ARCHITECTURAL RECORDATION Of the NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE SHOP (1959-1971) US ARMY RESERVE AREA MAINTAINENCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY (1971-2011)

WINDSOR LOCKS, CONNECTICUT

US Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District April 2012

ARCHITECTURAL RECORDATION WINDSOR LOCKS NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE SHOP (1959-1971) US ARMY RESERVE AREA MAINTAINENCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY (1971-2011) WINDSOR LOCKS, CONNECTICUT

Location:

The Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/Area Maintenance Support Facility (Windsor Locks) is located on a 3 acre graded lot on the north side at 536 Spring Street (Connecticut Route 20), Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: 41 55'56.80"N 7239'55.50"W

Present Owner: Present Occupant: Present Use:

United States Army Reserve. None. Vacant. Before closure under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act, Windsor Locks served as an area maintenance support facility for the US Army Reserve (USAR). Nike Missile batteries and associated support facilities represent the Armys component of United States Cold War military strategy of using cutting edge technology to counteract the Soviet Unions offensive nuclear capabilities to attack on American soil. Beginning in the late 1950s, Nike Ajax batteries were tasked with the defense of major American urban and industrial areas from Soviet bomber nuclear attack. Later Nike Hercules missiles replaced the conventional warhead of Ajax with a nuclear warhead, signifying the willingness to use a nuclear force over American population areas to deter the Soviet nuclear bomber threat. With the introduction of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the US moved away from antiaircraft defense toward the development of anti-ballistic missile technology, and the last Nike missile battery was deactivated in the mid-1970s. Windsor Locks is a true representative example of a standardized type of construction employed for Nike surface-to-air missile maintenance shops from the late 1950s and is significant for its Cold War association with the Nike missile program. Acquisition by the USAR in 1971 represents a mid-1960s change in USAR construction policy away from new construction on newly acquired land to reuse of existing defense facilities.

Significance:

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. 2. 3. Date of erection: 1959 Architect: Ganteaume & Mullen, Engineers /Architects, Boston, Mass. Original and subsequent owners, occupants, uses: Original use was as a US Army Nike Missile Field Maintenance Shop for the Hartford Defense Area. After conversion to an AMSA in the 1970s, the facility became a motor vehicle heavy maintenance and repair garage for assigned Army Reserve unit vehicles in the region. AMSA personnel perform major tasks such as engine rebuilding, transmission and axle replacement, painting, and major repairs. The facility also functioned as a storage location for reserve unit vehicles such as tanker trucks and earth moving equipment too large for permanent storage at their assigned reserve centers. The mission of Windsor Locks at BRAC closure was to provide maintenance support to Army Reserve units in northern Connecticut and central and western Massachusetts. Windsor Locks was one of two similar facilities in Connecticut, the other being the former Nike maintenance facility at Milford, Ct. Builder, contractor, suppliers: Constructed under contract by the US Army Corps of Engineers, New England Division, Boston, Mass. . Original plans and construction: Original construction documents are dated January 1957. Alterations and additions: The main structure has received little modification and no additions. The major changes have been to the buildings fenestration.

4.

5. 6.

B. Historical Context:

National Context
Cold War Air Defense and Creation of the Nike System For the first years of the Cold War, the US had a monopoly on atomic weapons and their delivery platform, the B-29 long-range strategic bomber. The monopoly ended when the Soviets used reverse engineering to build their own version of the B-29. The first TU-4 was unveiled in 1947. In 1949, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic weapon. Americans were painfully aware after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that the measure of security afforded by geographic separation from Europe and Asia was waning, but Hawaii was still a significant distance from the American mainland. The Soviet development of the TU-4 and their possession of nuclear weapons removed that remaining sense of security, because it meant for the first time that an adversary could decimate Americas largest cities from above. US decision-makers and military planners developed a two-part strategy for countering the threat from the Soviet Union. The first part of the strategy was called deterrence. Under this strategic concept, the military worked to deter the Soviet Union from an attack on the US or its allies with the threat of massive atomic retaliation designed to destroy the enemys

