...has been practically completed during the year.”83

 

The final appropriation for the addition to the Officers Club was $16,600.84

 79 Major Charles S. Smith to General Wm. Crozier, Chief of Ordnance, Mar. 18, 1903 (Smith to 

Crozier); Vol. 22, p. 140; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1516; RG 156; NARA - 

Northeast Region (NY). 80 Smith to Crozier, Apr. 9, 1903; Vol. 22, p. 241; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 

1516; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 81Brigadier General A.R. Buffington to Appropriations Committee; Vol. 8, June 30, 1903 (date of 

transcribed entry); Estimates of Appropriations (1816- 1904) and Statements of Appropriations (1812-

1904); Fiscal Matters, 1812- 1938; Entry 129; RG 156; NAB. Note: The transcribed entry was dated June 

30, 1903, but the request must have been made by Buffington prior to his leaving the Ordnance Dept. in 

Nov. 1901. 82 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 191. 83 Annual Report, FY 1905, p. 3; Binder for FY 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Annual Reports, 1904- 1907 

and 1909; General Records; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 1527; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 84 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 217. 
74

Exterior Alterations 

Research and examination of building materials reveal that the addition to the Officers Club was 

a two- story addition along the south side of the original rear ell. It included a gable roof and an 

attic over the entire rear ell. This was not only apparent from the absence of these features in 

the proposed plans and historic photographs, but also by a comparison of the representative 

“footprint” of the building in site plans for Sandy Hook in 1892 - 1901 to the plan from 1908, 

revised 1918 (figs. 20, 21, and 48). In the earlier maps the Officers Club appeared as originally 

constructed, with a narrower ell, but in the later plans the ell had been enlarged. The 1908/1918 

map showed a detailed outline of the building, including the bay window on the north elevation 

of the main block and the rounded porch on the south elevation of the enlarged rear ell. 

The “broad porch” proposed for the south elevation of the Dining Room was constructed as 

part of the addition.85 It is no longer extant, but examination of historic site plans and 

photographs reveals the porch’s design and materials (figs. 48- 50). The most distinctive feature 

of the porch was a half- round bay on the south elevation. Porch details included a classical 

balustrade with turned balusters and Doric columns, and it was apparently equipped with 

awnings and screens. The details of the porch reflected the “Colonial style” Major Smith had 

mentioned in his letter to the Chief of Ordnance. Of the archival materials reviewed, the 

photograph from ca. 1909 (fig. 49) of the Greenhouse, with the Officers Club in the background, 

was the first to document the exterior after the ca.- 1905 addition. 

As discussed in the previous section “Original Appearance,” the original structure probably had 

an entrance to the rear ell in the southwest corner of the ell. The addition necessitated the 

removal (or conversion) of that entrance and any porch associated with it. A new entrance and 

a back porch were added to the west elevation of the rear ell. Paint analysis demonstrated that 

the west- elevation entrance dated to the ca.- 1905 addition. Paint research further indicated 

that some of the earlier porch elements were reused in the construction of the back porch ca. 

1905. 

The change in building materials provided some evidence of the ca.- 1905 addition. The colors 

of the brick and mortar used in the original construction were different from those of the 

addition. The masonry- wall thickness at the basement level measured 20 inches in the original 

structure versus 18 inches in the crawlspace below the Dining Room (Room 106). Also, masons 

used a different bond in constructing the addition, which is visible at the first and second stories. 

The original brickwork for the main block and rear ell was laid in a common bond pattern of 

seven stretcher rows and one header row. The later additions were laid in a running bond of all 

stretcher rows on the exterior of the building. 

The differences in materials and methods of construction might explain the earliest paint layers 

found on the exterior brick. Indeed, the brick from the original structure and the brick from the 

ca.- 1905 addition have the same paint layering from the earliest to the most recent (Appendix 

C). The paint analysis leads to the conclusion that the exterior brick was painted after the ca.-

1905 addition. In an attempt to maintain the color and appearance of the original structure, the 

earliest exterior paint was a brick- red color. 

 85 This porch was later removed and replaced with a buff- brick addition ca. 1940. It most recently 

served as the New Dining Room, and is marked as Room 107 on the plans in Appendix A. 
75

The windows of the addition also demonstrated the changes to the building. The two firststory windows (W124 and W125) of the Dining Room (Room 106) were arched, with a design 

unique to the building (fig. 51). Each window’s lower sash was one unit with a wide center 

mullion, which made it resemble a pair of casement windows. There were eight lights on either 

side of the center mullion. The upper sash was arched with intersecting lancet- arch muntins. 

The lower sash was operative and the upper sash was fixed. The windows were set in a 

rectangular rough opening measuring 57 inches wide by 93 1⁄2 inches high and surrounded by 

wood trim. The lintels and sills of these windows, as well as others in this addition, copied the 

same design as the original elements. However, the builders used both brownstone and 

limestone for these elements: the window sill of W125 was limestone, and the lintel of W124 was 

brownstone. Comparative paint research on selected exterior window surrounds further 

supports the field evidence. The surrounds of W109 (on the main block) and W123 (on the west 

end of the ell) have greater accumulations of paint than does the surround of W125, on the 

addition to the ell (Appendix C). The paint evidence discovered on the windows of the Dining 

Room (Room 106) forms the basis for the exterior trim color for the period. 

The ca.- 1905 addition also included window openings at the second- story and attic levels. On 

the second story, the west- elevation windows matched the existing rear- ell openings in size and 

trim details. The south- elevation windows were two oriel windows. Though no longer extant, 

these windows were well- documented in photographs and drawings, and framing evidence for 

them was found within the framing of a later roof. At the attic level, the builders constructed an 

arched window and an oculus window on the west elevation (fig. 52). 

The gable roof of the addition also incorporated some stylistic changes. The roof was 

constructed with flared eaves, which had its origins in the Dutch Colonial style and was 

incorporated in the Colonial Revival style (fig. 53). The north and south elevations of the rear 

ell’s roof were each pierced with three symmetrically placed dormers. These were gabled 

dormers with an articulated pediment and composite moldings (fig. 54). 

Interior Alterations 

Examination of the existing foundation, and the bearing partition walls in the basement and on 

the first and second stories of the rear ell, shows further evidence of the addition (fig. 55). The 

south exterior wall of the original rear ell, which was brick and extended from the basement 

level through the second story, became the extant partition wall between the Kitchen (Room 

105) and the Dining Room (Room 106). The foundations of the main block of the structure and 

the original rear ell were connected and had full basements, which were accessed from the 

west- elevation bulkhead of the rear ell. By contrast, the basement of the addition to the rear ell 

was built with only a crawl space, and was only accessible through an existing basement 

window. 

The difference in framing materials was also evident. The first story of the addition was framed 

with radially sawn 2- by 12- inch joists fastened with wire nails. Where additional support was 

required, the 2- by 12- inch lumber was sistered together instead of using timbers, as seen in the 

original structure. The builders also used cast- iron joist hangers in the addition. The variation 

in building materials provided an opportunity to observe the changes in building technology 

from the time of original construction in 1879 to ca. 1905 when the addition was constructed. 
76

The brief description of the addition by Major Smith, which included the orientation and style 

of the Dining Room (Room 106), is supported by the earliest photographs of the room (figs. 56 -

57). They were most likely taken soon after the completion of the Dining Room, and they reveal 

several aspects of the room’s initial appearance. Among these are the outline of the original 

south- elevation bay window, the early mantelpiece and overmantel, the period trim and 

decorative schemes, the plaster ceiling, early lighting fixtures, and the original fenestration. All 

reflect the Colonial Revival style, and clearly illustrate the stylistic change from the period of 

original construction to the period of the addition. 

Upon close examination, one photograph reveals the outlines of a large bay window facing 

south (fig. 56). This is supported by the shape of the ca.- 1905 foundation, which was 

constructed with a three- sided projection on the south elevation (fig. 55). The bay was 

designed to take full advantage of the southern exposure of the Dining Room (Room 106). The 

bay- window opening was framed with a classical archway composed of a large segmental arch 

with Composite- order pilasters and entablature. The archway was balanced by a symmetrically 

placed arch on the north wall, which framed a niche for a sideboard and, at the time of the 

photograph, a moose head. 

The arched window openings along the west side of the room were surrounded with molded 

archways. This same trim was echoed on the east wall for the casings of the doorways to the 

hallway and Lounge. Other doorway and window casings were molded with crossettes, or ears. 

A unique decorative detail of the Dining Room (Room 106) was the two smaller windows on the 

south elevation. Within the openings were lead- camed windows with the insignia of the 

Ordnance Corps depicted in stained glass (fig. 58). 

The ca.- 1905 fireplace was constructed with classical elements that included a marble surround, 

engaged Ionic columns, and a classical entablature. The overmantel pediment and relief 

included a broken swan- neck pediment and a bas- relief depicting a chariot (fig. 59). 

Upon the completion of the ca.- 1905 addition, the second- story and attic rooms of the rear ell 

were used as bedrooms and bathrooms. The second- story rooms in the original portion of the 

rear ell, formerly servants’ rooms, were converted to bedrooms for officers. These were 

supplemented by the new rooms on the south side of the building, which consisted of two 

bedrooms with an adjoining bath. Each of these bedrooms had an oriel window facing south, 

and the southwest bedroom had a fireplace. 

As noted in the previous section, the Officers Club was wired for electricity in 1897. The note 

submitted to the Appropriations Committee with the funding request on June 30, 1903, stated 

that the new addition would include electrical work.86 The ca.- 1905 photographs of the room 

show wall sconces and a chandelier, which most likely dated from the construction of the 

addition (figs. 56- 57). The same wall sconces were visible in photographs through the 1960’s. 

 86 Brigadier General A.R. Buffington to Appropriations Committee; Vol. 8, June 30, 1903 (date of 

transcribed entry); Estimates of Appropriations (1816- 1904) and Statements of Appropriations (1812-

1904); Fiscal Matters, 1812- 1938; Entry 129; RG 156; NAB. 
77

Additional Ca.- 1905 Alterations 

Exterior Alterations 

The sidelights and transom of the front entry were originally constructed with clear glass, as 

depicted in the ca.- 1900 photograph (fig. 24). The next detailed photograph of the east facade 

was taken in 1922 (fig. 65). At some point between 1900 and 1922 the sidelights and transom of 

the entryway were altered. Both the sidelights and transom were fitted with ondoyant (rippled) 

glass cut in decorative patterns, with some pieces stained and all set in lead caming (figs. 60- 61). 

The documentary material reviewed included no specific reference to the change of the 

sidelights and transom, but it seems likely that this change took place during the ca.- 1905 

alterations. The same type of glass was used in the stained- glass window of the Dining Room 

(fig. 58), and was popular during that period. 

The current one- story addition on the north elevation of the rear ell, which expanded the 

kitchen area, appears to be contemporary with the ca.- 1905 addition. This is evident from the 

similarity in building materials. The brickwork for this addition is laid up in the same manner as 

that of the Dining Room. The floor joists use similar 2- by 12- inch framing and wire nails, with 

3- by 12- inch framing used under the Cold Storage (105c) for additional support. It is also 

significant that the ca.- 1905 addition included a provision for cold storage. In his 1901 letter 

discussing the sanitary issues of the Officers Club, Captain Babbitt mentioned reconnecting the 

basement refrigerator to its waste.87 The addition of a refrigeration area on the first story would 

have likely eliminated the need for the basement refrigerator. Thus, the kitchen addition 

postdated 1901. The 1908/1918 site plan showed not only the Dining Room (Room 106) 

addition, but also the one- story addition to the Kitchen (fig. 48). Based on the documents and 

the physical evidence, the Kitchen addition was probably done at the same time as the other ca.-

1905 alterations. 

The one- story Kitchen addition was constructed with three window openings that copied the 

existing rear- ell windows (e.g., W117) in size and trim details. One window was on the east 

elevation of the jog, and two were on the north elevation of the jog. A third opening at the west 

end of the north elevation of the jog (W121) was a smaller hatch- like opening with trim 

matching the other windows. The small opening was equipped with a cover and provided 

access to the Cold Storage (105c), and was most likely for delivery of ice and perhaps other 

kitchen items. 

Exterior paint evidence indicates that some other minor changes were made at the second- story 

level during the same period as the construction of the addition. The paint layers on the 

window surround from the Dining Room window (W125) and the oriel window (W209) over 

the north elevation’s bay window are very similar. The features have the same number of paint 

layers, and the first paint layer appears to be the same color. Therefore, the physical evidence 

suggests that W209 was contemporary with the ca.- 1905 addition. 

 87 Babbitt to Buffington, Apr. 4, 1901; Vol. 16, pp. 128- 129; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; 

Entry 1516; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 
78

Interior Alterations 

Certain changes were made to the existing structure to accommodate the new addition. On the 

first story, access to the Dining Room (Room 106) was created from the center hallway (Room 

102) and the Lounge (Room 108), as well as the Kitchen in the rear ell (fig. 57). Paint evidence 

suggests that the doorway from Room 102 was originally an exterior doorway, and that the 

doorway from Room 108 was formerly a window opening. Both of these openings were rebuilt 

as arched doorways with pocket doors. Two more doorways pierced the north wall of the 

Dining Room (Room 106), leading to the Kitchen (Room 105). Based on the proposed 1878 

first- story plan, the west doorway was originally an exterior doorway, while the east doorway 

was formerly a window. 

As stated previously, the 1878 proposed plans for the Officers Club did not show a doorway 

between the second story of the main block and that of the rear ell. Furthermore, physical 

evidence did not show that any connection was built originally. The alterations during the ca.-

1905 addition represent the first time the main block and the rear ell were connected at this 

level. This was accomplished by constructing a doorway in the west wall of the landing of the 

center hallway stairway. Existing evidence, including the style of the casing and the paint 

evidence, suggests that this opening was originally a window. A short stairway ascended to the 

hallway of the new addition, which also gave access to the original rear ell. 

The new connection of the main block and the rear ell denotes a change in use of the rooms in 

the rear ell. It is likely that the rear ell was originally occupied by servants who only needed 

access to the first- story service rooms via the back stairway. When the addition was completed, 

the second- story rooms were designated as bedrooms for military personnel, fulfilling the 

primary goal of the addition. 

Records indicate that servants were present at the Officers Club at least through the 1920’s. 

Those records list five servants’ bedrooms and one servants’ bathroom on the third/attic story. 

It is likely that the attic of the rear ell was used as servants’ quarters from the time of the ca.-

1905 addition through the 1920’s. 

Lounge (Room 108) 

The 1878 proposed plan for the Officers Club included two rooms south of the center hallway 

(Room 102) on the first story. As previously discussed, there was no evidence that this 

configuration was ever built. One historic photograph (fig. 62) of the Dining Room (Room 106) 

provided a view into the Lounge (Room 108). Based on what was visible in that photograph, the 

Lounge (Room 108) had no major partitions at the time. 

The existing physical evidence strongly indicated that much of the extant material in the Lounge 

(Room 108) dated from the same period as the ca.- 1905 addition. Visible in the historic 

photograph were the details of the fireplace mantel in the Lounge (Room 108), which showed 

that the current fireplace details were in place at that time (fig. 62). The date of installation of 

the mantel and other trim was further determined through comparative paint analysis 

(Appendix C). The original baseboards and window casings in the room were initially finished 

with a dark resin. The earliest paint layers that appear on these elements were light tans. In 

comparison, paint samples from the fireplace surrounds, and the moldings that frame the wall 

panels, had no resinous layer, and the earliest paint layer matches the tan found over the resin 
79

layer on the baseboard and window- casing samples. This suggested that the fireplace surround 

and panel moldings were added after the baseboards and window casings. A comparison of the 

number of paint layers on the fireplace elements in the Lounge (Room 108) and those in the 

Dining Room (Room 106) also indicates that these features were contemporaneous. 

Furthermore, the doorway from the Lounge (Room 108) to the New Dining Room – formerly 

the ca.- 1905 porch (Room 107) – has a paint sequence similar to that of the fireplace elements. 

The casing of this opening was part of the original construction and was most likely a window, 

as it appeared in the proposed plans. Its conversion to a doorway would have logically 

coincided with the ca.- 1905 addition, when other doorway and window openings were altered 

to provide access from existing rooms to the newly constructed Dining Room (Room 106) and 

sun porch (Room 107). 

Once renovated, the Lounge (Room 108) would have been one of the grandest rooms on the 

first story. The original window trim and baseboards were retained. Additional trim was added 

to create wall panels, and plaster bas- relief festoons were added to the cornice and panels 

flanking the overmantel. The two fireplaces in the Lounge had white marble surrounds and 

were set in highly decorative mantelpieces (fig. 63). The mantelpieces had scrolled brackets, or 

consoles, which were adorned with cast- plaster floral relief. The consoles supported a classical 

entablature with dentils, and a deep mantelshelf. 

The walls in the Lounge (Room 108) were probably papered at the time of the ca.- 1905 

alterations. Comparison of paint samples taken from the trim and the plaster walls showed a 

relatively small number of paint layers on the walls. The absence of paint layers suggested that 

the walls were papered ca. 1905. 

The floor in the Lounge (Room 108) was seen to be carpeted in the ca.- 1905 historic 

photograph (fig. 62). 

Latter Years of the Proving Ground (1906 – 1919) 

There were few records for the Officers Club during the latter years of its association with the 

Sandy Hook Proving Ground, and those reviewed did not significantly add to the existing 

knowledge of the building during that period. The “Brick House” is referenced in a letter from 

November 1917, commending the efforts of the various branches of the service for their 

cooperation in fighting a fire at that building.88 As indicated in the correspondence, there was 

little damage to the building. The existing evidence suggests this fire may have started in the 

basement. While performing repairs to the building in 1992, NPS Exhibit Specialist C. Thomas 

Ballos noted that “there was evidence of previous fire damage to the left underside of the porch 

deck framing.”89 This corresponds to the fire damage noted in several of the basement rooms 

during the most recent investigation of the building. The well- documented 1938 fire was 

contained to the attic level and roof, and would not have caused this damage. 

