United States Department of the Interior National Park Service
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NPS Form 10-900-b OMB No. 1024-0018 (March 1992) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form __X__ New Submission ____ Amended Submission =============================================================================== A. Name of Multiple Property Listing =============================================================================== Historic and Architectural Resources of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Dallas, Dallas County, Texas =============================================================================== B. Associated Historic Contexts =============================================================================== NWIRP Dallas: A World War II and Cold War Aircraft and Missile Manufacturing Plant: 1942-1989 ============================================================================== C. Form Prepared by ============================================================================== name/title HHM Inc under contract with Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command. David Moore / Project Director; Laurie Gotcher-Pospicil / Historian; Tom Eisenhour / Architect; Jennifer Ross / Architectural Historian street & number 611 South Congress Ave, Ste 300 telephone 512-478-8014 city or town Austin state Texas zip code 78704-1700 =============================================================================== D. Certification =============================================================================== As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60 and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. (___ See continuation sheet for additional comments.) ______________________________________________ ____________________ Signature and title of certifying official Date ______________________________________________ State or Federal agency and bureau I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. _______________________________________________ ___________________ Signature of the Keeper Date USDI/NPS NRHP Multiple Property Documentation Form Page 2 Historic and Architectural Resources of NWIRP Dallas, Dallas County, Texas =============================================================================== Table of Contents for Written Narrative =============================================================================== Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts 3 through 68 F. Associated Property Types 69 through 75 G. Geographical Data 76 through 76 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods 77 through 79 I. Major Bibliographical References 80 through 89 =============================================================================== Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 120 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.0. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8 -86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Historic and Architectural Resources of Section E Page 3 NWIRP Dallas, Dallas County, Texas NWIRP Dallas: A World War II and Cold War Aircraft and Missile Manufacturing Plant, 1942-1945, 1949-1989 INTRODUCTION NWIRP Dallas is an aerospace manufacturing complex constructed in 1941 as part of the U.S. World War II Industrial Mobilization Program. Known as Plancor #25, NWIRP Dallas initially consisted of 85 buildings and structures spread out over 153 acres in rural Dallas County, near the city limits of both Dallas and Grand Prairie, Texas. The original project owner, the DPC, was a governmental body assigned to fund and build a variety of industrial facilities across the United States that produced essential military goods for World War II. North American Aviation Inc. leased the government-owned plant from 1941 to August 1945, producing nearly 30,000 aircraft of three different types for the Army, Air Force, and Navy. Following the war, the Department of the Navy gained stewardship of the manufacturing complex and leased it to Chance Vought Aircraft, which manufactured some of the Cold War’s most prolific weapons. NWIRP Dallas has also been leased to other six different tenants over the past six decades, including: Ling TEMCO-Vought (LTV), Northrop Grumman, and Vought Aircraft Industries. Today, the complex consists of 343 resources on 314.66 acres. NWIRP Dallas has a complicated but important history that details the role it played during the Second World War and its significance throughout the Cold War. Its history is not only the story of an aircraft plant but also of the growth of Dallas County and the aircraft industry in North Texas communities. WORLD WAR II In the mid-1930s, there were definite signs that the peace established in Europe following World War I was tenuous. The first indication of trouble appeared in 1933 when Germany elected Adolf Hitler as its Chancellor and demanded equality with France and England, instead of disarmament. Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and secretly began to rebuild its military, a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In an effort to renew its strength and demonstrate its power, Germany turned to every available technological advance in weaponry to ensure that it would never again be subjugated by Britain, France and the West. On 10 March 1935, Germany’s Defense Minister Herman Göring formally announced his country’s military rearmament program, which included all the latest technological developments in ships, tanks, guns, ammunition, and aircraft. Britain likewise began to rearm, and by the end of the year, all the major European powers and Japan had begun remilitarization programs. NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8 -86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Historic and Architectural Resources of Section E Page 4 NWIRP Dallas, Dallas County, Texas It was not only Germany’s aggressive acts and rearmament that threatened peace in Europe; it was also the emergence of dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Japan. All four countries appeared to prefer force, propaganda, and fear to effect political change and gain power. Germany took full advantage of its early military preparedness by participating in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39 and annexing both Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938. The performance of the German military machine, especially the air force, or Luftwaffe, sent a clear message to Great Britain and France that they had underestimated Germany’s strength. The presence and large numbers of the German air force in Spain and Czechoslovakia gave Europeans the perception that the Luftwaffe was much larger than anticipated. Following the events of 1936–38, Great Britain, France, and other European allies began to rearm at a frantic pace. In order for European nations to achieve military supremacy over Germany, they would need help. France and Great Britain turned to the United States and its mass-production capability as early as 1935 in hopes of achieving military preparedness, but quickly found out that what they needed most—aircraft—was difficult to procure. America had been the leader in aviation since the late 1910s, but its industry had never mass-produced aircraft. For decades, American aircraft companies fabricated each individual plane virtually by hand for a small and elite domestic and foreign market. The number of orders from European nations overwhelmed burgeoning aircraft and engine manufacturers. Fortunately for the aircraft industry and unfortunately for Europe, current American isolationist policy and neutrality laws required belligerent nations to pay cash for military goods. This left the industry a brief period of time to prepare for the production demands of a large-scale world war. It was only in May 1939 when a loose, but public, diplomatic alliance developed between the dictatorships of Germany, Japan, and Italy that American leaders began to display and share France and England’s concerns for world peace and stability. The combined strength of the Axis coalition, the quick pace of overseas developments, and the defense needs of European allies provoked American leaders