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

ability and willingness to make war. If the deterrence strategy failed, the military made plans and developed weaponry designed to minimize the destruction caused by an attack. The US Air Force held the primary responsibility for defending the nation from an air attack. Air Force planners developed a defense-in-depth strategy that encompassed early warning radars, fighter aircraft, and long-range anti-aircraft missiles positioned to detect and engage the enemy before they entered American airspace. Because its weapons had greater range and were able to protect a larger area, the Air Force was charged with the area defense portion of defense-in-depth. The US Army had shorter range weapons that provided close protection of strategic sites. The Armys anti-aircraft artillery batteries were therefore considered point defense weaponry. The defense-in-depth design created two tiers of protection for strategic sites. If an enemy was able to breach the outer or area defense tier provided by the Air Force, the attacker still had to deal with the inner or point defense tier provided by the Army. Development of the Nike System Planning for a missile-based antiaircraft system began during the last months of World War II, when the US Military realized that conventional antiaircraft artillery could not deal with the fast, high-flying and maneuverable jet aircraft and rockets being introduced by the Germans. The development of short-range antiaircraft missiles fell to the US Army, as a natural evolution of the point defense they had historically provided with antiaircraft artillery. After observing the effects of the Nazi V-1 and V-2 rocket attacks on London, US Army Lieutenant Jacob W. Schaefer, a former employee of Bell Telephone Laboratories, proposed the development of a radio-controlled antiaircraft rocket that could be used to protect strategic sites from bomber attack. His proposal called for command guidance that would use multiple radars to direct a missile to an incoming target. In June 1945, Army contractor Western Electric and its research and development arm, Bell Laboratories, began development of the new system. Western Electric selected Douglas Aircraft Company as the major subcontractor to design and manufacture the missile, booster, and launching equipment. The US Army initially called the new weapon the Anti Aircraft Guided Missile (AAGM). Later, Colonel Gervaise Trichel, head of US Army advance research and a classical scholar, named the new missile Nike for the Greek goddess of victory. The first generation of the Nike missile was called the Nike Ajax. When it was deployed in 1954, it was the worlds first operational guided, surface-to-air missile system. Nike Technical Specifications and Operation The Nike Ajax missile assembly consisted of a missile portion and a booster portion. The missile was 21 feet long and 12 inches in diameter. It had a wingspan of four feet six inches and weighed 1,000 pounds. With the booster attached, the length was increased to 34 feet 10 inches, and the weight increased to 2,455 pounds. The Ajax had a range of 25 to 30

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

miles, could reach an altitude of 70,000 feet, and had a top speed of Mach 2.3 (1,679 miles per hour [mph]). Nike missiles were guided by a computer in the Integrated Firing Control (IFC) area from the time they were launched until they were detonated by a signal from the IFC. A Nike battery was activated when the acquisition radar detected a target and verified that it was hostile. The Target Tracking Radar (TTR) would then lock onto and track the hostile target. A third radar, the Missile Tracking Radar (MTR), was then aimed at an individual Nike missile located at the nearby Launcher Area. Both the TTR and MTR were linked to a guidance computer located within the Battery Control Trailer at the IFC Area. The missile was launched and sent on its supersonic path to intercept the hostile target. The MTR relayed steering commands from the guidance computer to guide the missile toward the target. At the moment of closest approach, the missiles three warheads would be detonated by a computer generated burst command sent from the ground via the MTR. Typical Nike Ajax Missile Installation In the early 1950s, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were increasing. The Army felt an urgent need to field the Nike Ajax throughout the country as quickly as possible, especially after the delays with the development of the missile. Army planners initially considered using prefabricated buildings, but ultimately decided to use standardized, modified emergency designs that were more permanent. These buildings were typically one to two stories in height, and featured concrete block walls with flat metal roofs. This utilitarian, industrial design is considered Military Vernacular architecture. The style is characterized by the lack of high-style design influences, as the standardized plans were intended to be purely functional and adaptable to local conditions. A typical Nike Ajax missile installation consisted of three distinct areas: the administrative area, the Integrated Fire Control Area, and the Launcher Area. The administrative area was often built on an adjacent parcel of land to the IFC or the launch area. A typical administrative area featured the following buildings: a barracks, a sentry guardhouse, an administration building, a paint/oil shed, a water treatment plant, a mess hall, a recreation/administration supply building, and a separate area with single-story detached homes for married personnel and their families. The design of the missile system required the IFC and the Launcher Area to be separated by at least 1,000 yards, but no more than three miles. To launch a missile, the radar equipment needed a direct line of sight between the IFC and the Launcher Area. Deployment of Nike In March 1954, the first Nike Ajax unit deployed to an aboveground site at Fort Meade, Maryland. On May 30, 1954, it became fully operational on an around-the-clock, combat ready status. By 1958, the US Army had deployed nearly 200 Nike Ajax batteries around the nations cities and vital military installations. Each defense area consisted of a number of missile batteries grouped around the identified targets to be protected.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Nike Missile Defense Areas in the United States. Anchorage (AK) Bergstrom AFB (TX) Buffalo (NY) Cleveland (OH) Dyes AFB (TX) Fairchild AFB (WA) Homestead-Miami (FL) Lincoln AFB (NE) Milwaukee (WI) Niagara Falls (NY) Offutt AFB (IA/NE) Providence (RI, MA) Seattle (WA) Travis AFB (CA) Baltimore (MD) Boston (MA) Chicago (IL, IN) Dallas-Fort Worth (TX) Ellsworth AFB (SD) Barksdale AFB (LA) Bridgeport (CT) Cincinnati-Dayton (OH, IN) Detroit (MI) Fairbanks (Ft Wainwright & Eielson AFB) (AK) Hanford (WA) Hartford (CT) Kansas City (KS, MO) Key West (FL) Loring (ME) Los Angeles (CA) Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN, New York (NY, NJ) WI) Norfolk (VA) Oahu (Pearl Harbor) (HI) Philadelphia (PA, NJ) Pittsburgh (PA) Robins AFB (GA) San Francisco (CA) Shilling AFB (Kansas) St. Louis (IL, MO) Turner AFB (GA) Walker AFB (NM) Washington DC (MD, VA)