 88 HRS, 1895- 1948, p. 385. 89 Ballos, p. 19. 
80

One alteration that appears to have occurred during this period was the addition of the oriel 

window on the east façade (W203), above the entrance. This was primarily determined through 

paint analysis and review of historic photographs. The earliest paint on the oriel was a brown 

color, applied over a white primer. By comparison, that same brown paint layer is present as the 

seventh paint layer on the north- elevation oriel window. The samples from these two windows 

have similar paint stratigraphies after the brown to the recent exterior green. The first record of 

the east- facade oriel window is a photograph from 1922 (fig. 65). Considering both the 

evidence of the paint analysis and the photograph, it appears that the east oriel window was 

added after the ca.- 1905 alterations, but before the 1922 photograph was taken. 

It also appears that many of the second- story double- hung sashes were changed during this 

same period. The original sashes, which were one- over- one sashes, were changed to twoover- two sashes. The sash lights measured 17 3

/8 inches wide by 34 1⁄2 inches high, and the 

muntins were molded with quarter- round and filet profiles. Photographic evidence indicates 

that the sashes were altered prior to 1922, and the exterior paint evidence suggests that the 

sashes were contemporary with the east oriel window. 

With the advent of the First World War and the increased demands on the Ordnance 

Department, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was no longer adequate for the needs of modern 

artillery. This led to the establishment in 1917 of the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, 

Maryland, and the phasing out of Ordnance activities at Sandy Hook in 1919. Once the proving 

ground had relocated, the Officers Club and other Ordnance buildings became part of Fort 

Hancock. 

Fort Hancock (1919 – 1974) 

It is clear from Fort Hancock records, which include annual reports, maintenance records, and 

photographs, that the Officers Club remained an important fixture in the lives of the military 

personnel at Sandy Hook. Maintenance records from the Fort Hancock Post Record Book 

chronicle the continued maintenance and repair of the Officers Club. Excerpts from the 

records are as follows: 

DATE REPAIRS, ALTERATIONS, INSTALLATIONS COST 

 AND REPLACEMENTS 

Dec. One- half lower floor converted into living quarters 

1926 “Suite A.” Reported Dec. 13, 1926 $920.10 

 Interior painting, general repairs to woodwork, both interior 

 and exterior, repairs to screen doors and windows. $2,164.00 

Jan.12 Storm sash; 1 door 2'10 1⁄4 x 7'6", 33 window shades 

1929 and 2 – standard kitchen sinks installed. 

Oct. Old boilers, steam drum, 8 radiators and piping removed; 

1929 Chimney bricked up, 3 – radiators replaced, new piping run to 8 

 radiators and one radiator installed. Contract No. W 383 q.m. 128 $1,848.00 
81

Sept Metal weather stripping on 35 windows and 2 doors. Base sills 

1930 installed on 2 doors. Contract W 383 q.m. 185. 

 Started Spt. 15, 1930 Completed Nov. 26, 1930 $89.50 

Jan Work consisted of: Constructing a fifty (50') foot brick chimney 

1933 with round flue lining on west side of brick house, Building 114; 

 constructing and installing forty nine (49' feet of 20" diameter 

 18- gauge galvanized Toncan iron smoke pipe; one 18" to 20" 

 galvanized Toncan iron 18- gauge increaser and 40 feet of 24" wide 

 24- gauge galvanized Toncan iron heat deflector and connecting 

 heating boiler to new chimney. $406.82 

Aug. Building Painted. Paint furnished by Du Pont Co. 

1936 

May Landscaping, foundation planting 

1937 completed with CCC funds and labor. $278.47 

F.Y. New metal roof and complete exterior painting by W.P.A. 

1937 

April Roof & 3rd floor damaged by fire on April 9, 1938. 

1938 Estimated cost repairs ($ 8,000.00) 

May Installed 1 – Kitchen ceiling unit comp. w p/c; 

1938 1 porcelain bracket w p/c; 5 wall brackets w p/c 

 and 1 ceiling fixture with p/c Voucher 1998- 8 $8.83 

May Installed 1 – panel, 10 circuit, surface type, plug fuse, solid neutral 

1938 Toggle switch control on each circuit, complete with Toggle switch; 

 12 fixtures, kitchen, ceiling, 4 x 9, w/full switches; 

 5 – switches, safety, 60 Amp., 3 pole, 250 volt. Voucher 1029- 9 $50.00 

Nov. Installed 1 – 4" fire hydrant (near Bldg. 114) 

1938 Voucher No. W.P.A. 197- 39 $59.66 

F.Y. Bldg. #114, Officers Club - Repaired and replaced main roof, 

1938 remodeled and repaired Recreation room, removed all worn 

 wood floors and installed new flooring. Repaired all doors, 

 windows and trim. Removed partitions of third floor apartment 

 and swung all French windows out. Repaired all plaster walls and 

 cornice and renewed all water lines, waste and traps where needed. 

 Installed new bath fixtures and repiped new baths and kitchens 

 on 2nd and 3rd floors. Painted entire interior of building. Repaired 

 and replaced all electrical fixtures and wiring. NOTE:- Due to the 

 fire, a great amount of this work had to be repeated. W.P.A. $18,301.58 

1939 2 - Tubs, bath, w base removed from building for I & I. 

 Voucher No. CV 1084- 9 

 2 - Sinks, comb. Complete removed from building for I & I. 

 Voucher No. CV 1084- 9 

 1 – Radiator, steam, removed from building for I & I. 

 Voucher No. CV 1084- 9 
82

193890

Nov. Installed 3 Lavatories, pedestal 24 x 20. Vou. No. W.P.A.- 201- 39. 

 Cost 22.00 ea. $66.00 

F.Y. Repairs to metal ceiling. Painting of interior. 

1940 General carpenter repairs. W.P.A. $222.60 

June Removed: 1 Hot water boiler, 40 gal. and 1 iron enamel sink. 

1942 Voucher No. DV 588- 43 

June Installed: 1 sink, scullery, 60 x 24 x 12 w/2 drain boards, 24", at $74.00. 

1942 Vou. No. CV 589- 4391

These records overlap with the annual reports and provide further information on some of the 

work performed. 

Alterations in the 1920’s 

Historic photographs from the 1920’s illustrate the configuration and condition of the Officers 

Club during that period. 

An aerial photograph dated April 24, 1924, showed the basic form of the Officers Club much as 

it appeared after the ca.- 1905 alterations (figs. 50 and 64). It showed additions to the rear ell 

that included the gabled roof with dormers, and the south elevation’s rounded porch. A 

February 1922 photograph used in the building maintenance form showed in better detail the 

south elevation’s ca.- 1905 porch, which was enclosed with multi- light windows (fig. 65). 

Before 1922, the porch enclosure may have alternated between screens in the summer and glass 

windows in the winter, but 20th- century photographs show only the glass enclosure (figs. 65- 66 

and 68). In all of these photographs, the exterior finish of the building appears to be dark with 

light- colored trim. 

The designations and sizes of the rooms in the Officers Club during the 1920’s were recorded in 

the ca.- 1923 maintenance record for the building (Appendix B).92 Of interest on that list was the 

presence of a “Billiard Room,” which appears to have been in the Men’s Lounge (Room 104). It 

was also apparent from the list that one of the closets adjoining Rooms 103 and 104 had been 

converted into a “lavatory.” The room list includes a Servants’ Dining Room on the first level, 

and five servants’ bedrooms and one servants’ bathroom on the third/attic level. The room sizes 

listed indicated that the servants’ bedrooms were in the attic of the rear ell. In addition to the 

room designations, the record states that on September 25, 1926, half of the first story was 

converted to living quarters, and the capacity of the building was increased to six officers and 

families. The arrangement of the first- story rooms would suggest that the “one- half” consisted 

of the two rooms north of the center hallway, which conveniently included a bathroom. 

 90 This entry was out of order in the original Post Record Book. 

91 Fort Hancock Post Record Book (GATE cat. 220), Officers Club, Building No. 114, pp. 452 – 457, 

partial excerpt. 92 Fort Hancock Records, Building No. 114, 1922; Historical Records of Buildings and Records of 

Equipment and Conditions of Buildings, 1905- 1942 (Historical Records, 1905- 1942); Division Records, 

Reports; Entry 393; RG 77; NACP. 
83

In 1926 the Post Commander noted that the tin gutters and decks, and the “tin” roof of the 

Officers Club, were in desperate need of repair. The building was also in need of painting on 

both the interior and exterior.93 Funds were approved for these and other repairs in 1927 and 

work was begun. The Annual Reports on Construction, Maintenance, and Repairs demonstrate 

an increase in spending for maintenance at the Officers Club in fiscal years 1928 and 1929.94

Alterations in the 1930’s 

By the 1930’s the Officers Club had become one of the centers for recreational activity at the 

post. During this period bi- weekly bridge parties were hosted at the “Brick House,” and in 1936 

a monthly game night was established. The Officers Club hosted a reception for the recently 

instated post commander, Colonel Magruder, and his wife in November 1935, and was the site 

of regular dances and a gala New Year’s Eve party in 1936. When planning the nine- hole golf 

course for the post in 1936, care was taken to make sure the 1st and 9th holes were near the 

Officers Club.95 The activity at the Officers Club during this period demonstrates the 

importance of the building to the post and to the men and women who worked and lived at Fort 

Hancock. 

Throughout the 1930’s the building was alternately referred to as the “Officers’ Quarters” 

and/or the “Brick House.” Historic documents record a continued investment in maintaining 

the structure, with an increase in spending in fiscal years 1932 and 1933.96 In 1932 the capacity 

of the building was four families; in 1934 it changed to three families. On April 11, 1935, the 

designation of the building was officially changed from “Officers Quarters- Brick House” to 

“Officers Quarters- Officers Club.”97 It was probably not too long after that the name was 

shortened, perhaps unofficially, to the Officers Club. 

The maintenance records included the addition of a 50- foot chimney on the west elevation of 

the rear ell in 1933. This was a red- brick chimney enclosing the iron smoke pipe. At the roof 

level the chimney was butted up against the existing chimney. A photograph of enlisted men 

and civilians working on the chimney (fig. 67) depicts the chimney extending above the roofline 

and the slate roof of the rear ell roof. Paint samples from the chimney show that it was painted 

red to match the rest of the building. 

 93 HRS, 1895- 1948, p. 504. 94 Fort Hancock Records, FY 1928 & 1929; Annual Reports on Construction, Maintenance, and Repair 

of Buildings at Posts, 1924- 1938 (Annual Reports, 1924 - 1938); Entry 398; RG 77; NACP. 95 HRS, 1895- 1948, pp. 455- 457. 96 Fort Hancock Records, FY 1932 & 1933; Annual Reports, 1924 - 1938; Entry 398; RG 77; NACP. 97 Fort Hancock Records, Building No. 114, 1922; Historical Records, 1905- 1942; Entry 393; RG 77; 

NACP. 
84

1937 Alterations 

During fiscal year 1937 the Officers Club received the largest amount of funding since its 

appropriations for the ca.- 1905 addition. The Annual Report on Construction, Maintenance, 

and Repairs for that year recorded that a total of $8,110.76 was spent on improvements to the 

building.98 This expenditure represented more than 16% of the $50,000 budget allotted for 

repairs and improvements to the buildings at Fort Hancock.99 The work that year included: 

Installing entire new roof on the main deck of the Officers Club, also new 

gutters and leaders, repairing of all porches, sills, and steps, point up of 

all brick work, retop all chimneys and paint entire outside of building. 

Installing one new metal ceiling, patching and pointing up of all ceilings 

and walls, and painting same. Remodeling and changing the ladies’ 

washroom, and the laying of linoleum in three bathrooms and one 

kitchen. Improving roads and parking area around the Club and erecting 

a new porte cochère.100

During that same year the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) completed foundation plantings 

and other landscaping at the site. It is apparent from the size of the shrubs, the presence of the 

“porte cochère,” and what appears to be a freshly painted exterior, that the 1937 photograph of 

the building was taken to document the extensive work performed that year (fig. 68). It does not 

appear that the “porte cochère” was designed so that automobiles could pass beneath it. Rather, 

it was a section of covered porch that extended out from the northeast end of the piazza to the 

improved parking area. In conjunction with the construction of the “porte cochère” entrance, 

the steps were removed from the northwest side of the piazza. 

1938 Fire 

On April 9, 1938, a fire started in the attic of the Officers Club that damaged much of the work 

performed during the previous year (figs. 69- 70). The cost of repairing the fire damage and 

returning the building to its former state was estimated at $8,000. The annual report for FY 1938 

stated that a total of $22,496.11 was spent on the “Officers’ Quarters and Club.”101

The Completion Report for fiscal year 1938 details the work in the following entry: 

Repaired and replaced the main roof of the Officers Club, Bldg. #114, 

remodeled and repaired recreation room and repaired doors and interior 

of men’s latrine. Removed wood floors in bathroom, Apt. #21; removed 

partitions of the third floor apartment and swung all French windows 

out. Installed new washbowl and new drain boards in apartment, 3rd

floor. Repaired plaster, cornice, patched and pointed up, painted walls 

and ceiling in main hall and 3rd floor. Renewed all water lines, waste and 

 98 Fort Hancock Records, FY 1937; Annual Reports, 1924 - 1938; Entry 398; RG 77; NACP. 99 Office of the Harbor Defense Commander, Fort Hancock, N.J., to the Quarter Master General, July 

12, 1937 (Commander, Fort Hancock to QMG); Completion Report, Repairs and Improvements to Public 

Buildings, FY 1937, p.1 (Completion Report); Division Records, Completion Reports, 1917 – 1943 

(Records, 1917- 1943); Entry 391; RG 77; NACP. 100 Office of the Harbor Defense Commander to the Quarter Master General, July 12, 1937. 101 Fort Hancock Records, FY 1938; Annual Reports, 1924 - 1938; Entry 398; RG 77; NACP. 
85

traps in bathroom, Apt. #21, laid new floors in side hall, 2nd floor rear, 

renewed fixtures and repiped new baths and kitchen, 2nd and 3rd floor. 

Repainted all walls and ceiling of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. Installed center 

light fixture in ceiling of bedroom, Apt. #5. Completed rewiring of 

electric wiring, repaired and replaced fixtures.102

Alterations in the 1940’s 

Activity at Fort Hancock greatly increased during the early 1940’s. The increase in military 

personnel at the post included officers, which meant increased activity at the Officers Club. A 

number of changes to the building appear to have coincided with this busy period at Fort 

Hancock. 

New Dining Room (Room 107), Circa 1940 

The Real Property Card for the Officers Club dating from fiscal year 1940 provides a good 

record of the building. The record cites the building materials and size and includes a 

photograph from the period (fig. 71).103 Of note in the photograph is the change to the south 

elevation of the building. This photograph, and a postcard from the same period (fig. 72), both 

show that the enclosed porch, which extended from the south elevation of the rear ell, had been 

replaced by an addition with solid walls. The existing material and physical evidence indicate 

that the current buff- brick section, the New Dining Room (Room 107), is the addition visible in 

the ca.- 1940 photographs. Research suggests that the buff- brick addition, which measures 38 

feet 9 inches by 24 feet 6 inches, was added ca. 1940. It may have been part of the remodeling 

and repairs mentioned in the FY 1938 records, or it may have been work performed by an 

outside contractor whose records have not been located. It is interesting to note that adjacent 

buildings SH- 144 and SH- 145 were constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 

1939 using the same buff- brick materials.104 The records from the Fort Hancock Post Record 

Book do document that smaller projects at the Officers Club were performed by the WPA (see 

previous excerpt). It is thus possible that the WPA built this addition on the south elevation of 

the rear ell. Evidence is lacking to specifically date the buff brick addition to the Officers Club, 

but the photographs do narrow the possible date range, and the evidence supports a date of 

circa 1940. 

The bricks of the ca.- 1940 addition were keyed into the existing brickwork of the west 

elevation. The buff- brick addition was constructed from the foundation up with masonry (terra 

cotta) tiles measuring 8 inches wide by 12 inches high by approximately 6 inches deep. The tiles 

were laid in concrete and faced with one layer of buff- colored brick. The water table of this 

addition was cast concrete with a beveled top edge. The windows of the addition were double 

casements with a transom, and had concrete sills and lintels with beveled edges. 

 102 Commander, Fort Hancock to QMG, Sept. 30, 1938; Completion Report, FY 1938, p.1; Records, 

1917- 1943; Entry 391, RG 77, NACP. 103 Fort Hancock Post Record Book (GATE cat. 220), Officers Club, Building No. 114. 104 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 
86

Interior photographs from 1942 through 1944 further document the time period and materials 

used in the New Dining Room (Room 107). It is apparent from the photographs that the room 

was built with a pressed- metal ceiling, which by that time had been installed in other first- story 

rooms due to the damaged condition of the plaster ceilings. Also notable in the photographs are 

the wood floor and casement windows. 

The paint evidence in the New Dining Room (Room 107) provided some interesting clues to the 

evolution of the building and the use of materials (Appendix C). Paint samples from the sashes 

in the New Dining Room (W127) appeared to have a greater number of paint layers than 

samples from other window elements. The earliest paint layers on W127 sashes correspond 

with the early layers on the French door to the Lounge (Room 108), and those on the casing of 

the (now inside) window in the wall shared with the Dining Room (Room 106). This indicates 

that the sashes of W127 were contemporary with the ca.- 1905 doorway and window casing, and 

were therefore reused in the ca. - 1940 addition. 

