Cabin Camp 3: Dining Hall Historic Structure Report

Krotzer, Dorothy; Boyd, Michele; Wohlgemuth, Kevin; Hull, Preston; Barnhart, Drew

A Historic Structure Report (HSR) is a type of preservation management document that serves various purposes. In essence, it is a thoroughly researched compilation of key information about a property's history and conditions used as a foundation for the development of an overarching preservation philosophy based on the four treatment approaches described in The Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. From there, HSRs may also outline specific work recommendations for a property based on the selected preservation approach. In this way, an HSR helps guide the management of and interventions at a subject property. In 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) commissioned this HSR in preparation for a project at the Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall in Prince William Forrest Park (PRWI). The goal of the HSR was to investigate the building's history, character-defining features, and existing conditions to develop recommendations for the treatment of the building, in particular: • Improvement of the building's accessibility through the lens of universal design. • Compliance with modern building codes, especially those related to fire and life safety systems. • The reconfiguration of the drop ceiling in the building's service wing to minimize pest infiltration. To these ends, the authors of this HSR employed a wide variety of research methods, including the following: • Physical reviews of the property: Between October 2023 and February 2024, expert sub-consultants specializing in architecture, architectural history, materials conservation, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, plumbing, and fire-protection systems visited the Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall to observe and document its current conditions. • Original archival research: The PRWI Archives in Triangle, VA, provided vital primary-source documentation for this HSR. Additional primary sources were retrieved from digital repositories such as the Internet Archive, Newspapers.com, the Hathi Trust, and various NPS databases. Archival collections at the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA; the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Philadelphia, PA; and the Harper's Ferry Center in Harper's Ferry, WV, generated valuable insights into the contextual history of the Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall. • Reviews of existing background material: Previous NPS research on PRWI—including multiple National Register nominations, administrative histories, and a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) and Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI) for Cabin Camp 3—informed a significant portion of this HSR. Researchers also consulted numerous other secondary sources, especially for context regarding the history of organized camping and Recreational Demonstration Areas (RDAs). Part I of this HSR summarizes and synthesizes findings from these diverse sources of information, ending with an overview of the building's existing conditions. Part II presents treatment recommendations for these conditions developed by the present authors and were selected for inclusion in this HSR through a workshop with NPS employees. MAJOR RESEARCH FINDINGS This report combines original research findings with previous research. Below is a bulleted summary of information about the Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall in this HSR that is new, makes novel connections between existing sources, or is otherwise noteworthy: • The Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall was designed for the Chopawamsic RDA by architect Bernard Jesse Lif, a recent graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, who went on to lead a well-regarded architectural firm in Pittsburgh. However, much of the building's design was informed by standards and guidelines developed for RDA facilities by various parties at the NPS. Julian H. Salomon—a prolific camp designer—developed programmatic guidelines, and Albert Good's Park Structures and Facilities offered robust stylistic guidance. Design professionals employed by the NPS applied guidance from Salomon and Good to their designs for RDA structures across the country, and regional NPS offices reviewed these designs, providing additional feedback and assembling a collection of prototypes that would serve as models for future RDA buildings. In this way, design professionals working for individual RDAs and regional NPS officials jointly contributed to the ongoing refinement and standardization of RDA facilities. • While previous studies have focused on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as the primary source of labor for the Chopawamsic RDA's construction, records from the PRWI Archives indicate that older local workers employed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were largely responsible for the construction of the Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall. In contrast to the young, relatively inexperienced CCC laborers, these veteran carpenters offered knowledge of local building practices that may have been especially relevant for the construction of a dining facility, a communal space that was usually among the largest and most important structures at any organized camp. Ultimately, CCC laborers from nearby camp SP-22 were enlisted to help the WPA workers when the dining hall was not completed by the start of the 1937 season. • The building's original design exhibited typical characteristics of RDA dining halls such as an east-facing dining room and fenestration designed to optimize ventilation. Importantly, as an RDA dining hall, it also incorporated numerous design elements intended to minimize campers' exposure to food preparation spaces, ensuring that child campers would not disrupt the professional kitchen staff and that the illusion of an isolated and primitive camp setting would not be spoiled by the efficient, relatively high-tech, and well-connected environment of the camp kitchen. Such design elements included a T-shaped floorplan that clearly separates the building's dining and food preparation functions, a service counter that allowed campers to retrieve food and deposit dishes while still limiting their access to the kitchen, and a gable-end fireplace that established a focal point towards one end of the dining room and away from the kitchen. With the exception of the service counter, these features are still extant at the Cabin Camp 3 Dining Hall. • Previous studies have placed the dining hall's date of completion at either 1936 or 1937. However, the completion record for the building was not signed until October 15, 1938. An important consideration in dating the building is that a shower stall for Black kitchen staff was added to the building in September 1938—before the official completion date—to replace their original washhouse, a separate structure which had been repurposed for use by the camp's white staff. The shower stall—a physical remnant of racial segregation in Cabin Camp 3—is still extant and should be treated as original to the building. • The service wing underwent extensive alterations in the late 20th century, likely between 1988 and 1998. Changes potentially dating from this period include: ° The installation of many of the wing's current finishes, including fiberboard wall panels, quarry-tile flooring, and the plywood drop ceiling. ° The removal or covering of original features including an exterior door on the kitchen's northwest elevation as well as two windows each on the wing's northwest and southeast elevations. ° The reconfiguration of the partition wall between the kitchen and the dining room. • These alterations conform with the general evolution of organized camp dining halls. In the late 20th century, guidance regarding the design and management of camp kitchens began to emphasize the need to comply with new health and safety standards by utilizing sanitary and easily cleaned materials.

Cabin Camp 3: Dining Hall Historic Structure Report

Series