Maintenance of Nike Missile Systems The test equipment used to support the Nike batteries was identified by two major areas of use. One group was the missile test equipment which was used to test, troubleshoot, and repair the missile and launching equipment. The other group which was used to test, troubleshoot, and repair assemblies from equipment in the radar course directing central. The equipment in both groups was used by direct support, general support, and depot maintenance personnel to keep the Nike batteries in a combat ready status. Operational field maintenance occurred either on-site from specially designed trailers containing test equipment or at specialized Tactical Site Support Facilities that performed maintenance on missiles and support equipment that was beyond the capability or equipment of the battery. The permanent facility was constructed in a centralized area to serve all the batteries within a particular defense area. At the support facility, missiles were inspected, and radar navigation instrumentation were calibrated. These support facilities typically had an engine test cell, consisting of a reinforced-concrete wall and a ceiling strengthened with 4-inch steel pipes and a woven steel cable blast mat. Deactivation of Nike Missile Systems Ultimately, the Nike Ajax missile system had a short service life in the continental United States. The first Ajax unit deployed to Fort Meade, Maryland in March 1954. By June 1958, the Army had begun the process of adapting existing Nike Ajax batteries to support a second generation surface-to-air missile, the Nike Hercules.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

During testing of the Ajax missile, the Army became concerned about the missiles ability to defend strategic sites in the event of a massed Soviet bomber attack. It was not considered feasible at the time to add a nuclear warhead to the Ajax missile, so the Army authorized the development of the nuclear-capable Nike Hercules. In addition to carrying a nuclear payload that the engineers believed could destroy a Soviet bomber squadron, the Nike Hercules had an increased range of 75 miles. This was nearly triple the range of the Nike Ajax. As a result of this increased range and firepower, fewer Nike Hercules batteries were required to protect the strategic areas than the Nike Ajax. Ironically, the idea of use of a nuclear weapon over large population areas (and associated fallout effects) to block incoming Soviet bombers with nuclear payloads for the target population areas is not generally discussed in the decision to upgrade to a nuclear payload on the Nike system. The Army ultimately built 35 new Nike Hercules batteries, and adapted 110 existing Nike Ajax batteries to accommodate the Nike Hercules. The remaining Nike Ajax batteries were subsequently deactivated. The Army defended the nations strategic sites with the Nike Hercules until the mid-1970s. By that time, it had become clear that the Soviets would be more likely to attack the US with ICBMs than with massed bomber squadrons. In the technological race that characterized the Cold War, the military had to move beyond traditional surface-air-missiles to develop an ABM system that would address the newer ICBM threat.