Additional evidence supporting this conclusion was discovered on paint samples taken from the 

brickwork of the ca.- 1905 addition. A section of the ca.- 1905 brick was revealed under a 

deteriorated plaster and lath wall on the north side of the New Dining Room (Room 107). 

Similar paint stratigraphy was evident on both the ca.- 1905 brick sample and the casement sash 

sample. That indicated that the sash and the ca.- 1905 brick were contemporary, and the 

casement sash was in place prior to the application of the plaster and lath walls when the buffbrick addition was built ca. 1940. This further suggests that the casements were possibly the 

same sashes observed in the 1922, 1937, and 1938 photographs of the enclosed porch. 

Men’s Lounge (Room 104) Alterations 

Photographs of the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) from the early 1940’s depict a bar in front of the 

bay window, with chairs and tables in the foreground (fig. 76). Apparently the Men’s Lounge 

served as the bar for the Officers Club during that period (see the subsequent discussion on 

room use). It is evident from documentary and extant physical evidence that the original 

conventional doorway between the Men’s Lounge and the Pantry Area (Room 105a) was 

widened during this period. Historic photographs show that the bar area of the 1940’s 

encompassed both the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) and the Pantry Area (Room 105a). It would 

follow that the doorway between the two rooms was enlarged to create better access between 

the two rooms when the rooms were altered to function as one space. This may have been part 

of the remodeling of the recreation room noted in the 1938 records or a later alteration. In 

either case, the doorway between the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) and the Pantry Area (Room 

105a) was enlarged by the early 1940’s. 

1943 Addition 

The next recorded alteration dates from 1943. The Real Property Card for the Officers Club 

described it as measuring 94 feet 6 inches by 44 feet 8 inches, covering 9,380.54 square feet, with 

brick walls and foundation and a slate roof. The record includes a handwritten note that reads 

“ADDITION TO BE ADDED 38' X 18' SUN PORCH, COMPLETED 5- 15- 43.”105 This 

reference appears to indicate the more recent wood addition, later converted to the Bar (Room 

109), which enclosed the south side of the piazza. Indeed, photographs from 1943 and 1944 

 105 Fort Hancock Post Record Book (GATE cat. 220), Officers Club, Building No. 114. 
87

depict the wood- paneled interior of this addition (fig. 78). However, the current wood addition 

measures 52 feet 10 inches by 18 feet 2 inches. It is possible that the size of the wood addition 

was increased by 16 feet, or that there was some confusion between the ca.- 1940 addition 

(which measured 38 feet by 24 feet) and the 1943 addition. In either case, the photographic 

evidence is supported by physical investigation and paint investigation, all of which confirms the 

1943 date of construction for the wood addition. The entry in the records suggests that the 

room was intended to be used as a sun porch (see the subsequent discussion on room use). 

The 1943 addition was erected along the south elevation of the main block, and it replaced the 

section of the piazza there. The addition was built on grade with a crawl space. The floor 

framing for the addition incorporated the original porch framing and brick piers into the new 

construction. Since the addition extended beyond the area of the former porch, new framing 

was added to the existing structure to achieve the desired expanse of the addition. The wall and 

roof framing used dimensional stock fastened with wire nails. The exterior of the addition was 

clad with wood clapboards, and the shallow- pitch hip roof was originally covered with ternecoated flat- seam steel.106 A set of double doors in the northeast corner of the room led to the 

front piazza. The doors were paneled with 12 lights in the upper portion of each door. Another 

exterior entrance was built on the south elevation, and was accessed by a set of steps that was 

protected by an overhanging pediment. The design of the new addition took advantage of the 

southern exposure by using double- hung, 12- over- 12 sashes. 

The interior walls were paneled with knotty pine boards, and the ceiling consisted of plywood 

panels with a finished veneer. The floor of Room 109 was covered with hardwood strip 

flooring. Interior access to the Sun Porch/Bar (Room 109) was from the Lounge (Room 108) 

and the New Dining Room (Room 107). The doorway from the Lounge was created by 

enlarging the westernmost of four original window openings in the south wall of the Lounge. 

(The other three windows remained intact.) The doorway from the New Dining Room was a 

wide doorway in the east wall of the Dining Room, which may have been converted from an 

earlier window opening. (A second window in this wall remained intact at this time.) Both the 

doorway and window have since been closed up, but they are depicted on the 1959 floor plans 

and in ca.- 1943 photographs. In addition, physical evidence remains in situ of the doorway. 

Alterations in the Cold War Era (1959 – 1974) 

A gap exists in the records located for the Officers Club between the documents dating from 

World War II and the 1970’s records of the National Park Service. However, 1959 floor plans 

located in the Gateway NRA Museum Collection at Sandy Hook provided a view of the building 

during the later part of its association with Fort Hancock (figs. 73- 74). The room designations 

and building measurements provided a better understanding how the Officers Club evolved. 

Based on those plans and investigation of the existing building materials, there appear to have 

been no major exterior additions or alterations to the building after 1959. 

Among the changes discernible from the plans were alterations to Room 103 (the Ladies’ 

Lounge) and Room 104 (the Men’s Lounge). In the 1959 plan Room 103 has two bathrooms. 

One of the bathrooms (103b) had been installed before the 1920’s, as previously discussed. The 

installation of the second bathroom (103a) blocked the passage between Rooms 103 and 104. 

 106 Ballos, p. 18. 
88

Existing evidence, including light fixtures and wall mounts, indicates that a large mirror was 

installed on the north wall of the room – a useful feature, given the room’s use as a Ladies’ 

Lounge. 

The 1940’s photographs of Room 104 document that it was then in use as a bar room, being 

furnished with tables and chairs and a bar along the bay window on the north wall. The 1959 

plan depicts that a partition had been erected in the room, running north- south and intersecting 

the north- elevation bay window. Toilets, urinals, and sinks were installed on the east side of the 

new partition (Room 104a), and Room 104 was designated as the Men’s Lounge (Appendix B). 

The large doorway between the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) and the Pantry Area (Room 105a) 

was apparently closed off at that time. The doorway was certainly eliminated by 1959, as 

depicted in the floor plans. This work was most likely completed during the 1950’s. 

The 1950’s partition between the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) and the toilets (Room 104a) was 

apparently shifted eastward after its creation, reducing the size of the toilet room. The partition 

that appears in the 1959 plan (fig. 73) is in a different location than the current one. Physical 

investigation could not confirm this alteration, but it may have occurred when the Men’s 

Lounge (Room 104) was converted to the Ladies’ Lounge sometime during the late 1960’s or 

early 1970’s (see the subsequent discussion on room use).107

At some point prior to the creation of the 1959 plans, the 1943 wood addition was converted to 

the bar. This probably coincided with the alterations made to the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

during the 1950’s. However, the installation of the current red leather bar, and a double 

mirrored bar- back, probably dated to the 1960’s. (The 1959 plan shows two windows in the 

approximate location of the current bar.) Currently the same two enclosed windows can be 

seen on the south wall of the room behind the bar. The interior trim of the windows was left 

intact, and the openings were infilled with paneling to match the wall paneling (fig. 79). The 

extant evidence indicates that these windows were closed up when the leather bar and bar- back 

were installed, which would have been after the 1959 plans were made. During this same period 

the exterior of the Bar (Room 109) was covered with asbestos shingles. Since the shingles cover 

the two windows that were altered during the bar- back installation, it appears that the asbestos 

shingles were added sometime after the 1959 drawings were done. A doorway and a window in 

the west wall of the Bar, both looking into the New Dining Room (Room 107), were probably 

closed up at this time, as well. 

The 1959 plans reveal that a small metal- sided structure had been added to the back porch 

along the west elevation of the rear ell. This was a Men’s Room, and paint evidence suggests 

that it was added in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. 

The two south- elevation oriel windows on the second story of the rear ell were removed 

sometime after the 1959 plans were drawn, but existing evidence could not conclusively date 

this alteration. 

Other alterations that most likely occurred during this period were the removal of partitions and 

stairways in the Kitchen (Room 105), creating one large kitchen. The alteration of the Kitchen 

included the construction of a knee- wall partition, which is extant. The partition was covered 

with tile; it started at the hearth wall and extended east to the Pantry area. 

 107 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 
89

During the latter part of the U.S. Army use of the Officers Club, some minor alterations 

occurred on the second story due to a project to divide the space into separate apartments. 

These included the installation of partitions in the second- story hallways, and enclosing the 

stairway from the second story to the attic with plasterboard.108 Fire escapes were added to the 

east and west elevations of the building in the 1960’s. 

National Park Service (1974 – Present) 

The Officers Club remained primarily unchanged from the time it was transferred to the 

National Park Service to the present day. The building was used by the NPS as staff housing 

from 1977 until it was closed in 1981.109 National Park Service maintenance records from the 

1970’s document some minor repairs and painting of the interior and exterior. Examination of 

the exterior and interior paints does indicate that the building was regularly painted. 

From 1991 through 1993 NPS personnel performed emergency stabilization work on several 

buildings at the Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area. Included in that work 

were repairs to the Officers Club. The work included repairs to the mansard roof, gabled roof, 

Dining Room roof and porch roof, as well as stabilization of the front piazza, and some minor 

painting projects.110

Recent projects to stabilize the Officers Club include additional shoring of deteriorated 

structural elements. In efforts to stop water infiltration, the roof was repaired with roll roofing 

and tar patches in the spring of 2005. 

Uses of the Officers Club

The uses of the Officers Club, as explained previously, evolved with the changes in the military 

staffing at Sandy Hook. Built as the “Officers’ Quarters” to serve the needs of the Sandy Hook 

Proving Ground, the building apparently continued in that role throughout its use by the 

military. At the turn of the 20th century, documents indicate that it was also considered the 

“Officers’ Mess,” and prior to World War II it was designated as the “Officers’ Quarters’ and 

Officers Club.” During the World War II era, the Officers Club was the scene of several 

Christmas parties and gala New Year’s Eve parties. During the 1960’s the Officers Club served 

as the headquarters for the Fort Hancock Officers’ Wives Club, and was used for meetings and 

receptions. Historic records, correspondence, photographs, and existing building materials 

provide the basis for understanding the importance of the building and how it was used since it’s 

original construction. Some of those uses are illustrated in Appendix A (“Annotated Plans”), 

Appendix B (“Change in Room Use”), and figures 11- 15 and 73- 74. 

 108 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 109 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 110 Ballos, pp. 15- 22. 
90

Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) 

The 1878 proposed plans for the Officers Club listed Room 103 as the “Sitting Room.” Major 

Smith’s letter discussing the ca. - 1905 addition also notes that “the present library (of the 

Officers Club) is considered to be adequate for its purpose.”111 The maintenance records from 

the 1920’s indicated that the “Library” at that time was in Room 103. It is likely that Major 

Smith was referring to that same room in his correspondence to the Chief of Ordnance. 

The conversion of half of the first story to living quarters in 1926 probably included this room. 

However, the 1930’s saw increased recreational usage of the building, and a concurrent 

reduction in its housing capacity. The adjacent room to the west, the Men’s Lounge (Room 

104), was being used as a bar by the 1940’s, as depicted in photographs from that period. It 

seems likely that the second bathroom in Room 103 (103a) was added during this period. This 

addition closed the doorway between Rooms 103 and 104, and turned Room 103 into a general 

lounge area. Since Rooms 103a and 103b were the only bathrooms on the first story during this 

period, it seems likely that one would have served as the Ladies’ Room and the other as the 

Men’s Room. 

In the early 1950’s, when Room 104 was altered to be the Men’s Lounge and bathroom, Room 

103 was converted to the Ladies’ Lounge. It remained in that function through the mid 1960’s. 

When the NPS took control of the Officers Club in 1974, Room 103 was being used as the Men’s 

Lounge.112 This change in use probably occurred ca. 1965, which corresponds to a change in 

paint color on the walls and trim of Room 103 from pink to blue (Appendix C). 

Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

Room 104 was originally intended as the “Dining Room,” as indicated by the proposed plans. 

Its proximity to the kitchen and pantry would support this use prior to the addition of another 

dining room (Room 106) ca. 1905. Room 104 originally had a fireplace along the south wall. 

The chimney was evident in early photographs, which depicted four symmetrically placed 

chimneys. Existing evidence included the arched chimney support in the basement, as well as 

visible framing for a chimney between the first and second stories. It is likely that Rooms 104 

and 105 were connected by a conventional doorway, as illustrated in the plans. The specific use 

of Room 104 after the ca.- 1905 addition is not known, but the 1920’s room list indicated that 

this was the “Billiard Room.” 

Several photographs from 1942 through 1944 showed this room with a bar. The same 

photographs also indicate that Room 104 and the Pantry (Room 105a) to the west were joined 

by a large doorway and functioned as one space. 

 111 Smith to Crozier, Apr. 9, 1903; Vol. 22, p. 241; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 

1516, RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 112 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 
91

The 1940’s photographs of Room 104 depict wood paneling below the chair rail and trompe 

l’oeil paintings of mermaids on the upper walls (figs. 76). The wood paneling, which was 

finished with dark shellac and set in a diamond pattern, was extant. The same paneling was 

present in the Pantry (Room 105a). Evidence of the large doorway formerly here, which 

connected Rooms 104 and 105a, is visible in both rooms. Also, a photograph from 1943 shows 

partygoers in the doorway from Room 106 to Room 105 with the mermaid painting in the 

background. The previous use of Room 104 as the “Billiard Room” and a photograph of the 

room from 1943 showing a pinball machine in Room 105a, suggest that this area may have been 

the “recreation room” referred to in the 1938 annual report. 

The creation of a toilet room and the conversion of the remainder of the space to the Men’s 

Lounge most likely dated to the early 1950’s, perhaps after Fort Hancock was reopened. Paint 

evidence indicates that – at the same time the wide doorway to Room 105 was closed – the walls 

above the paneling were covered with wallboard, and the room was painted. 

The partition in Room 104 was shifted eastward sometime after the 1959 plans were drawn. 

This most likely occurred ca. 1965, when the Men’s Lounge became the Ladies’ Lounge. Room 

104 was being used as the Ladies’ Lounge when the NPS obtained the Officers Club in 1974.113

Kitchen (Room 105) 

The current kitchen area, in the first story of the rear ell (Rooms 105, 105a, and 105b), has 

experienced a number of alterations. Physical evidence cannot conclusively date those changes, 

but room descriptions, photographs, and plans help present at least a time frame for these 

alterations. 

Originally this area contained three rooms. The middle and largest room was probably the 

kitchen (Room 105), because it had a fireplace. The room to its east, from which it was 

separated by stairways to the basement and the second story, was most likely a pantry (Room 

105a), since it had a doorway to the original dining room (Room 104). The room west of the 

kitchen (Room 105b) was probably a laundry. The proposed plan shows a fireplace in this 

room, back- to- back with the Kitchen fireplace. No physical evidence of such a fireplace was 

found during the research for this report. 

A major change to the kitchen area was the addition of the one- story “bump- out” on the north 

side of the ell ca. 1905. This addition increased the size of the working kitchen, and included the 

addition of a cold- storage area (105c) in the northwest corner of the ell. 

The use of the original Laundry (Room 105b) also changed dramatically around that time. The 

ca.- 1905 addition to the Officers Club ell increased the building’s housing capacity, and there 

was probably a corollary increase in service staff. At the same time, Building No. 113 was 

constructed adjacent to the Officers Club as its laundry.114 Any laundry function within the 

Officers Club would have been discontinued at that time. Records from the 1920’s indicate that 

Room 105b was being used as a servants’ dining room by then. It seems likely that the change in 

 113 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 114 Sulam and Marsh, p. 86. 
92

use from a laundry to a servants’ dining room occurred when the new laundry building 

(Building No. 113) was constructed. 

Room 105b was later altered by the addition of its extant south wall. This was evident from the 

difference in baseboard trim along the south wall verses other baseboard trim in the room. 

Furthermore, the room size noted in the 1920’s room list indicated a larger room, without the 

south partition. The 1959 floor plans showed this room in its current configuration as a store 

room, which indicates that the south wall of this space was added between the 1920’s and 1959. 

Physical evidence indicates that Room 105b formerly had a doorway in its east wall, north of the 

chimney stack, leading to the Kitchen (Room 105). The doorway does not appear on any plans, 

and the date of its infilling is not known. 

The 1959 plan depicts a partition wall on the south side of the Kitchen, which created a hallway 

between the Kitchen (Room 105) and the Dining Room (Room 106). Based on the room sizes 

and floor plans, it is apparent that the partition was added between the 1920’s and 1959. 

The partition and stairwell between the Pantry (Room 105a) and the Kitchen, as delineated in 

the 1959 floor plans, were later removed, presumably to expand the Kitchen. At this same the 

south partition previously described was altered to a knee wall and covered with tile. 

Dining Room (Room 106) 

The Dining Room (Room 106) appears have always served the original intent of the ca.- 1905 

design. As previously discussed, the ca.- 1905 photographs of the Dining Room reveal several 

aspects of the room’s earlier appearance (figs. 56- 57). Among these were the outline of the 

original south- elevation bay window, the early mantelpiece and overmantel, the period 

decorative scheme, the plaster ceiling, early lighting fixtures, and the original fenestration. 

The first alteration to this room was probably the addition of the metal ceiling. Paint evidence 

suggests that this may have been one of the earliest metal ceilings to be installed in the Officers 

Club. The south- facing bay window evident in the early photographs was later removed to 

accommodate another addition to the south. This change presumably took place when the New 

Dining Room (Room 107) was added ca. 1940, but may have been done earlier when the porch 

enclosure material was changed from screen to glass. 

