U.S. Naval Air Station, Cadet Administration Building, 140 Fred Bauer Road, Pensacola, Escambia County, FL

Significance: Constructed in 1942 as a Cadet Administration Building, Building No. 679 played a supportive role in the station's mission to train Navy pilots. It was one of a large number of temporary structures erected at the station during mobilization for World War II. Unlike most of the other contemporaneous wood-frame buildings, which were constructed from standard plans that the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks developed, Building No. 679 was a one-of-kind building designed by a private firm, Wyatt C. Hendrick Inc., from Fort Worth, Texas. Moreover, unlike most of the other temporary buildings, which are strictly utilitarian in design and lack any stylistic detailing or ornamentation, Building No. 679 displays architectural elements that are reflective of the Classical Revival style. Building No. 679 has experienced relatively few modifications to its original design and appears much as it did when constructed in 1942. The only notable change is an addition on the west wing, but it is compatible in scale, form, and materials with the original design. Building No. 679 was also the original home of the Naval Aviation Museum, which used the facility from 1963 until the present museum complex was completed in 1975. This resource has also been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Survey number: HABS FL-463
Building/structure dates: 1942 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 76000595