State and Local Context

Nike Batteries in Connecticut Within the state of Connecticut, two Nike defended regions were established. One defended area was centered on the important manufacturing city of Bridgeport. The other protected the Greater Hartford area. Each defended area contained six Nike missile batteries which became operational 1956 -1957. Each of the twelve missile installations was initially manned by Regular Army units. However, within a few years, the Connecticut Army National Guard became an important participant within the Nike program, manning several sites within the Bridgeport and Hartford regions. Connecticut's Nike missile batteries were initially equipped with the first-generation Nike missile, the Nike Ajax. Beginning in the late 1950s, three of the sites were upgraded to utilize an improved, second-generation Nike Hercules. Two of the upgraded missile sites were located within the Hartford region, at East Windsor and Cromwell. The third was located at Ansonia, north of Bridgeport.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Nike Hercules Missile Batteries in New England, 1968

The Hartford Defense Area Six Nike missile batteries were constructed within the Greater Hartford Connecticut region. Becoming operational during 1956 the sites were designed to encircle the region with overlapping fields of guided missile fire. The Hartford area Nike sites and dates of operation: HA-08 East Windsor (1956-1971) HA-25 Manchester (1956-1961) HA-36 Portland (1956-1963) HA-48 Cromwell (1956-1968) HA-67 Plainville (1956-1961) HA-85 Avon/Simsbury (1956-1963)

All of the sites were roughly similar in specification, utilizing the Nike Ajax missile system and having three underground missile storage magazines. Most sites were equipped with 30 missiles. Each of the Nike Defense Areas that ringed New England cities also included a maintenance and equipment testing shop where the Nike missiles were maintained and repaired and where radio navigation instruments were calibrated and tested.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

The simple, functional mid-century modern building types found at the Nike missile control, launch, and maintenance facilities were designed by three firms: Leon Chatelaine, Jr., of Washington, D.C.; Spector and Montgomery, of Falls Church, Virginia; and Ganteaume and McMullen, of Boston, Massachusetts. Windsor Locks was constructed from the standardized plans developed by the firm. The headquarters for the Army's 63rd Artillery Group which controlled the Nike battalions was located at New Britain. A Tactical Site Support Facility Maintenance Shop was constructed in Windsor Locks to support the Hartford Defense Area batteries. The maintenance shop performed maintenance on missiles and support equipment that was beyond the capability or equipment of the battery. Missiles were inspected, repaired, painted and radar navigation instrumentation was tested and calibrated. The facility also had an engine test cell, consisting of a 32-foot-by-13-foot room with 1-foot-thick reinforced-concrete walls, and a ceiling strengthened with 4-inch steel pipes and a woven steel cable blast mat. All of the Hartford area sites were initially manned by Regular Army units assigned to the U.S. Army's Air Defense Command (ARADCOM). Units from the adjacent Bridgeport Defense Area contributed to the manning of the Plainville installation. Later, units of the Connecticut Army National Guard began air defense operations at select sites under a nationwide scheme to incorporate reserve elements into the nation's air defenses. The headquarters for the National Guard Nike units was located in West Hartford. Due to the enhanced nuclear capabilities of the Nike Hercules system, fewer missile sites were needed to defend the Hartford region. Accordingly, only two missile sites - the East Windsor and Cromwell installations - were upgraded to utilize the Army's new Nike Hercules missile system. Site inactivation within the Hartford area began during 1961 when the missile installations at Manchester and Plainville were closed. The two National Guard operated Nike Ajax sites at Portland and Avon/Simsbury were inactivated just two years later. By 1964 only two Nike Hercules equipped sites remained operational. Of these two, the Cromwell Nike installation remained operational through the autumn of 1968. It had been manned by the Connecticut Army National Guard over the final four years of its operation. The last operational Nike missile site in the Hartford region was the East Windsor site. It remained in active service (under the Connecticut Army National Guard) until the summer of 1971. During June of that year, the East Windsor site and the Windsor Locks Tactical Site Support Facility Maintenance Shop, along with the Nike site in the Bridgeport region (Ansonia) were inactivated, marking the end of the Nike air defense in Connecticut. The transition from the conventionally-armed Nike Ajax surface-to-air missile to the nuclear-tipped Nike Hercules missile that began in the early 1960s resulted in the decommissioning of a number of New England Nike missile control, launch, and maintenance facilities. Six former Nike facilities were transferred to the Army Reserve in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Three sites, East Windsor and Middletown, Connecticut and