The original marble fireplace surround and classical engaged columns and entablature remained 

intact. Photographs document that the overmantel pediment and relief were replaced with a 

large mirror prior to 1943. These same photographs illustrated that the stained- glass windows 

incorporating the Ordnance Corps insignia were removed prior to 1942. This most likely 

occurred when the Sandy Hook Proving Ground was decommissioned in 1919. 

The wall sconces seen in the photographs appear to date from the ca.- 1905 installation, and 

were visible in images through the 1960’s. The niche in the north wall of the Dining Room 

(Room 106), which was framed by classical pilasters and an arch, served as a decorative 

centerpiece for the room. One of the ca.- 1905 photographs depicted a moose head in that 

location. That was later replaced by a portrait of General Hancock, which was seen in 

photographs from the 1940’s. The portrait in turn was replaced by 1960 with a mural of an 

antebellum mansion, which remained in place through 1967. The most recent decoration of the 
93

niche was the extant mural of Sandy Hook (fig. 75), which was painted by the post’s sign painter 

Harvey Haddon between 1967 and 1973.115

New Dining Room (Room 107) 

This room occupies the space of the “broad porch” with rounded bay and Colonial Revival 

details that was part of Major Smith’s plan for the ca.- 1905 addition to the Officers Club. The 

porch was well documented in historic photographs, and was extant through ca. 1940. The 

original intent, as described by Major Smith, was “for summer use in connection with the Dining 

Room.”116 The porch presumably served the intended function, and the addition of the glass 

sashes to enclose the porch may have extended its seasonal use. The removal of the enclosed 

porch, and the construction of the buff- brick New Dining Room (Room 107) in its place ca. 

1940, increased the square footage and dining capacity of the Officers Club. Photographs from 

the 1940’s documented that the space was also used for dancing during that active period of Fort 

Hancock (fig. 77). 

Lounge (Room 108) 

The 1878 proposed plans for this space show it partitioned into an east “Office” and a west 

“Board Room.” Both the physical and documentary evidence reviewed indicate that this area 

was always one room. As stated by Edwin Bearss, the Officers Club was used as a meeting place 

for members of the Ordnance Board, as well as other dignitaries.117 Though the specific use of 

Room 108 was not initially documented, given the established function of the other primary 

first- story rooms, it would be logical to assume that Room 108 functioned as a meeting room. 

The ca.- 1905 alterations to the Lounge (Room 108) certainly made it one of the more decorative 

rooms on the first story, and a room that would have impressed visitors. The 1920’s records 

listed Room 108 as the “Reception Room,” and in the 1959 plan it was labeled the “Lounge.” 

The expanse of the room, the large windows, and the two ornately carved mantelpieces created 

a sense that it was an important room. 

Bar (Room 109) 

The Real Property Card notation concerning this 1943 addition suggests that Room 109 was 

initially used as a sun porch. Historic photographs taken soon after it was constructed depict 

the room being used as an additional dining area during the holiday parties (fig. 78). During that 

very active period at Fort Hancock, the room continued to serve as the overflow for dining and 

receptions at the Officers Club, as well as a sun porch. By 1959 Room 109 had been designated 

as the bar for the Officers Club, as indicated by the floor plans of that year. As previously 

discussed, the installation of the current red leather bar, and double- mirrored bar- back, 

probably dated to the 1960’s (fig. 79). The bar continued in that capacity through 1974 when the 

building was turned over to the NPS. 

 115 Interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 116 Smith to Crozier, Apr. 9, 1903; Vol. 22, p. 241; Letters Sent, 1890- 1905; SHPG, 1889- 1919; Entry 

1516; RG 156; NARA - Northeast Region (NY). 117 HRS, 1874- 1919, p. 2. 
94

It appears that the Officers’ Club was a vital place throughout its association with the Sandy 

Hook Proving Ground and Fort Hancock. The use of the primary first- story rooms reflects that 

vitality, and the interpretation of that history contributes to the understanding of the Officers 

Club and the site. 

Ancillary Structures

Building No. 113 

Building No. 113 (figs. 80- 81) was constructed in 1905 just west of the Officers Club (fig. 48), to 

serve as a laundry for the officers of the Ordnance Department.118 It was a one- story woodframed structure built on a poured concrete foundation. The building had a hip roof, which was 

covered with green asphalt shingles at the time of research was performed for this report. 

Building No. 113 was clad with clapboards and had wooden double- hung sashes. The structure 

had triple sets of windows on both its south and east elevations. The center window in both sets 

had double- hung, eight- over- eight sashes, which were flanked by double- hung, six- over- six 

sashes. Other windows on the building had double- hung, six- over- six sashes. 

The plan of Building No. 113 had two rooms arranged in a T shape. The main room measured 

16 feet by 22 feet and composed the main block of the building. The other room measured 6 

feet by 16 feet, and was attached to the west elevation of the main block.119

Building No. 113 served as the laundry building for the Officers Club from 1905 until the late 

1930’s when it was altered to function as a “Caddy House” for a nine- hole golf course that 

would have started and ended near the Officers Club.120 Its location and role make it important 

to the historical context of the Officers Club. 

Barbecue Terrace 

The concrete terraced area situated between the Officers Club and Building No. 113 was 

historically used as a barbecue terrace. It was described in the Cultural Landscape Report as 

being equipped with a “barbecue with three grills built into a curving concrete block wall that 

stretches almost the whole length of the southern edge of the terrace.”121 

The date of construction of the barbecue area is not known, but it may have been part of the 

1937 improvements to the parking area and grounds. The location of the barbecue area near the 

Officers Club makes it an important landscape feature and part of the contextual history of the 

Officers Club. 

 118 Sulam and Marsh, p. 86. This section is based on the report prepared by Barry Sulam and John 

Marsh. Building No. 113 was not researched or investigated as part of this report. 119 Sulam and Marsh, p. 87. 120 Sulam and Marsh, p. 86. 121 Norma E. Williams, Cultural Landscape Report for Proving Ground and Wartime Expansion Areas

(Brookline, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation, July 1999), p. 62. 
95

N

Figure 48. Detail of map of Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1908/1915, showing Officers 

Club “footprint” with ca.- 1905 additions, including bay window and rounded porch on 

south elevation. Map also shows Laundry/Building No. 113 (No. 6). 
96

Figure 49. Sandy Hook Proving Ground, Greenhouse, with Officers Club in 

background, south elevation; note details of rounded porch. 

Figure 50. Detail of figure 64, showing Officers Club, 1924.
97

Figure 52. Officers Club, west elevation of rear ell, ca.- 1905 portion; 

shows oculus window (W311) and arched window (W312) in gable 

end, 2005. 

Figure 51. Officers 

Club, west- elevation 

window W124, seen 

from the Dining Room 

(Room 106), 2005. 
98

Figure 53. Officers Club, west elevation of rear ell, flared eave of 

ca.- 1905 addition, 2005. 

Figure 54. Officers Club, 

north elevation of rear ell, 

showing dormer of ca.- 1905 

addition, 2005. 
99

Figure 55. Officers Club, basement plan illustrating original appearance and alterations (not to scale). 

 N
100

Figure 56. Officers Club, Dining Room (Room 106), view of south and 

west walls, ca. 1905. 

Figure 57. Officers Club, Dining Room (Room 106), view of north and 

east walls, ca. 1905. 
101

Figure 58. Stained- glass window from Officers Club, ca.- 1905 

Dining Room addition (Room 106), incorporating Ordnance 

Corps insignia.

Figure 59. Officers 

Club, Dining Room 

(Room 106), detail of 

fireplace and mantelpiece, ca. 1905. 
102

Figure 60. 

Officers Club. 

east- façade 

main entrance. 

Photograph taken 

after October 

1979 and before 

June 1986. 

Figure 61. Officers Club, transom above east- façade main entrance, as seen 

from center hallway (Room 102), 2005. 
103

Figure 63. Officers Club, Lounge (Room 108), fireplace surround 

and mantelpiece, 2005. 

Figure 62. Officers Club, 

doorway from Dining Room 

(Room 106) to Lounge 

(Room 108), ca. 1905. 
104

Figure 64. “Detail 40, 4/24/24, 14th Photo Section, Fort Hancock, New Jersey.” Aerial photograph of northern end of 

Sandy Hook, New Jersey, April 24, 1924. 
105

Figure 65. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, “Feb 1922”; note 

enclosed porch. 

Figure 66. Officers Club, west and south elevations, ca. 1940; note enclosed 

porch. 
106

Figure 68. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, ca. 1937. 

Figure 67. Officers 

Club, chimney work 

on rear- ell gable roof, 

ca. 1937. 
107

Figure 69. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, April 9, 1938. 

Figure 70. Officers Club, south elevation, April 9, 1938. 
108

Figure 71. Officers Club, east facade, ca. 1940; note south- elevation addition 

and exterior paint color. 

Figure 72. Officers Club, east facade, ca. 1941; note south- elevation addition 

and exterior paint colors. 
109

 N 

Figure73. “First Floor Plan, Permanent Building, Building No. 114, Officers Club,” 1959. 
110

 N 

Figure 74. “Second Floor Plan, Permanent Building, Building No. 114, Officers Club,” 1959. 
111

Figure 75. Officers Club, Dining Room (Room 106), north- wall mural depicting northern end of Sandy Hook, 2004. 
112

Figure 76. Officers Club, Men’s Lounge (Room 104), 

showing trompe l’oeil painting on east wall, 1942. 

Figure 77. Officers Club, New Dining Room (Room 107), 

south and east walls; note doorway to Room 109 at left on 

east wall, 1944. 
113

Figure 78.

Officers Club, 

Bar (Room 109), 

1944.

Figure 79. Officers Club, Bar (Room 109), 2005. 
114

Figure 80. Laundry/Caddy House, Building No. 113, ca. 1940. 

Figure 81. Laundry/Caddy House, Building No. 113, 1995. 
115

CURRENT PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 

The following physical description of the Officers Club is meant to augment the descriptions in 

the preceding sections “Original Appearance” and “Alterations.” Much of the existing building 

material appears to be original, and so has been described previously. Additions and 

modifications to the original structure were discussed in the section on alterations. Those 

descriptions should be considered as part of the current physical description, and will not be 

reiterated here. 

The photographs included with this section are intended to illustrate the current physical 

description. This report does not include a condition assessment, but it should be noted that the 

current condition, as documented in many of the photographs included with this report, is poor. 

In spite of the poor condition, the extant building fabric of Officers Club retains a high degree of 

integrity. 

Exterior Elements

The current exterior appearance of the Officers Club reflects the evolution of the building 

throughout its association with the military presence at Sandy Hook. The current structure 

communicates the original form of the building, as well as later additions and alterations 

(Appendix A, figs. 88- 91). 

Foundation 

The present foundation is brick, with one section of asbestos shingles on the south and east 

elevations of the 1943 addition. The sections that were constructed with red brick are painted 

yellow/tan, which matches the buff bricks used to construct the ca.- 1940 addition. 

Walls 

The exterior walls appear as described in previous sections. The red- brick, stamped metal, and 

asbestos wall surfaces are painted to match the ca.- 1940 buff- brick addition, and the trim is 

painted green. The degraded condition of the paints has exposed some of the brick surface, as 

well as bare wood on some trim. The brownstone water table is painted green, but is otherwise 

unchanged. 
116

Porches 

The section of piazza along the south elevation of the main block was removed during the 

construction of the 1943 wood- frame addition. The piazza now extends only along the east 

facade of the main block and the north elevation. Some of the original porch elements are 

intact, but a significant amount of material has been lost. Emergency repairs stabilized the 

structure and roof, and also some of the lower elements. The front steps are no longer extant. 

The roof of the “porte cochère” entrance at the northeast corner of the piazza remains; its sides 

have been removed, and its steps were recently rebuilt by the NPS. Sections of the piazza 

balustrade have fallen apart; others have been removed and replaced with a temporary 2- by- 4 

railing and balusters. Likewise, a large portion of the piazza latticework has deteriorated. 

The back porch is enclosed with plywood, and a significant amount of the historic building 

material is deteriorated. Most of the columns are decayed, and some have been replaced with 

temporary 4- by- 4 supports. The steps were rebuilt using modern materials during the 

emergency stabilization. The doorway to this porch currently serves as the primary entrance to 

the building, and its door is equipped with a modern lock. 

Doorways and Windows 

The original fenestration of the Officers Club, as well as the fenestration of the additions, is very 

much intact. Some of the window sashes were replaced over the years, but paint research 

indicates that some of the early sashes have survived. Most window and doorway openings are 

currently covered with plywood. This stabilization effort has helped protect many of the 

windows. Some of the window openings at the basement level were infilled during alterations to 

the building, but this does not affect the exterior appearance of the building. 

The first story retains the original large double- hung, two- over- two sashes in the window 

openings of the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) and the Lounge (Room 108), as well as the 

configuration of the bay window, with original double- hung, two- over- two sashes in the 

Men’s Lounge (Room 104). 

The window sashes in the main block on the second story are all of double- hung design, but 

they have varied configurations. Most openings have two- over- two sashes, but two window 

openings on the south elevation have one- over- one sashes, as do the smaller windows at this 

level. The oriel windows on both the east and north elevations of the main block of the Officers 

Club are equipped with four- over- four sashes, including the curved sashes of the north 

elevation’s oriel window. The north- elevation oriel window is damaged and currently covered 

with plywood. 

The window openings in the rear ell on the second story generally have double- hung, fourover- four sashes with simple board trim matching the doorway casings. As previously 

mentioned, the two oriel windows on the south elevation of the rear ell, which were part of the 

ca.- 1905 addition, were removed sometime after 1959, but the framing for those windows is 

extant. Those two oriel windows were replaced with paired double- hung, two- over- two 
117

sashes with horizontal lights. The bathroom window opening on this same elevation also has 

double- hung, two- over- two sashes with horizontal lights. 

At the first and second stories the brownstone lintels and sills are painted green to match the 

other trim elements. The masonry trim on the ca.- 1905 and ca.- 1940 additions is also painted 

green. The trim elements on the 1943 addition are likewise painted green. 

The window openings in the mansard- roof dormers retain their original double- hung, oneover- one sashes with segmental arched top sashes. The dormers also retain their historic 

surrounds with arched crowns and flared casings, and are an important feature of the building. 

Roofs 

The lower hip of the mansard roof is covered with fiberglass tab shingles, which replaced 

deteriorated asphalt shingles during the 1991 stabilization. Likewise, the gable roof and 

dormers of the rear ell were covered with fiberglass tab shingles during repairs.122 Since the 

asphalt is evident in photographs from the 1960’s, it is likely that it was first installed in the late 

1950’s to early 1960’s. The upper hip of the mansard roof is presently covered with a built- up 

bituminous roof, and areas are patched with roofing tar. The 1991 stabilization included repairs 

to the roof over the ca.- 1940 addition, the 1943- wood addition, and the piazza. All of these 

roofs are currently covered with 90- pound asphalt double- coverage roofing material.123 The 

roof of the one- story kitchen addition on the north elevation of the rear ell, and the rear porch 

on the west elevation, form a contiguous roof line. This entire roof is covered with ternecoated flat- seam metal pans.124 The small roofs of the mansard dormers retain their flat- seam 

metal roof coverings. 

The upper cornice of the mansard roof is wrapped with light- gauge aluminum painted green to 

match other trim elements. The section of aluminum along the east elevation has fallen off, and 

other sections have sustained some damage. The wood cornice behind the aluminum is 

decayed, but would provide a suitable profile for replication of that feature. The lower cornice 

is primarily intact and, in spite of the deteriorated condition of the paint finishes, retains its 

historic integrity. Other cornices on the building are wood and painted green to match other 

trim elements. All cornices on the building include integral gutters lined with metal. During 

building repairs some of the gutter linings were replaced with aluminum; otherwise, the metal 

gutters were treated and left intact. The downspouts are a combination of galvanized metal and 

aluminum, and are painted green to match the trim. 

The main roof is pierced by three red- brick chimneys. The chimneys are corbelled at the top 

and are capped. The rear ell has two brick chimneys, as well as a large chimney that runs up the 

west elevation of the ell, then abuts the interior chimney of the Dining Room (Room 106) at the 

roof line. All of the chimneys are painted buff to match the body of the building. 

 122 Ballos, p. 16. 123 Ballos, pp. 18- 19. 124 Ballos, p. 20. 
118

Other Elements 

On the east elevation a steel fire escape is attached to the building at the center dormer. A steel 

ladder extends from the platform to the piazza roof below, and another steel ladder runs from 

the piazza roof to the ground level. A fire escape is also attached to the west elevation of the 

building. At this location a large steel platform can be accessed from a second- story 

emergency- exit doorway. A steel stairway extends from the platform to the ground level. The 

section of fire escape that leads from the attic level on the west elevation is no longer intact. 

Interior Elements

The existing interior elements represent the changes to the building over the 126 years since it 

was constructed. The Officers Club as described in the “Alterations” section has, for the most 

part, remained unchanged since the World War II era. 

Basement 

There is a full basement under the original sections of the building and crawlspaces under the 

additions (fig. 55 and Appendix A, fig. 88). The original stairway from the basement to the first 

story of the rear ell has been removed. Thus, the only access to the basement is through the 

west- elevation bulkhead. Several of the doorways in the brick bearing walls and partitions of 

the basement are sealed off with cinderblocks. Some of the original basement windows are 

closed off with brick, and the windows facing the exterior are covered with plywood. As 

previously mentioned, a large portion of the exposed framing was charred by fire. In Room 001, 

some of the framing has been strengthened by the addition of support posts and extra joists. 

The ceiling in the center hallway, Room 002, appears to be composed of fireproof asbestos 

panels. The basement floors are covered with cement, except in Room 008, which is paved with 

pieces of brick. 

