Naval Ordnance Test Station Inyokern, Dispensary, Main Site, Lauritsen Road at McIntyre Street, Ridgecrest, Kern County, CA

Significance: The Dispensary (Building 3) is significant as an example at Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake of the original International Style design for the facility. The building embodies the character-defining architectural elements originally intended for all the major buildings at the facility. Designed and built in 1944, Building 3 is also a distinguished example of World War II-era military design. The vast majority of military construction during World War II was "temporary" in nature and developed from standardized plans from the Corps of Engineers or Bureau of Yards and Docks. The Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) station was one of a very small number of permanent stations planned and built during the war. It is therefore also one of a few stations to represent the architectural fashions and sensibilities of that era. The radial wing plan and the International Style of the original station is highly unusual if not unique among American military buildings.
Survey number: HABS CA-2703-A