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Danvers, Massachusetts, were large parcels formerly occupied by Nike control or launch facilities. The Nike sites were converted to Army Reserve centers, with varying degrees of retention of original Nike buildings. Three more former regional Nike missile repair facilities at Milford and Windsor Locks, Connecticut and Lincoln, Rhode Island made ideal conversions to Area Maintenance Support Activity (AMSA) facilities, which were being developed at that time to allow the Army Reserve to maintain their own vehicles. Windsor Locks was converted to an USAR AMSA in 1971. Windsor Locks and the USAR Era (1971-2011) As an AMSA shop, Windsor Locks served units in northern Connecticut and central and western Massachusetts as a motor vehicle heavy maintenance and repair garage for assigned USAR unit vehicles in the region for four decades. AMSA personnel performed major tasks such as engine rebuilding, transmission and axle replacement, painting, and major repairs, including wreck damage. The AMSA was also a storage location for USAR vehicles such as tanker trucks and earth moving equipment, which were too large for permanent storage at their assigned USAR centers. The facility was closed 15 September 2011under the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General statement: 1. Architectural character: While the main structure clearly has mid-century modern design influences on the exterior, the design favors pragmatism rather than attention to the ideals of high-style modernism. Function has trumped form with little regard to aesthetics. The structure places emphasis on volume with fenestration punched into the solid mass as required by function. The simple, flat roof has shallow overhangs with a metal fascia. 2. Condition of fabric: The structure retains a high degree of integrity from its operational period as a Nike maintenance shop in terms of design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. With the exception of the removal of partitions creating Rooms 11, 12 and 13, the interior layout is unchanged from its primary period of significance (1959-1971). The major loss of integrity is the replacement of the majority of the original lighting fixtures. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall dimensions: 70 x 1654 2. Foundation: Concrete slab on grade foundation with concrete footings. 3. Walls: Painted Concrete Masonry Units (CMU). 4. Structural system, framing: Load bearing concrete masonry units supporting steel purlins with a tongue and groove wood deck roof. 5. Porches, stoops, balconies, porticoes, bulkheads: None. 6. Chimneys: One 3-4 square CMU chimney serves the Boiler Room (Room #31). 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The majority of the doors are hollow metal with steel jambs. Large rolling overhead doors facilitated the movement of missiles in and out of the building. b. Windows: Original industrial steel sash windows with hoppers or awning openings. Aluminum replacement windows have been installed primarily along the Spring Street facade. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: Flat roof with traditional built-up bitumen roofing system with gravel ballast. b. Cornice, eaves: 12 overhang with metal fascia.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: The main entrance to the facility is formally through the main entrance (Room 36) on the rear north faade on the opposite side from Spring Street. Functionally, it is evident that the main entrance was functionally through the Office (Room 1) was actually used as the entrance as this is where the vehicle parking is located. Schematically, the rooms interlock without the use of hallways, which facilitated the movement of missiles within the structure. The most striking visual feature of the structure is the Engine Test Cell (Room 18). One foot thick heavily reinforced concrete walls, ceiling and floor isolated the structure for its intended use. Heavy reinforced concrete doors roll on overhead rails to provide closure The transition from a Nike maintenance shop to a USAR AMSA facility was ideal, requiring little in terms of modification. Only the partitions between 10, 11 and 112 were removed for a new oil storage area.

Sketch Plan of Windsor Locks Nike Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA Facility

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

WINDSOR LOCKS HISTORICAL SPACE USAGE CHART Room Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE USAR AMSA ROOM USE SHOP ROOM USE (1959-1971) (1971-2011) Office Womens Toilet Mens Shower Mens Toilet Missile Guidance Shop Tool & Supply Electronics Shop A.A. Gun Repair Area Auto Repair Area Small Arms Repair Repair Shop Tool & Supply Office Janitor Closet Womens Toilet Mens Toilet Compressor Room Missile Test Cell Missile Paint Shop Service Corridor Inspector and Work Leader Toilet Shower Latrine and Locker Room Supply Room Break Room and Classroom Electronics/Communications/Small Arms Repair/Night Vision Room Work Bay 1 & 2 Alpha Bay With Hydraulic Lift Walls Removed Oil Storage Walls Removed Oil Storage Walls Removed Oil Storage Office Janitor Closet Toilet Toilet Welding and Storage Bench Stock and Hardware Storage Battery Maintenance Service Corridor