There was one addition to the basement “footprint” that could not be dated. A small room 

(Room 007) tucked in the southwest corner where the main block meets the ell appears to have 

been built after the original construction. This room is full height, with a doorway to the center 

hallway of the basement, and a window on the west elevation trimmed with brownstone. It is 

constructed with brick, but is not integral with the original foundation. The position of the 

room within the foundation walls and crawlspace of the ca.- 1905 addition suggests that it was 

added prior to that addition. The location of this room, near the original utility room, suggests 

that this may have been an early coal storage area. 
119

First Story 

The physical elements are in poor condition, but the survival of room proportions, high ceilings, 

tall window openings, and classical details on the first story has managed to preserve the historic 

integrity of the space. A number of the features and architectural elements at this level were 

described in previous sections, and are considered to be “character- defining” (see the 

subsequent section “Character- defining Features”). 

The current plan of the first story appears to be relatively unchanged from the military usage of 

the Officers Club (Appendix A, fig. 89). The front entrance and vestibule, leading to the eastwest center hallway, remain important features of the plan. The primary rooms on first story 

flank the center hallway, as they did historically. The demolition of the rear stairway and 

partitions in the Kitchen area (Room 105) has created a much larger service area that does not 

reflect the historic appearance. However, this does not adversely affect the interpretation of the 

first story. 

A majority of the floors on the first story are of wood. The wood floors in the vestibule, and in 

sections of the Kitchen, have been overlaid with tile. The center hallway (Room 102) and the 

stairway are carpeted, but uncarpeted sections of both reveal parquet flooring. Photographs 

from the 1960’s also depict a parquetry fretwork border in the hallway (Room 102), which may 

remain underneath the current carpeting. The Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) appears to have the 

earliest surviving wood floor, which is unfortunately in poor condition. Historic photographs of 

the Dining Room (Room 106) indicate that the existing parquet floor is not original to the ca.-

1905 addition. The wood- strip flooring in other rooms also appears to be from the later years 

of military use, but the use of wood flooring does help maintain the appearance associated with 

the historic wood floors. 

The double- return stairway to the second story has flared newel posts on the first story, which 

appear to be replacements. The newel posts are constructed with wire nails and painted a 

brown color. Photographs from the 1960’s depict the newel posts with lantern- style caps, 

which have since fallen off. Based on the existing evidence, it was not possible to accurately date 

the installation of the current newel posts, but they do not match the original style of the 

building. Furthermore, the extant newel posts at the attic level appear to be original, and are 

more appropriate to the period of construction. 

Several records for the Officers Club mention the condition of the plaster walls and ceilings and 

the efforts to repair and/or replace them. Several generations of lath and plaster were observed 

on the walls and ceilings, providing an interesting record of the changes to the building. 

The building was constructed with wood lath and plaster on walls and ceilings. Damage to the 

plaster surfaces from the firing of guns at the proving ground required the replacement of most 

of the original plaster and lath with metal lath and plaster, which is evident throughout the 

building. The extant evidence further reveals that in many rooms, the plaster and metal- lath 

ceilings were later covered by metal ceilings. As early as 1901 and as late as the 1937 Annual 

Report, the repair of the plaster walls and ceilings and the installation of metal ceilings, as well as 

interior painting, appeared to be regular maintenance items at the Officers Club. The records do 

not mention specific rooms but, with the exception of the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) and the 

Bar (Room 109), currently all the rooms on the first story have metal ceilings, and the walls are 
120

either plaster on metal lath or are covered with plasterboard. The Bar (Room 109) retains the 

wooden wall paneling and portions of the plywood ceiling seen in early photographs of that 

room. The plaster and metal- lath ceiling in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) is severely 

deteriorated, but it is the only surviving plaster ceiling on the first story, and so is a significant 

feature. In the Dining Room and the New Dining Room (Rooms 106 and 107), the walls below 

the chair rail have been covered with thin wood paneling. The kitchen area (Room 105) has a 

drop ceiling, but a metal ceiling is evident above. 

The ornamental plaster cornices in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), the Lounge (Room 108), 

and the Dining Room (Room 106) are intact period details. In other rooms, the installation of 

the metal ceilings included a metal cornice piece. (The earlier cornices were either covered or 

removed.) 

The doorways retain much of their early casing details, but at this level many of the doors are 

missing. Hollow- core doors hang in the double doorway from the hallway (Room 102) to the 

Lounge (Room 108). The pocket door from the Lounge (Room 108) to the Dining Room 

(Room 106) is no longer operative, but it remains intact. Paint analysis has determined that the 

French door leading from Lounge (Room 108) to the New Dining Room (Room 107) dates from 

the ca.- 1905 alterations. An apparently original doorway in the northwest corner of the 

Lounge, leading to the hallway (Room 102), was closed up, and a telephone booth and closet 

were installed in the recess of the doorway opening on the hallway side.125 A doorway from the 

New Dining Room (Room 107) to the 1943 sun porch/Bar (Room 109) was also closed up, 

sometime after 1959. 

Most of the interior window trim is intact. Particularly representative examples of period trim 

exist in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) and the Lounge (Room 108), as well as in the ca.- 1905 

Colonial Revival- style Dining Room (Room 106). The four openings in the south wall of the 

Lounge (Room 108) were originally exterior windows. The westernmost window was 

converted to a doorway in 1943 to access the sun porch built that year (Room 109). The other 

three original windows remained intact. Two windows in the south wall of Room 109 (now the 

Bar) were closed sometime after 1959, probably when the present red- leather bar and double 

mirrored bar- back were installed, probably in the 1960’s. As mentioned previously, the interior 

trim for these windows remains on the south wall of the room. A window in the west wall of 

Room 109, looking into the New Dining Room, was also closed up without a trace sometime 

after 1959. 

Second Story 

The current floor plan of the second story has not been dramatically changed from the historic 

layout (Appendix A, fig. 90). The 1920’s room list provides a useful tool for determining the 

number, size, and use of rooms. The room list does not include Room 202, a small connecting 

hallway that was apparently created after the 1920’s. Also evident from that list was the removal 

of one bathroom, which was corroborated by the physical evidence. This bathroom was located 

 125 The doorway appears on the 1878 proposed first- story plan. Neither the doorway nor the 

telephone booth appear in the 1959 first- story plan, but the boothexists today. 
121

between Rooms 204 and 205 and would have had a doorway to each room. Room 205 was 

further altered by the addition of two partitions to create Room 206. 

The floors in the center hallway (Room 201) of the second story are among the best- preserved 

parquetry floors in the Officers Club. Likewise, the parquetry floor at the landing of the 

double- return stairway is representative of that flooring style and are in good condition. Both 

floors provide examples of the inlaid border, and the hallway especially shows the Greek 

fretwork border. Some bedroom floors retain wood- strip floors, while others are covered with 

linoleum tile. 

As on the first story, most of the walls on the second story are plaster on metal lath. The walls in 

the center hallway (Room 201) are covered with plasterboard. Plasterboard has also been 

applied to the sides of the double- return stairway from the second story to the attic, to enclose 

it. Partitions with doorways on either side of the stairway were added to restrict access from the 

first story to the second- story apartments. 

The ceiling of the center hallway is the only surviving wood- lath and plaster ceiling in the main 

block of the Officers Club. As such, it is an important record of the historic materials at the 

Officers Club, even though the plaster may have been repaired over the years. Other ceilings in 

the main block were replaced with metal. The rooms in the rear ell have either plaster- on- lath 

ceilings or composite- board ceilings. 

An early plaster cornice survives in the hallway (Room 201). The cornice here combines 

classical elliptical profiles and is integral with the ceiling plaster. Cornice details in other rooms 

on the second story were removed when the metal ceilings were installed. Some rooms in the 

rear ell have wooden cornices. 

Doorways to the rooms on the second story of the main block line the center hallway (Room 

201). The bedroom doorways include transom windows. This is also true of the doorways in 

the rear ell. In the main block, the existing doors are metal with no detail. In the rear ell at this 

level, the doors to the bedrooms are four- panel wood doors probably dating to the ca.- 1905 

addition. There are also some closet doors with five horizontal panels. The doorway casings in 

the center hallway (Room 201) have the same profile as those in the center hallway on the first 

story. This includes the trim of the doorway at the west end of the hallway, at the short stairway 

to the rear- ell hallway (Room 211). Paint samples from both of these casings show evidence of 

early finishes. All other doorway trim at this level consists of plain- board surrounds, which 

paint research indicates are later alterations. The windows in the main block at this level are 

recessed by approximately 8 inches, with the exception of the two oriel windows (W203 and 

W209), which have window seats. The window trim on the second story of both the main block 

and the rear ell is a simple board casing. 

The risers and treads of the main stairway to the attic are of wood, and a parquet pattern is 

evident on the risers. The turned balusters and the handrail match those of the first- story 

stairway. In the rear ell, the single- return stairway to the attic in the rear ell has one landing. 

The opening to the original stairway down to the first story of the ell was closed up with 

plasterboard when that stairway was removed. 

The only surviving fireplace on the second story is in Room 212. It dates from the ca.- 1905 

addition, and is constructed with red bricks that are painted red. 
122

Attic 

The extant building materials in the attic of the Officers Club indicate that the current room 

plan of the main block is similar to the original 1878 layout (Appendix A, fig. 91). The bearing 

walls that delineate the east- west center hallway continue at the attic level, with rooms flanking 

the hallway. The list of room names and sizes from the 1920’s supports the physical evidence. 

Apparently one bathroom has been removed since then, which may have been located between 

Rooms 304 and 305. A partition was added across the center hallway (Room 301) to restrict 

access from the second story to the attic- story rooms. This created an ancillary cross hallway 

(Room 302). In the rear ell, the attic is divided into five bedrooms and one bathroom. This is 

also similar to the layout described in the 1920’s records. 

The floor in the center hallway (Room 301) in the attic retains an early parquetry floor and 

border. Some of the bedrooms at this level have intact wood- strip floors. In some rooms the 

wood floors are covered with linoleum tiles, which are generally in disrepair. 

In the attic of the main block the walls are plaster on metal lath. Wood lath is visible in the 

gabled attic of the rear ell, and the walls are plastered. 

Most of the ceilings in the attic are covered with pressed metal, as on the second story. This 

includes the higher ceilings in the center hallways. Plaster and wood- lath ceilings have survived 

in some of the rooms of the attic of the rear ell. 

The doorways in the attic have transoms similar to those on the second story. The doors in the 

main block at this level are two- panel doors, while the doors in the rear ell have five horizontal 

panels. The doorway casings match the simple board casings on the second story. 

The framing of the dormers of the mansard roof required that the window openings be 

recessed, and they were constructed with a wide window shelf. The gabled dormers on the rear 

ell have double- hung, two- over- two sashes with horizontal lights. The west wall of Room 310 

has an arched window with four- over- four sashes. The windows at this level are trimmed with 

simple board casings. 

The two skylights that helped illuminate the attic hallway are covered with boards, which are in 

turn covered on the exterior with roofing material. 

Utilities 

Basement 

The remnants of various utility systems can be found in the basement, either suspended from 

the ceiling and/or scattered through out the basement. These include a main fuse and breaker 

box located on the east wall of Room 006. 
123

First Story 

Currently most of the first- story rooms are wired for wall sconces, but many of the fixtures have 

been removed. Historic photographs show that some of the wall sconces present at the turn of 

the 20th century were still being used in the 1960’s. When the metal ceilings were installed, 

some ceiling- mounted light fixtures were apparently removed. 

The most recent heating utility for the first story was a forced hot- water system. There are two 

radiators in the center hallway, and the other rooms had floor grates with radiators within the 

grates. In the Dining Room (Room 106), the heating vents were placed under the built- in 

window seats, and radiators were installed in the wall between the Dining Room (Room 106) 

and the New Dining Room (Room 107). 

Second Story 

The rooms on the second story retain the cast- iron radiators for the heating system. In the 

bedrooms of the main block the radiators were placed within the window recesses. Both oriel 

window units have radiators built into the window seats. The tall thin radiator in the hallway of 

the rear ell (Room 211) is typical of the historic radiators. Maintenance records for the Officers 

Club document the removal of old radiators and the installation new ones in 1929; presumably 

some of the extant radiators date from that period (see “Character- defining Features”). 

Lighting on the second story was provided by both ceiling fixtures and wall sconces. Many of 

the fixtures are no longer extant. Of the surviving ones, most are in disrepair. 

Attic 

The bedrooms in the attic of the main block have cast- iron radiators placed within the window 

recesses. The extant lighting fixtures in the attic are ceiling fixtures. 

Finishes 

The brickwork and exposed framing materials in the original section of the basement are 

covered with a lime- based whitewash. The only extant basement- window sash does not show 

any significant evidence of paint finishes. Likewise, the bulkhead door does not retain any 

reliable evidence of finishes. 

A majority of the woodwork on the first story was originally finished with a dark resinous 

coating, probably shellac. It appears that the first paint layers in some rooms coincide with the 

ca. - 1905 addition. Records indicate that after that period, the interior of the Officers Club was 

painted on a regular basis. This was also evident in the paint samples (Appendix C). Paint 

analysis, supported by historic photographs and research, suggests that many of the wall 

surfaces were initially wallpapered. Currently many of the wall surfaces are painted white, and 

the trim is painted tan. The Dining Room (Room 106) has a ca.- 1960’s flocked wallpaper with 
124

white trim, and wood paneling below the chair rail, as well as a painted mural of Sandy Hook 

between the pilasters on the north wall. Portions of the New Dining Room (Room 107) were 

painted gray for the filming of a Bruce Springsteen music video in 1987.126 The rest of the room 

has wood paneling below the chair rail, and off- white/peach painted walls with white trim. 

The existing finishes on the second story are generally degraded and date from the more recent 

occupancy of the Officers Club by NPS personnel. Most of the rooms are painted white with 

white trim. The walls of the center hallway (Room 201) and the hallway of the rear ell (Room 

211) are painted gray with white trim. 

In general, the paint finishes at the attic level are degraded. Most of the trim is painted white, 

and many of the walls are also white. The halls are currently painted gray, and Room 303 is lime 

green. 

 126 Anecdotal information from interview with Park Historian Hoffman. 
125

Figure 82. Officers Club, east facade, 2004. 

Figure 83. Officers Club, east façade and south elevation, 2004. 
126

Figure 84. Officers Club, south elevation, 2004. 

Figure 85. Officers Club, west elevation, 2004. 
127

Figure 86. Officers Club, north and west elevations, 2004. 

Figure 87. Officers Club, north elevation, 2004. 

129

III. TREATMENT 

 AND USE 

131

INTRODUCTION 

An historic structure may be significant for its architectural features and/or its association with 

historic events and persons. The character- defining features (CDFs) of a building are those 

visual features and elements that define the structure and contribute to the building’s historic 

integrity. To retain the historic integrity of the structure, it is important to preserve those CDFs. 

The proposed treatment for the Officers Club, in accordance with the GMP, is rehabilitation. 

The rehabilitation of a structure includes the retention of CDFs. The Secretary of the Interior’s 

Standards for Rehabilitation address this in the definition of “rehabilitation,” which is “the 

process of returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes 

possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the 

property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values.”1

 The standards 

further address the preservation of “those portions and features” as follows: 

A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use 

that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the 

building and its site and environment. 

The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The 

removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that 

characterize a property shall be avoided. 

Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, 

and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, 

such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other 

buildings, shall not be undertaken. 

Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired 

historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved. 

Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of 

craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. 

Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. 

Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive 

feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and 

other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of 

missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or 

pictorial evidence. 

Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage 

to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, 

if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. 

 1

 Kay D. Weeks and Anne E. Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of 

Historic Properties, with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic 

Buildings. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. DOI, NPS, 1995) p. 61. 
132

Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be 

protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation 

measures shall be undertaken. 

New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not 

destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work 

shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the 

massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic 

integrity of the property and its environment. 

New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be 

undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential 

form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be 

unimpaired.2

The Fort Hancock Rehabilitation Guidelines 3

 and the Environmental Assessment 4 outline the 

character- defining features of the Officers Club, Building No. 114. The following section will 

elaborate on the exterior and interior CDFs. Although this report does not contain a section on 

landscape characteristics, they too are important to the history and context of the Officers Club. 

Among the landscape characteristics listed as character- defining features in the Environmental 

Assessment are the “shepherd’s- crook” lighting standards, and the barbecue terrace and 

barbecue pit. Other reports generated on this subject for Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National 

Recreation Area, should be consulted prior to any work on the site.5

 2

 Weeks and Grimmer, p. 62. 

3

 Chandler McCoy, Fort Hancock Rehabilitation Guidelines (U.S. DOI, NPS, March 1999), p. 29. 4

Environmental Assessment, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic 

District (U.S. DOI, NPS, in association with Sandy Hook Partners LLC, February 2002, revised July 2003). 5

 These include but are not limited to the following: Cultural Landscape Report for Proving Ground and 

Wartime Expansion Areas, by Norma E. Williams; Historic Landscape Assessment for Fort Hancock, by 

Elliot Foulds. 
133

CHARACTER- DEFINING FEATURES 

Exterior Elements

Design and Context 

• Only representative example of Second Empire- style architecture at Sandy Hook. 

• Distinctive original architectural features, including mansard roof form, projecting center 

vestibule, and north- elevation bay window. 

• 20th- century additions reflecting newer architectural styles, notably the Colonial Revival 

style, and changes in use of the Officers Club. 

• Significance of the Officers Club to the institutional history of both the Sandy Hook 

Proving Ground and Fort Hancock. 

Porches 

• Piazza on east façade and north elevation, with chamfered columns, balustrade, scroll 

brackets, bracketed cornice with integral gutter, and other trim elements. 

• Brick piers and lattice between piers. 

