Charleston Navy Yard , Quarters J, 311 Navy Way, North Charleston, Charleston County, SC

2018 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Entry
Significance: As an integral part of the Charleston Navy Yard Officers' Quarters historic district, Quarters J is both regionally and nationally significant. Prior to the land being developed into the navy base, the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm developed a "pleasure ground" named Chicora Park in 1896. Although the grounds were purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1901 with the aim to develop a naval base, many of the landscaping features established from the Olmsted plans can still be seen within the overlay of early 20th century naval complex infrastructure.

In the run up to the First World War, Charleston Navy Yard became the largest ship yard in the United States. This included the development of officers' quarters, including Quarters J which was originally built as a schoolhouse in 1917. This function was crucial to the development of the navy complex during this period, when the Navy took care of the needs of navy workers and their families who lived and worked on the somewhat remote complex.

The inter-war years were a period of great growth and development for the Charleston Navy Yard, particularly due to funding from New Deal programs such as the Public Works Administration (PWA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The need for housing, and the outsourcing of amenities, such as schooling, to nearby municipalities, prompted the conversion of the building from a schoolhouse to an officers' quarters in 1934. Along with alterations and an addition, a garage was constructed to the south of Quarters J.

Following the U.S entry into the Second World War, the navy base continued to grow and develop, leading to the final renovations to Quarters J in 1942. In this building campaign the maid's quarters were relocated to an addition built on to the garage building. Quarters J fulfilled its function as an officer's quarters up until 1996 when operations at the Charleston Naval Base ceased, causing all officers' quarters to be vacated.

Having served naval officers, their families, and the greater community as a place of education and residence through two world wars and beyond, Quarters J continues to architecturally embody several significant periods of American history. The rich Olmstedian landscape surrounding Quarters J remains a defining feature of the property's context, and the building remains a significant contributing structure to the overall integrity of the Historic District.
Survey number: HABS SC-691-B
Building/structure dates: 1917 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1934 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1942 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 07000100