• “Porte cochère” elements attached to the northeast corner of the piazza. 

 Note: The back porch has undergone many changes, and is not considered a characterdefining feature. 

Fenestration 

• Overall design and proportions of doorways and windows, including the tall, narrow 

windows on the first story. 

• Symmetry of east- facade doorways and windows. 

• East- facade entry doorway, including double doors with lights, and sidelights and transom 

window displaying decorative lead cames. 
134

• Double- hung wooden sashes, especially the tall, original, two- over- two sashes on the east 

façade and the ca.- 1905 arched sashes on the west elevation, first- story; and the oneover- one sashes with segmentally arched top rails in the mansard dormers. 

• East- elevation second- story oriel window. 

• North- elevation second- story oriel window, especially the curved side sashes. 

• North- elevation opening to Cold Storage (W121). 

• West- elevation arched and oculus windows. 

Roof and Related Elements 

• Mansard roof form with arched dormers, including dormers with paired window 

openings. 

• Wide lower and upper cornices of mansard roof with decorative brackets, dentils, and 

band molding. 

• Gable roof of rear ell with flared eaves and gabled dormers. 

• Skylights in upper hip of mansard roof. 

• Extant corbelled chimneys in the upper hip of mansard roof and on the gable roof of the 

rear ell. 

• All cornices with integral gutters. 

Materials 

• Red brick with thin mortar joints representing original construction and ca.- 1905 

additions. 

• Original brownstone water table, lintels, and sills, and matching brownstone and limestone 

elements from ca.- 1905 addition. 

• Wooden trim elements, including east- facade entry doorway surround and window 

casings. 

• Slate mansard roof, including scallop- shaped slate shingles set in a fish- scale pattern. 

• Ca.- 1940 buff- colored brick addition. 
135

Finishes 

• Exterior paint schemes – brick- red paint color with off- white trim prior to ca.- 1940 

addition, and buff- tan paint color with blue- green trim after ca.- 1940 addition (Appendix 

C). 

• Grained finish on east- facade entry doorway elements. 

Interior Elements

Plan 

• East- west center hallway defined by interior bearing walls on all levels. 

• Floor plan of primary rooms on the first story of both the main block and the rear ell, 

representative of the original layout and the 20th- century alterations. 

• Center hallway on the second story and in the attic. 

• Double- return stairways in the center hallway at the first- and second- story levels. 

Floors 

• Wood floors at all levels, including parquetry and wood strip flooring, especially inlays and 

fretwork in the borders of the parquetry in the first- story hallway (Room 102), secondstory hallway (Room 201), and the attic hallway (Room 301). 

Walls 

• Plaster walls in the primary rooms on the first story. 

• Ca.- 1943 wood- paneled walls in the Bar (Room 109). 

Ceilings 

• Extant plaster ceilings on first and second stories of main block, especially in the Ladies’ 

Lounge (Room 103), and the plaster on wood lath in the second- story hall (Room 201). 

• Extant plaster cornices, especially in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), Dining Room (Room 

106), Lounge (Room 108), and the second- story hallway (Room 201). 

• Metal ceilings at every level of the main block. 
136

Doorways 

• Doorway from the entry vestibule to the center hallway, including the double doors with 

single lights, the side lights, and the transom. 

• Tall doorways in primary rooms on the first story. 

• Paneled wood doors throughout, sliding pocket doors, and French doors. 

• Arched doorways in Dining Room (Room 106). 

• Doorways (with transoms) that open into the center hallway on both the second story and 

in the attic, including the hardware. 

Woodwork 

• Doorway and window trim and baseboards in primary rooms on the first story, and in the 

second- story hallway (Room 201). 

• Wide archways and associated Colonial Revival trim in the Dining Room (Room 106). 

• Molding around wall panels in the Lounge (Room 108). 

Fireplaces 

• Brick fireplaces with marble surrounds and associated mantelpieces in the Lounge (Room 

108), including consoles, deep mantelshelf, plaster bas- relief, and other decorative 

elements. 

• Brick fireplace with marble surround and classical- style mantelpiece in the Dining Room 

(Room 106), including engaged Ionic columns, bas- relief in the entablature, denticulate 

mantelshelf, and other decorative trim. 

• Cast- iron fireback with slate surround and carved decorative mantelpiece in the Ladies’ 

Lounge (Room 103). 

• Brick hearth in Kitchen (Room 105) 

• Brick fireplace in Room 212. 
137

Utilities 

• Cast- iron radiators throughout. 

• Wall sconces in the Dining Room (Room 106), no longer extant but clearly depicted in 

photographs from ca. 1905 through the 1960’s. 

Finishes 

• Dark resinous finish on woodwork on first story. 

• Mural of Sandy Hook painted on the north wall of the Dining Room (Room 106). 
138

RECOMMENDATIONS 

The recommendations for the Officers Club address the retention of character- defining 

features. This report does not include a condition assessment, but it should be noted that, 

despite NPS stabilization efforts and emergency repairs, the building is generally in poor 

condition. However, the current condition does not compromise the historic integrity of the 

Officers Club, and any rehabilitation should treat the CDFs appropriately and with due respect. 

The 1979 General Management Plan (GMP) for Gateway NRA specified a “rehabilitation zone” 

that included the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and Fort Hancock Historic District. The 

amendment to the General Management Plan in 1990 (GMP- AMEND) proposed using the 

Historic Leasing Program for the historic structures within the historic district. The current 

lessee’s proposal for the Officers Club is rehabilitation and adaptive use, which includes a 

restaurant, overnight accommodations, conference rooms, and exhibit space. 

The following recommendations are intended to inform and guide the rehabilitation of the 

Officers Club. 

Exterior Elements

Design and Context 

• Preserve elements that represent the original Second Empire style and distinctive 

architectural features. 

• Retain and rehabilitate the ca.- 1905, ca.- 1940 and 1943 additions to the Officers Club. 

The Officers Club retains a high degree of historic integrity from the World War II era, and 

has not been significantly altered since that period. The rehabilitation of the exterior of 

the building should be compatible with elements from that period. 

Porches 

• Retain the piazza on the east façade and north elevation, and restore missing and/or 

deteriorated features in- kind or with compatible materials. 
139

Fenestration 

• Retain extant fenestration, including the first- story tall double- hung sashes and northelevation bay window, the second- story oriel windows on the east and north elevations, 

the mansard dormers and sashes, and the rear- ell dormers and sashes. Efforts should be 

made to rehabilitate deteriorated elements using in- kind materials. Missing or 

deteriorated elements should be replaced in- kind or with compatible materials. 

• Preserve and restore the east- façade doorway, including its lead- camed side lights and 

transom. 

Roof and Related Elements 

• Preserve the mansard roof form and arched dormers. 

• If feasible, replace the asphalt shingles on the lower pitch of the mansard roof with 

scalloped slate shingles, set in a fish- scale pattern (refer to historic photographs for an 

illustration of the shingles and pattern). 

• Restore or replace the skylights on the upper hip of mansard roof. 

• Retain the flared eaves and gabled dormers extant on the rear- ell roof. 

• Retain the lower cornice of the mansard roof, and replace any deteriorated elements inkind or with compatible materials. 

• Retain and restore the integral gutter system. 

Materials 

• Preserve the exterior red- brick walls with thin mortar joints. Repoint areas of mortar loss 

with compatible sand- lime mortars. Mortar analysis should be performed prior to the 

rehabilitation of the exterior mortar. 

Finishes 

• Paint the exterior of the Officers Club to represent the World War II era. The exterior 

brick should be painted tan, and the trim should be painted blue- green (Appendix C). 
140

Interior Elements

Some of the interior elements have deteriorated since the Officers Club was last occupied. 

However, the general historic floor plan is well preserved, and many of the interior elements 

retain a high degree of integrity. The existing floor plan, additions, and alterations are most 

representative of the World War II era. It is recommended that the interior rehabilitation of the 

Officers Club strive to retain the World War II era elements, and that any new materials be 

compatible with elements from that period. 

First Story 

Plan 

• Preserve the floor plan of the primary first- story rooms, and retain the east- west center 

hallway in the main block of the Officers Club, including the double- return stairway. 

Vestibule (Room 101) 

• Preserve as the main entry to the Officers Club, retaining the exterior doorway and the 

interior doorway to the center hallway (Room 102). 

• Retain and repair the pressed- metal ceiling. Replace missing or deteriorated elements in 

kind or with compatible materials. 

Center Hallway (Room 102) 

• Preserve the open corridor with high ceilings and center stairway. 

• Retain and repair the pressed- metal ceiling. Replace missing or deteriorated elements inkind or with compatible materials. 

• Retain and restore the parquetry wood floors, including the pattern on the stairway. 

Replace missing or deteriorated elements in- kind or with compatible materials, using the 

extant materials as a pattern. 

Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) 

• Retain and restore the parquetry wood floors. Replace missing or deteriorated elements 

in- kind or with compatible materials, using the extant materials as a pattern. 

• Preserve and restore the cast- iron fireback and the mantelpiece. 
141

Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

• Though this was an important room historically, its historic integrity has been diminished 

by the partitioning of the space, the addition of the bathrooms, the alteration of historic 

fabric, and the deterioration of elements. 

Kitchen (Room 105) 

• The current kitchen is a large room, but the demolition of partitions and original stairway 

has diminished the historic integrity of this space. If possible, the Cold Storage (Room 

105c) and the Storage Room (Room 105b) should be retained as separate spaces. If it is 

necessary to expand the kitchen area, it is recommended that the Cold Storage and Storage 

Room be used for additional space. The kitchen area should not be expanded into any 

other primary rooms on the first story. 

Dining Room (Room 106) 

• The Dining Room retains most of its original elements dating to its ca.- 1905 construction. 

These features – which include the mantelpiece, archways, doorways, doors, window trim, 

and sashes – should be preserved and restored. Any missing or deteriorated elements 

should be replaced in kind or with compatible materials. 

• The existing parquet floor is a later alteration. However, the condition of the earlier 

parquetry floor beneath it (if it is extant) is unknown. Therefore, it is recommended that 

the existing parquet floor be retained and restored. 

• Remove the thin wood paneling below chair rail, and retain and restore the plaster walls, 

both above and below the chair rail. Replace missing or deteriorated materials in- kind or 

with compatible materials. 

• Retain and conserve the mural of Sandy Hook painted on the north wall. 

• The metal ceiling in this room is in good condition, and should be retained and repaired. 

Missing or deteriorated sections should be replaced in- kind. 

• Replace the walls sconces seen in historic photographs from the turn of the 20th century 

through the 1960’s. The replacement sconces should be compatible with the existing 

building materials. 
142

New Dining Room (Room 107) 

• Preserve the New Dining Room as an example of the changes made to the building during 

the World War II era. 

• Retain and repair the wood strip flooring; replacing missing or deteriorated materials inkind or with compatible materials. 

• Remove the thin wood paneling below the chair rail, and retain and restore the plaster 

walls, both above and below the chair rail. Replace missing or deteriorated materials inkind or with compatible materials. 

• Retain and repair the casement sashes. Replace missing or deteriorated elements in- kind 

or with compatible materials. 

• Retain and repair the metal ceiling, which was original to the construction of this addition 

ca. 1940. Replace missing or deteriorated elements in- kind. 

Lounge (108) 

• The Lounge retains most of the elements dating to its ca.- 1905 alteration. These features – 

which include the fireplaces, mantelpieces, doorways, doors, window trim, and sashes – 

should be preserved and restored. Any missing or deteriorated elements should be 

replaced in- kind or with compatible materials. 

• Retain and repair the wood strip flooring, replacing missing or deteriorated materials inkind or with compatible materials. 

• The plaster walls should be restored, and should retain the panels and associated molding. 

• The molded cornice should be preserved; where material is missing or deteriorated, the 

extant cornice profile should be copied and reproduced in- kind or with compatible 

materials. 

Bar (Room 109) 

• The addition of the wood- frame room that was designated as the Bar (Room 109) in the 

1959 floor plans of the Officers Club was completed in 1943. The rehabilitation of the 

Officers Club should retain and preserve the volume and layout of this room. However, 

changes to the space and the deteriorated condition of its building materials have 

diminished the historic integrity of the existing building fabric. The rehabilitation 

treatment of this room should be determined based upon the completion of a detailed 

condition and structural assessment of the space and its most significant elements, 

including the leather bar, wood- paneled walls, and fenestration. 
143

Finishes 

• The extant interior paint finishes are degraded. Therefore, it is recommended that the 

interior rehabilitation choose from the pallet of paint colors identified in the paint analysis 

(Appendix C). 

Second Story 

• Preserve the plan in the main block of the Officers Club. This includes the east- west 

center hallway with its double- return stairway, and rooms flanking the center hallway. 

• Remove the plasterboard that encloses the stairway to the attic in the center hallway; 

remove the partitions on either side of the stairway. 

• Preserve and restore the parquetry floor in the center hallway (Room 201), at the landing, 

and on the stairway to the attic. 

• Retain and restore the oriel windows and window seats in Rooms 203 and 205. Any 

missing or deteriorated materials should be replaced in kind or with compatible materials. 

• Retain and restore the extant doorways with transoms that open to the center hallway. If 

feasible, reopen and restore the doorway from the center hallway (Room 201) to Room 

205. 

Attic 

• Preserve the attic plan of the main block of the Officers Club, with rooms flanking the 

center hallway (Rooms 301 and 302). 

• Preserve and restore the parquetry floor in the center hallway and at the landing. 

• Retain and restore the extant doorways with transoms that open to the center hallway. 
144

Accessibility

Compliance with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 

should be part of the rehabilitation of the Officers Club. The existing structure can 

accommodate these needs, and the following recommendations should guide the placement of 

ADA- accessible facilities. 

A ramp or a lift for the east- façade piazza could be installed on the northwest corner of the 

piazza where it wraps around onto the north elevation of the building. This area should provide 

adequate space for either a ramp or a lift, and would be less intrusive on the façade of the 

Officers Club. Also, its location near the parking lot should fulfill the requirements of ADA. 

The east- façade entry of the Officers Club could be made an ADA- compliant entrance with the 

addition of a raised platform on the piazza. This could be a permanent or removable platform. 

The wide doorway should not require alteration to meet ADA standards. 

The interior of the building should allow for the accommodation of ADA- compliant bathroom 

facilities. If it is necessary to widen doorways to provide access, the modification and 

rehabilitation of the doorways should reuse the existing trim, or else replace trim elements with 

a compatible material. 

ADA- compliant access to the second story should be provided with the addition of an elevator 

within the existing structure. In efforts to minimize the impact of an elevator on the exterior of 

the building, an exterior addition to accommodate an elevator should not be considered. 
145

IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY

147

PRIMARY SOURCES 

Textual Records That Yielded Information 

Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Record Group 77 

Name and Subject Indexes to Series/Entry 59, Volume II (1876 – 1883); Entry 58; RG 77; 

NAB 

Letters Sent 1871- 1886, Volume for 1878; Entry 59; RG 77; NAB

Name & Subject Index to Series 103 (Document Files),Sandy Hook (N.J.) Part I (1894-

1903) and Part II (1904- 1919), Sandy Hook (N.J.) Proving Ground; Commanding 

Officer and Proof Officers, Part I (1894- 1910), and Part II (1910- 1917); Entry 99; RG 77; 

NAB 

General Correspondence, 1894- 1923; Entry 103; RG 77; NAB 

Historical Records of Buildings and Record of Equipment and Condition of Buildings at 

Active Army Posts, 1905- 1942; Entry 393; RG 77; NACP 

Annual Reports on Construction, Maintenance, and Repair of Buildings at Posts, 1924-

1938; Entry 398; RG 77; NACP 

Completion Reports, 1917- 1943, Fiscal Years 1937 and 1938; Entry 391; RG 77; NACP 

Press Copies of Letters Sent by John Newton (Nov. 1868- Sept. 1877), H. M. Benham 

(Jan. 1880- July 1882), and G.L. Gillespie (July 1882- May 1884) relating to Fortification 

Projects, 1868- 1877, 1880- 1884; Entry 797; RG77; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 

Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, General Records, 

Correspondence, 1797- 1941, Record Group 156 

Name & Subject index to Series 21 & 25, 1871- 1894, Volume 9, 1878; Entry 18; RG 156; 

NAB 

Letters Received 1812- 1894, Record 3605, 1878; Entry 21; RG 156; NAB 

Estimates of Appropriations (1816- 1904) and Statements of Appropriations (1812-

1904), Volumes for 1878 and 1901- 1904; Entry 129; RG 156; NAB 
148

Letters and Endorsements Sent. Nov. 1890 – May 1891; Mar. – Aug. 1892; Dec. 1893 – 

Jan. 1904; Box 5, volumes 11, 12, and 13, June 1899 – April 1900; Entry 1515; RG 156; 

NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 

Letters and Endorsements Sent to the Chief of Ordnance. Nov. 1890 – Oct. 1892; May 

1894 – June 1904; Apr. – Aug. 1905, Volumes 5, 6, 15 and 22; Entry 1516; RG 156; NARA 

– Northeast Region (NY) 

Letters and Endorsements Received, 1889 – 1907, Volumes for 1901 – 1907; Entry 1519; 

RG 156; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 

Annual Reports, 1904 – 1907, 1909, Fiscal Year 1905; Entry 1527; RG 156; NARA – 

Northeast Region (NY) 

“History of Sandy Hook Proving Ground”; Entry 1537; RG 156; NARA – Northeast 

Region (NY) 

Textual Records That Did Not Yield Information 

Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Record Group 77 

Press Copies of Letters Sent by John Newton relating to River and Harbor Projects and 

Fortifications, Dec. 1870- June 1873; April 1875 – October 1884; Entry 756; RG 77; 

NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 

Letters and Reports Sent Relating to New York River and Harbor Projects and 

Fortifications, 1871- 1889; Entry 762; RG 77; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 

Registers of Letters Received by John Newton and his successors relating to Rivers and 

Harbors and Fortifications, January 1871- March 1889; Entry 779; RG 77; NARA – 

Northeast Region (NY) 

Letters and Reports Received Relating to River and Harbor Projects, January 1871-

March 1889; Entry 782; RG 77; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 

Letters and Reports Sent Relating to Fortifications, 1878- 1886; Entry 795; RG 77; NARA 

– Northeast Region (NY) 

Letters Received relating to Fort Hamilton and Sandy Hook, 1901- 1906; Entry 829; RG 

77; NARA – Northeast Region (NY) 
149

Records of the Office of the Quarter Master General, Consolidated 

Correspondence File 1794 – 1915, Record Group 92 

Sandy Hook, N.J.; Box no. 982; RG 92; NAB 

Fort Hancock, N.J.; RG 92; NAB 

Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, General Records, 

Correspondence, 1797- 1941, Record Group 156 

Name & Subject index to Series/Entry 5; Entry 4; RG 156; NAB 

Letters, Endorsements, & Reports Sent to the Secretary of War, 1812- 1889; Entry 5; RG 

156; NAB 

Name and Subject card index to parts (1904- 1911) of series 27, 28 and 29; Entry 26; RG 

156; NAB 

Photographic records consulted: 

Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Record Group 77 

Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook, New Jersey; RG 77 F, box 2 of 38; NACP 

Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook, New Jersey; RG 77 F; box 5 of 38; NACP 

Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Record Group 156 

Sandy Hook Proving Ground, New Jersey; RG 156 PB, box 3 of 5; NACP 

Cartographic Records Consulted 

Records of the Office of the Quarter Master General, Record Group 92 

Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground (89 Records); RG 92; NACP 
150

SECONDARY SOURCES 

Ballos, C. Thomas. Completion Report, Emergency Stabilization of Historic Fort Hancock, 

Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit. U.S. DOI, NPS, North Atlantic 

Regional Office, Building Conservation Branch, 1993. 

Bearss, Edwin C. Historic Resource Study, The Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, Sandy 

Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey. Denver: U.S. DOI, NPS, 

September 1983. 

- - - - - . Historic Resource Study, Fort Hancock, 1895- 1948, Gateway National Recreation Area, 

New York/New Jersey. Denver: U.S. DOI, NPS, May 1981. 

Environmental Assessment, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground 

Historic District. U.S. DOI, NPS, in association with Sandy Hook Partners LLC, 

February 2002, revised July 2003. 

Finding Of No Significant Impact, Adaptive Use of Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving 

Ground Historic District. U.S. DOI, NPS, Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook Unit, Monmouth 

County, NJ, July 2003. 

General Management Plan Amendment: Development Concept Plan and Interpretation Prospectus: 

Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New York/New Jersey. U.S. DOI, 

NPS, January 1990. 

General Management Plan, Gateway National Recreation Area, New York / New Jersey. U.S. 

DOI, NPS, August 1979. 

Greenwood, Richard E. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, 

“Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District,” June 28, 1976. 

- - - - - . National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, “Fort Hancock and 

the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District,” revised November 9, 1982. 

Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture an Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: W.W. Norton & 

Company, Inc., 1998. 

Historic Structure Assessment Report, Fort Hancock- Building 114, Officers Club, Gateway 

National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit. Atlanta, GA: Center for Architectural 

Conservation, 1989. 

Hoffman, Thomas. The Defenses of Sandy Hook. U.S. DOI, NPS, Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook 

Unit. 

- - - - - . Sandy Hook Lighthouse. U.S. DOI, NPS, Gateway NRA, Sandy Hook Unit. 
151

Kroll, Naomi D., and Sharon K. Ofenstein. Building 25, Enlisted Men’s Barracks, Historic 

Structure Report, Fort Hancock, New Jersey, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National 

Recreation Area. Lowell, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, Building Conservation Branch, February 

2002. 

McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 

Publishing, 1984. 

McCoy, Chandler. “Fort Hancock Rehabilitation Guidelines, Sandy Hook, New Jersey.” U.S. 

DOI, NPS, March 1999. 

Rose, Theodore F., H.C. Woolman, and T.T. Price. Historical and Bibliographical Atlas of the 

New Jersey Coast. Philadelphia, PA: Woolman & Rose, 1878. 

Salter, Edwin, and George C. Beekman. Old Times in Old Monmouth County, NJ. Freehold, NJ: 

James S. Yard, 1890. 

Scott, John A. Fort Hancock Gatehouse Historic Structure Report, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway 

National Recreation Area. Lowell, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, HAP, 2004. 

Sulam, Barry and John B. Marsh. Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section (Vol. IV), 

The Sandy Hook Proving Ground, 1874- 1919, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National 

Recreation Area, New Jersey. Denver: U.S. DOI, NPS, August 1988. 

Sullivan, Judith Q. Building 32, Quartermaster’s Storehouse, Historic Structure Report, Fort 

Hancock, New Jersey, Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area. Lowell, MA: 

U.S. DOI, NPS, HAP, 2004. 

Weeks, Kay D. and Anne E. Grimmer. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment 

of Historic Properties, with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and 

Reconstructing Historic Buildings. Washington, D.C.: U.S. DOI, NPS, 1995. 

Williams, Norma E. Cultural Landscape Report for Proving Ground and Wartime Expansion 

Areas. Brookline, MA: U.S. DOI, NPS, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, 

1999. 

153

V. APPENDICES

155

APPENDIX A. 

Annotated Building Plans 

157

Figure 88. Officers Club, basement plan annotated with room numbers (not to scale). 

Room 001

Room 

002 

Room 

003 

Room 004 

Room 008 Room 005 

Room 006

Room 

007 

N 
158

Figure 89. Officers Club, first- story plan, annotated with 1959 room names and room and window 

numbers (not to scale). 

LOUNGE 

(Room 108)

BAR 

(Room 109) 

HALL

(Room 102) LADIES’

LOUNGE 

(Room 103)

103a 103b 

104a

MEN’S 

LOUNGE 

(Room 104) 

Pantry Area 

(Room 105a) 

KITCHEN 

(Room 105)

Storage

(105b)

Cold 

Storage 

(105c) 

DINING 

ROOM 

(Room 106) 

NEW DINING 

ROOM 

(Room 107) 

Room 101

W101 W102 

W103 W104

W105 W107 W106

W108 W109 

W110 

W111 

W112 

W114

W113

W115

W116 

W117 

W118 

W119

W120

W121

W128 W127 W126 W125 W124 W123

N

W122 

W133 

W132 

W131 

W130 

W129 

W134 
159

W201 W202

W203

W204 W205

W206 

W207 

W208 

W209 

W210 

W211 

W212 

W213 

W215 

W214 

W216

W219 W218 W217

W220 

W221 

W222 

W223 

W224 

W225 

W226 

W227 

W228 

Room 205

Room 217 Room 203 Room 204

Room 215

Room 216

Room 202

Room 201

Room 

206 

Room 207

Room 208

Room 210

Room 209

Room 

211 

Room 212

Room 213

Room 214

Room 214a

N 

Figure 90. Officers Club, second- story plan, annotated with room and window numbers (not to scale).
160

W301 W302 W303

W304 

W305 

W306 

W307

W308 

W309 

W310 

W311 oculus

at gable 

W312

W313 

W314 

W315 

W316

W317 

W318 

W319 

Room 

316 Room 303

Room 302

R 301

Room 

305 

Room 304

Room 

306 

Room 

308 

R307

Room 

309 

Room 310

Room 311

Room 312

Room 

313 

Room 

314 

Room 315

N 

Figure 91. Officers Club, attic plan, annotated with room and window numbers (not to scale). 
161

APPENDIX B. 

Room Use Chart 

163

CHANGES IN ROOM USE 

ROOM # 18791 ca. 19052 ca. 19223 1938 & 19434 19595

101 Vestibule Vestibule Vestibule Vestibule Vestibule 

102 Center 

Hallway 

Center 

Hallway 

Center 

Hallway 

Center 

Hallway 

Center 

Hallway 

103 Sitting Room Library Library Ladies’ Lounge Ladies’ Lounge 

103a Hallway & 

Closet 

Hallway & 

Closet 

Hallway & 

Closet 

Lavatory/ 

bathroom 

Ladies’ 

bathroom 

103b Closet unknown Lavatory/ 

bathroom 

Lavatory/ 

bathroom 

Ladies’ 

bathroom 

104 Dining Room unknown Billiard Room Recreation 

Room/Bar Men’s Lounge 

105 Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen 

105a Pantry6 Pantry Pantry Recreation 

Room/Bar Pantry 

105b Laundry unknown Servants’ 

Dining Room Storage Storage 

105c NA Refrigerator Refrigerator Cold Storage Cold Storage 

106 NA Dining Room Dining Room Dining Room Dining Room 

107 NA Screen Porch Enclosed 

Porch 

New Dining 

Room 

New Dining 

Room 

108 Board Room & 

Office 

unknown 

(one room) 

Reception 

Room 

Reception 

Room Lounge 

109 NA NA NA Sun Porch Bar 

 1

 Room names based on proposed plans dated July 1878. 

2

 Names based on previous names and documentation pertaining to ca.- 1905 addition and alterations. 3

 Room names based on room list from ca.- 1922 property maintenance record. 4

 Room names based on annual reports from FY 1937 and FY 1938, as well as ca.- 1940 and 1943 

additions, and documentary photographs from the period. 5

 Room names based on 1959 floor plans. 

6

 The Pantry was not part of the proposed plan, but was evidently part of the original construction. 

165

APPENDIX C. 

Finishes Analysis 

167

INTRODUCTION 

Project Scope 

The Officers Club, one of the oldest extant structures on Sandy Hook, will be rehabilitated. The 

proposed adaptive use will include a restaurant and overnight accommodations, as well as 

conference rooms and exhibit space. This report describes the findings of the finishes analysis 

conducted on the exterior and interior elements of the building. The historic finishes are 

described in the following tables, with selected layers matched to a standardized color- notation 

system for two periods of interpretive interest: ca. 1905, when the “Officers’ Quarters” was 

expanded to better serve the needs of an active proving ground, and World War II (1943), when 

the building functioned as the Officers Club for Fort Hancock.7

The information in this report can be used to recreate the historic finishes of the building 

exterior or portions of the interior for either of the periods specified above. The general color 

palettes used during periods of interpretive interest are considered to be character- defining 

features (CDFs) of the structure, and should be recreated where appropriate. 

Additionally, information gleaned from the paint analysis was used to date certain elements and 

alterations to the building. These dates were included in the discussions on “Alterations,” and 

were explained in that section. 

Methodology 

Paint samples were taken during site visits to Sandy Hook in December 2004, and January and 

March 2005. A total of 55 exterior and 76 interior paint samples were taken from accessible 

building elements using an X- acto knife. In the laboratory at the Historic Architecture Program 

(HAP) in Lowell, MA, all samples were examined with a Bausch and Lomb “Sterozoom 7” 

microscope under 10 to 70 times magnification, illuminated by tungsten fiber- optic light. Some 

samples were also examined under ultraviolet light to help determine the sequence and 

composition of paint layers. Representative samples were mounted in wax- filled petri dishes to 

better examine their finish sequences. 

Limited chemical testing was also preformed in conjunction with the paint analysis. Paints 

containing lead were identified by spot testing with a solution of sodium sulfide and water. Paint 

composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3

) – such as whitewash – was identified by spot testing 

 7

 The Munsell Color System is an internationally recognized standard of color measurement that 

identifies color in terms of three attributes: hue (color), value (lightness/darkness, or degree of 

white/black mixed in to the color), and chroma (saturation, or intensity of the color). The Munsell 

System color swatches included in this copy of the report (Tables XI- XVI) were digitally reproduced. 

For accurate color swatches, refer to the master copy of this report that was sent to the park. 
168

with a diluted hydrochloric acid. The presence of shellac was determined by testing with 

denatured alcohol. 

The chronological finish stratigraphy from each sample was recorded in chart form; these 

sequences were correlated to one another through their common layers. These 

“chromochronologies” are given in Tables I through X; each horizontal row represents the 

elements’ finishes at one period in time. Drawing upon the documentary and physical research, 

dates were assigned to some of the rows to illustrate the finishes during certain periods. 

Color matches were performed under the HAP microscope to the finish layer determined to be 

representative of the periods described above. The layers were matched to Munsell System 

color cards, glossy finish, and a set of the cards was submitted to the park with the master copy 

of this report. 

All samples taken from the Officers Club will be stored at the HAP office in Lowell, MA, and will 

be available for future research. 
169

DATA AND CONCLUSIONS 

Data

The finish stratigraphy of selected, representative samples are listed sequentially in Tables I- X, 

and the Munsell color system notations and swatches for the ca.- 1905 finishes and the ca.- 1943 

finishes are provided in Tables XI – XVI. All color names are subjective designations intended 

to distinguish between paint layers and provide a general color notation. Munsell color 

notations provide a standard method of color description, but are approximations of the paint 

colors that were originally used. Thus, the Munsell color chips provide a close but not exact 

match to most colors. In addition, paints (particularly oil- based) can darken or yellow over 

time, and certain pigments fade. It should also be noted that color is only one factor affecting a 

coating’s appearance; sheen, opacity, texture, and application techniques also play a role. 

Conclusions

Exterior Elements 

Brick 

When the Officers Club was first constructed in 1878- 1879, the brick was left unpainted. The 

paint evidence indicates that the brick was first painted after the addition to the rear ell circa 

1905. The exterior paint used at that time was a red- brown color that closely mimicked the 

natural brick tone. It is apparent from the paint evidence and historic photographs that the 

exterior of the building retained the red- brown color until the 1940s. After the buff - brick 

addition was constructed on the south elevation of the building, the exterior brickwork was 

painted tan to better match the new addition, as well as the institutional color scheme of Fort 

Hancock. Since that time the exterior brick has been maintained with tan paint. The last 

documented exterior paint application was in 1979 by the NPS. 

Trim 

Paint evidence indicates that the masonry trim – including the brownstone water table, lintels 

and sills – was initially unpainted. The exterior wooden trim was originally painted, but those 

colors were not matched for this report (see “Original Appearance, Finishes”). Paint samples 

from representative trim elements indicated that all the trim, including the brownstone 

elements, was painted after the ca.- 1905 addition. The ca.- 1905 paint appears to have been a 

gray color. There were several layers of gray, light gray, and off- white paints on the trim until 
170

the 1940’s, when the exterior paint scheme was changed. After the buff- brick addition was built 

circa 1940, most of the trim was painted dark blue- green. However, the east- façade piazza 

columns, the inset panels of the piazza column bases, the piazza balusters, and the east- façade 

entry doorway were painted a tan color that matched the exterior brick color for that period. 

Paint evidence shows that after the construction of the wooden addition along the south 

elevation the building in 1943, all trim elements were painted dark green. 

Interior Elements 

The interior paint analysis focused on the primary first- story rooms of the Officers Club. Paint 

samples were taken from wood trim, sashes, plaster walls, and plaster and metal ceilings. The 

samples from the woodwork provided information for determining historic paint finishes in the 

first- story rooms. However, there was insufficient evidence of wall coverings and/or finishes to 

provide matches to the wall finishes in all rooms, and no wall finishes could be accurately dated 

to the ca.- 1905 date. Where enough evidence has survived, the finishes on the plaster walls 

during the ca.- 1940s period have been provided (Tables XIV and XVI). 

Woodwork 

From the time of the original construction in 1878- 1879 through to the 1940’s, much of the 

original interior woodwork was coated with dark shellac, which can be observed on the extant 

woodwork beneath the degraded paint finishes. The exceptions to this were the Lounge (Room 

108) and the Dining Room (Room 106). As previously discussed, paint evidence indicated that 

the Lounge (Room 108) was altered ca. 1905 at the time of the addition. The Dining Room 

(Room 106) was added ca. 1905, and the first paint finishes on the woodwork in that room date 

from the ca.- 1905 construction. Thus, period paint- color matches for the ca.- 1905 interior are 

limited to the woodwork in the Lounge (Room 108) and the Dining Room (Room 106); other 

woodwork during that period was shellacked. 

In the 1940s the woodwork in the Lounge (Room 108), the Dining Room (Room 106), and the 

New Dining Room (Room 107) was finished with varying tones of tan- colored paints. In the 

early 1940s the woodwork in the Vestibule (Room 101), the hallway (Room 102), the Ladies’ 

Lounge (Room 103), and the Men’s Lounge (Room 104) was still finished with shellac. Paint 

evidence does indicate that the woodwork in these rooms was painted soon after this period, 

possibly when Fort Hancock reopened in the early 1950s. 
171

Walls 

As previously discussed, there was a lack of sufficient evidence to provide wall finishes for all 

rooms during the selected periods of interpretation. It was well documented that many of the 

plaster surfaces in the rooms were repaired and replaced over time due to damage from testing 

at the proving ground. These repairs most likely removed some evidence of early finishes. Of 

the paint finishes that were present on the plaster walls, some could be accurately dated to the 

World War II era (ca. 1940). During that period the walls were apparently painted tan, except 

for the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103), which appears to have been yellow. The color matches are 

provided in Tables XIV and XV. 

Ceilings 

Most of the ceilings on the first story of the Officers Club were covered with pressed metal. 

Paint samples were taken from the metal ceilings, and the number of paint finishes ranged from 

six to four. The metal ceiling with the most paint layers was in the Dining Room (Room 106), 

indicating that this was one of the earlier metal ceilings to be installed. Specific color matches 

have not been provided for the metal ceilings. The paint colors present range from off- white to 

light tan. 

The ceiling in the Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) is the only surviving plaster ceiling on the first 

story. The paint layers on the ceiling coincide with the colors on the plaster cornice, which was 

finished with a tan- colored paint circa 1943 (Table XIV). 
172

TABLE I. EXTERIOR ELEMENTS 

 8

 Documented date for addition of “porte cochère” and painting of the exterior per FY 1937 Annual 

Report. 9

 Exterior painting as a result of damage from fire on April 9, 1938. 10 Based on ca.- 1940 photograph (fig. 66). The column brackets at that time were dark green. 11 Maintenance records of the National Park Service. 

SAMPLE P003, P004 & 

P007 P008 P017 P010 

ELEMENT 

Porch column, 

column base & 

brackets 

Porch cornice 

brackets 

Porte cochère, 

cornice bracket Porch ceiling 

SUBSTRATE wood wood wood wood 

ca. 1879 off- white 

off- white 

gray 

gray 

off- white 

off- white 

tan 

golden tan 

golden tan 

red/brown 

brown 

red/brown 

red/brown red/brown blue blue 

lt. brown/tan 

lt. brown/tan 

brown 

 

ca. 1905 light gray 

light gray 

gray white 

gray white 

blue 

blue 

light gray 

light gray light gray 

gray 

lt. gray 

off- white/ lt. gray 

off- white/ lt. gray 

white 

off- white 

 

ca. 1937 8 white 

white white 

off- white 

off- white 

white 

off- white 

off- white 

 

ca. 1938 9 yellow / buff 

off- white/lt. tan 

light tan 

light tan 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

 

ca. 194010 off- white /lt. tan 

off- white/lt. tan 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

light green 

light green 

 

ca. 1943 green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

light green 

light green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

 

ca. 1979 11 white (primer) 

green 

white (primer) 

green 

white (primer) 

green green 
173

TABLE II. EXTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P013 P012 & P014 P024 P021 

ELEMENT 

East entry, 

panel below 

sidelight 

East entry, trim N. Mansard, 

dormer, cap 

Main block, 

cornice bracket 

SUBSTRATE wood wood wood wood 

ca. 1879 resin resin white 

white 

 

tan tan – graining 

resin – graining 

red brown 

red brown 

brown 

light brown 

brown 

brown 

 

ca. 1905 light gray 

light gray 

gray white 

gray white 

light gray 

gray 

gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

gray 

gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

lt. gray, yellowed 

off- white 

off- white 

 brown gray 

 

ca. 1937 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

white off- white 

light gray 

 

ca. 1938 white 

white 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

white 

off- white 

 

ca. 1940 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

 

ca. 1943 green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

green 

green 

 green 

green 

 

ca. 1979 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

white (primer) 

green 
174

TABLE III. EXTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P015 P020 P016 P019 

ELEMENT E. elev, W109 

trim, ca. 1879 

W. elev., W124, 

trim, ca. 1905 

W. elev., W127 

trim, ca. 1940 

S. elev., W134 

trim, ca. 1943 

SUBSTRATE wood wood wood wood 

 ca. 1879 off- white 

off- white 

red/brown 

red/brown 

red/brown 

 

 ca. 1905 12 light gray off- white (primer) 

light gray 

light gray 

light gray 

gray 

light gray - drab 

 gray 

off- white 

light gray 

light gray 

gray 

light gray 

light gray 

 

 ca. 1937 white 

gray/white 

off- white 

off- white /tan 

 

 ca. 1938 gray/white 

gray/white 

white 

white 

 

ca. 1940 13

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

dark green 

 

ca. 1943 14

white (primer) 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

green 

green off- white (primer) 

off- white (primer) 

green 

green 

green 

green 

green green green green 

green 

green green green 

 

ca. 1979 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

white (primer) 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

white (primer) 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

white (primer) 

green 

green 

 12 Documented date of addition to rear ell, which included W124. 

13 Date of buff- brick addition determined through physical and documentary evidence; the addition of 

the New Dining Room (Room 107) replaced the earlier enclosed porch in the same location. 14 Documented date of wood addition. 
175

TABLE IV. EXTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P026 P028 P030 

ELEMENT N. elev., ell 

cornice, ca. 1905 

E. elev., brick, 

under porch 

S. elev., brick, 

ca. 1905 (below 

plaster, Rm 107) 

SUBSTRATE wood masonry masonry 

ca. 1879 unpainted 

 

ca. 1905 off- white (primer) 

light gray (dirt) 

light gray 

light gray 

red/brown 15

(dirt) 

red/brown 

(dirt) 

ca. 1919 16 gray white 

light gray 

red/brown 

red/brown 

red/brown 

red/brown 

light gray bright yellow 17

bright yellow 

ca. 1937 off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

off- white 

 

ca. 1938 off- white, yellowed off- white 

 

ca. 1940 dark green 

dark green 

yellow/tan 

yellow/tan 

 

ca. 1943 green 

green 

off- white 

off- white 

green off- white 

 

ca. 1979 white (primer) 

green 

white (primer) 

white (primer) 

yellow/tan 

 15 Earliest application of exterior paint was sometime after the ca.- 1905 addition. 16 The gray dirt layers in samples P028 and P030 appear as a thick accumulation, which was possibly 

from powder residue related to the testing of ordnance nearby. This suggests that the preceding paint 

finishes were pre- 1919, when the proving ground was decommissioned. 17 This bright yellow layer and the subsequent layers are interior treatments that were inside the 

enclosed porch until this wall was covered with lath and plaster ca. 1940. These same layers were present 

in other samples from ca.- 1905 materials in what is now Room 107, most notably P052; see Table IX, 

Interior Elements. 
176

TABLE V. INTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P035 P036 P037 

ROOM & 

ELEMENT 

Room 101, 

Front Door 

Room 101, 

Plaster wall 

Room 102, 

Entry door 

casing 

Room 102, 

Wallboard 

SUBSTRATE wood plaster wood 

tan 

tan 

shellac - graining 

 dark shellac 

 

ca. 1940 

beige 

beige 

yellow/tan 

yellow/tan 

yellow/tan 

beige 

beige 

beige 

beige 

tan 

tan beige 

beige 

tan 

tan 

tan beige 

white 

white 

light green 

light green 

white 

white 

 

ca. 1965 off- white 

peach 

white 

peach 

peach 

peach 

white 

off- white

white 

off- white 

off- white 

white 

white 

peach 

off- white 

off- white 
177

TABLE VI. INTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P038 P039 P040 P067 

ROOM & 

ELEMENT 

Room 103, 

W108 casing 

Room 103, 

plaster wall 

Room 103, 

cornice 

Room 103, 

mantle 

SUBSTRATE wood plaster wood & plaster wood 

dark shellac dark shellac 

 

 off- white 

 drab green 

 brown 

 white 

 off- white 

 

ca. 1940 18 yellow 

yellow light tan 

tan 

golden tan 

white 

tan 

tan 

yellow/tan 

tan 

tan 

tan 

tan 

tan 

tan 

tan 

tan 

light tan 

tan/peach 

tan 

tan/peach 

dark tan 

tan/peach 

tan 

tan 

white pink pink off- white 

off- white blue blue off- white 

 

ca. 1965 white 

white 

white 

white 

off- white 

off- white 

white 

white 

 white off- white 

 18 Date based on sequence of paint layers in Room 107; see Table IX, Interior Elements. 
178

TABLE VII. INTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P043 P066 P065 P065a 

ROOM & 

ELEMENT 

Room 104, 

plaster above 

chair rail 

Room 104, wall 

trim at bay 

Room 104, 

plaster beneath 

paneling 

Room 104, 

wood paneling 

SUBSTRATE plaster wood plaster wood 

 white sizing 

off- white 

off- white 

tan 

tan 

salmon red salmon red 

pink 

pink 

salmon red 

light tan 

 yellow yellow/tan 

yellow/tan 

 yellow yellow/tan 

 

ca. 1940 19 light tan tan 

tan 

paneling installed 

resin 

light tan tan 

light tan 

tan light tan 

light tan 

tan light tan 

light tan 

 

ca. 1950 20 tan light tan 

light tan 

off- white 

off- white 

 

ca. 1965 blue 

blue/green 

white 

blue/green blue 

light blue light blue light blue 

(wallboard and 

wallpaper 

installed) 

(wallboard and 

wallpaper 

installed) 

 

 19 Photographs document that the paneling was installed prior to 1942 and that it was a dark color at 

the time of the photographs. Date based on paint sequences from Room 107; see Table IX, Interior 

Elements. The 1942 photograph depicts the walls as neutral with tromp l’oeil paintings of mermaids. 20 Estimated date for construction of partition in Men’s Lounge (Room 104) as it appears on the 1959 

floor plan. The off- white paint layer on paneling matches the first layers on the doorway of the partition. 
179

TABLE VIII. INTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P047, P046, 

P044 P055 P048 P049 

ROOM & 

ELEMENT 

Room 106, 

N wall trim 

Room 106, 

mantle frieze, 

field 

Room 106, S 

wall below 

chair rail 

Room 106, N 

wall arch 

spandrel 

SUBSTRATE wood wood plaster wood 

Ca. 1905 21 off- white 

off- white 

white (primer) 

off- white off- white white (primer) off- white 

off- white 

light tan 

off- white 

light tan beige white 

light tan 

light tan 

yellow 

light tan golden tan golden tan 

off- white 

light tan 

light tan 

tan tan tan 

 

ca. 1940 22 light tan 

light tan 

tan 

light tan tan tan 

tan light tan 

tan light tan tan 

light tan 

tan light tan tan tan 

peach/beige light tan tan tan 

off- white off- white pink pink 

off- white off- white bright blue blue 

 

ca. 1965 23

off- white 

peach 

peach 

light tan 

peach 

off- white 

light peach 

peach 

off- white 

 peach 

off- white light tan (paneled)24 off- white 

white 

off- white 

white 

white 

white 

off- white 

 21 Documented date of addition to rear ell, including the Dining Room (Room 106). 22 Representative paint layer based on paint evidence and layering sequence in Room 107; see Table IX, 

Interior Elements. 23 Date based on installation of paneling and similar paint layers in samples from Room 107. 24 Paneling is not evident in photographs from 1967 (which do depict paneling in Room 107), but it was 

installed when the upper portions of the walls were covered with flocked wallpaper in the late 1960’s to 

early 1970’s. 
180

TABLE IX. INTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P051 P052 P053 P054 

ROOM & 

ELEMENT 

Room 107, N 

wall arch 

surround 

Room 107, N 

wall window 

casing 

Room 107, 

W126 interior 

sill 

Room 107, 

plaster above 

chair rail 

SUBSTRATE wood wood wood plaster 

ca. 1905 off- white 

off- white off white 

white 

off- white 

gray 

gray 

off- white light yellow 

yellow 

off- white yellow 

bright yellow 

 

ca. 1940 25 light tan 

white 

beige tan 

tan tan 

light tan 

light tan 

beige 

off- white beige tan/yellow beige 

light tan 

tan 

tan 

light tan 

light tan 

light tan 

light beige 

beige 

tan 

(blue splatter) light tan light beige soft blue 

off- white 

white tan 

peach/beige 

light beige 

peach/beige 

off- white 

off- white 

peach/beige 

beige 

off- white 

white 

white 

off- white 

light pink 

light pink 

 

ca. 1965 26 peach 

peach 

off- white 

peach 

light beige 

peach 

peach 27

peach 

white white white 

off- white 

white white white 

white gray 

 25 Date of construction for buff- brick addition; window sill and plaster wall were part of that addition. 26 Date based on interior photographs of Room 107; wood paneling was absent in 1963, but present in 

1967. 27 Wood paneling below chair rail installed, based on paint sample from plaster wall underneath extant 

paneling, which had a top paint layer of pink. 
181

TABLE X. INTERIOR ELEMENTS 

SAMPLE P058 P059 P060 P063 

ROOM & 

ELEMENT 

Room 108, S 

wall, 

baseboard 

Room 108, 

mantel 

bas- relief 

Room 108, S 

wall, 

finish plaster 

Room 108, 

mantel console 

SUBSTRATE wood plaster plaster wood 

resin 

 

ca. 1905 28 light tan 

light tan white white (primer) off- white 

tan 

tan off- white off- white white 

tan 

light tan tan off- white off- white 

gray 

light gray gray gray 

 

ca. 1940 29 light tan 

light tan 

light tan 

tan tan tan tan 

off- white 

light tan 

tan 

golden tan golden tan tan 

off- white 

light tan 

tan 

beige tan light peach 

light tan beige 

tan beige tan 

light tan tan tan 

beige 

light tan 

light tan 

off- white beige/peach peach beige/peach 

 

ca. 1965 30

off- white 

light peach 

peach 

white 

peach 

peach 

off- white 

light peach 

peach 

white 

peach 

peach 

off- white off- white off- white off- white 

white 

beige off- white off- white beige 

 

 

 28 Date of extensive alterations to the Lounge (Room 108), associated with the ca.- 1905 addition. 29 Representative paint layer based on paint evidence and layering sequence in Room 107; see Table IX, 

Interior Elements. 30 Date based on similar paint stratigraphy in Room 107 and Room 106. 
182

TABLE XI. CA.- 1905 EXTERIOR FINISH COLORS 

With Munsell Color System Notations & Swatches31

Exterior Elements 

Brick 5R 3/4

(Red/brown)

Piazza Columns, Piazza Trim, Doorways, 

Doors, Window Casings, Lintels, Sills, 

Cornice 

10YR 6/1

(Gray)

Piazza Ceiling 5B 7/2

(Light blue)

 31 The Munsell System color swatches included in this copy of the report (Tables XI- XVI) were 

digitally reproduced. For accurate color swatches, refer to the master copy of this report that was sent to 

the park. 
183

TABLE XII. CA.- 1905 INTERIOR FINISH COLORS 

With Munsell Color System Notations & Swatches 

Interior Elements 32

Vestibule (Room 101) 

Center Hallway (Room 102) 

Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) 

Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

Woodwork, Doorways, Window Trim, 

Window Sashes, and Mantelpiece in Room 

103) 

Dark Shellac 33

Dining Room (Room 106) 

Chair Rail, Archways, Mantelpiece, 

Doorways, Window Trim, and Window 

Sashes 

2.5Y 9/2

(Cream,

off- white)

Lounge (Room 108) 

Woodwork, Mantelpiece, Doorways, 

Window Trim, and Window Sashes 

2.5Y 8.5/2

(Off- white)

 32 Due to the lack of sufficient evidence of wall coverings/finishes, only interior woodwork was dated 

for this period. 33 The shellac appears to be the original finish on most of the first- story woodwork, and in Rooms 101, 

102, 103, and 104 it appears to have been present through the 1940’s. Certain elements in these rooms 

were grained to match the shellac. 
184

TABLE XIII. CA.- 1943 EXTERIOR FINISH COLORS 

With Munsell Color System Notations & Swatches 

Exterior Elements 

Brick 2.5Y 8/4

(Tan/buff)

Piazza Columns, Piazza Trim, Doorways, 

Doors, Window Casings, Lintels, Sills, 

Cornice 

2.5BG 3/4

(Blue/green)

Piazza Ceiling 5BG 7/4

(Mint green)
185

TABLE XIV. CA.- 1943 INTERIOR FINISH COLORS 

With Munsell Color System Notations & Swatches 

Interior Elements 34

Vestibule (Room 101) 

Center Hallway (Room 102) 

Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

Woodwork, Doorways, Window Sashes, 

Paneling in Room 104, Mantelpiece in Room 

103 

Dark Shellac 35

Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) 

Plaster 

2.5Y 9/4

(Yellow)

Ladies’ Lounge (Room 103) 

Cornice and Ceiling 

2.5Y 8/2

(Light tan)

 34 Due to the lack of sufficient evidence of wall coverings/finishes, it was possible to match paint 

finishes on the plaster walls for only certain rooms during this period. 35 The shellac appears to be the original finish on most of the first- story woodwork, and in Rooms 101, 

102, 103, and 104 it appears to have been present through the 1940’s. Certain elements in these rooms 

were grained to match the shellac. 
186

TABLE XV. CA.- 1943 INTERIOR FINISH COLORS 

With Munsell Color System Notations & Swatches 

 (continued) 

Interior Elements 36

Men’s Lounge (Room 104) 

Plaster 

10YR 8/4

(Peach/tan)

Dining Room (Room 106) 

Chair Rail, Archways, Mantelpiece, 

Doorways, Window Trim, and Window 

Sashes 

10YR 9/2

(Off- white)

Dining Room (Room 106) 

Plaster 

10YR 8/4

(Peach/tan)

 36 Due to the lack of sufficient evidence of wall coverings/finishes, it was possible to match paint 

finishes on the plaster walls for only certain rooms during this period. 
187

TABLE XVI. CA.- 1943 INTERIOR FINISH COLORS 

With Munsell Color System Notations & Swatches 

(continued) 

Interior Elements 37

New Dining Room (Room 107) 

Woodwork, Mantelpiece, Doorways, 

Window Trim, and Window Sashes 

2.5Y 8/4

(Tan)

New Dining Room (Room 107) 

Plaster 

10YR 8/4

(Peach/tan)

Lounge (Room 108) 

Woodwork, Mantelpiece, Doorways, 

Window Trim, and Window Sashes 

10YR 9/4

(Tan/yellow)

Lounge (Room 108) 

Plaster 

2.5Y 8/4

(Tan)

Bar (Room 109) 

Wood Paneling and Trim 

Resin Coated 38

 37 Due to the lack of sufficient evidence of wall coverings/finishes, it was possible to match paint 

finishes on the plaster walls for only certain rooms during this period. 38 The resinous coating on the woodwork in Room 109 was not tested.