Initial & Final Inspection, Mechanical Work Bay 3 &4 Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area Missile Flushing and Cleaning Engineering Shop Engineering Office Jacks and Lifting Equipment Work Bay 5 Engineering Office

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Room Number 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE USAR AMSA ROOM USE SHOP ROOM USE (1959-1971) (1971-2011) Bin Storage Mens Toilet Mens Lockers Machine Shop Paint Shop A Paint Shop B Boiler Room Project Test Radar Shop Main Shop Signal Parts Storage Entrance Main Office Signal Womens Toilet O.I.C. Office Mens Locker and Toilet Bin Storage Toilet Lockers Supply Annex Machine Shop Library Boiler Room Exercise Room Exercise Room Tire Repair and Storage Work Bay #6 Entrance Front Office Toilet Computer Room Locker and Toilet

2. Stairways: None. 3. Flooring: Polished concrete in work areas. 12 x 12 vinyl tile in offices and restrooms. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: Work areas are exposed the structural framing. Office and restroom areas have painted gypsum ceilings. 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Doors and doorways are hollow metal doors and steel jambs. b. Windows: The majority of the original windows have been replaced with aluminum windows.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

6. Decorative features and trim: The structure is utilitarian in nature and is largely devoid of decorative features. 7. Hardware: The majority of the doors retain their original 1950s utilitarian hardware. 8. Mechanical equipment: a. Heating, air conditioning, ventilation: Gas space heaters hung from the ceiling provide heat. All windows are open for ventilation. No central air conditioning b. Lighting: Fluorescent tube and metal halide lighting. Most of the original lighting has been replaced. c. Plumbing: Cast iron.

D. Site: The facility is located within an industrial area adjacent to Bradley International Airport on a flat 3-acre graded lot on the north side at 536 Spring Street (Conn Route 20) in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Large Cyprus trees line Spring Street and provide a visual buffer between the road and the facility. A barbed wire chain link fence secures the installation. A single one-story structure, the former Nike Field Maintenance Facility, dominates the site and is located nearer the southern (Spring Street) side of the property. A grove of trees cover the eastern third of the property. Security gates on each side of the facility provide entry and exit along a concrete apron that surrounds the building with a large vehicle parking apron on the rear of the building. A concrete vehicle ramp is located on the east side. The site remains essentially unchanged since its 1959 construction. The setting has changed with urban development that has occurred around the site, primarily through the construction of industrial warehouses and businesses serving Bradley International.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Figure 1. 1957 Site Plan of Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop, Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Figure 2. 2011 Aerial View of Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA, Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

Figure 3. Area Map Showing Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA, Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A. Architectural Drawings: On file at the 94th RRC Installation Management Office, Fort Dix, New Jersey. The Windsor Locks installation is listed as Facility CT012. B. Interviews: None. C. Bibliography: Adams, Virginia H and Kierstead, Mathew. 1997. Final Report, Historic Inventory Survey of Army Reserve Facilities Throughout New England Under the 94th Regional Support Command. May. Cagle, M.T. Historical Monograph Development, Production and Deployment of the Nike Ajax Guided Missile System, 1945-1959. US Army Ordinance Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama Public Archaeology Laboratory (PAL). 1995. Historic Resources Inventory. August. Lonnquest, John C and David Winkler. 1996. To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program. USACERL Special Report 97/01 US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory. Defense Publishing Service. November. MaMaster, Sosebee, Fraser, Jones, Grainger and Civitarese. 1984. Historical Overview of the Nike Missile System. U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency Assessment Division. Report Number DRXTH-AS-IA-83A016. Contract Number DAAK11-81-C-0093. December. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). 2003. Final Report, Nike Missile Battery, Environmental Conditions Assessment Guide. U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, Connecticut District (USGS). 2001. Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. October. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Louisville District. 2007. Final Report, Environmental Condition of Property Report. April. Web Site. Nike Sites of Connecticut at http://coldwar-ct.com/Nike_Sites.html. Accessed December 2011. Web Site. Nike Historical Society. www.nikemissle.org. Accessed December 2011. Web Site. Radomes, Inc. Air Defense Radar Veterans Association. www.radomes.org. Accessed December 2011. D. Likely Sources Not Yet Investigated: The US Army Corps of Engineers usually issued completion reports for these facility types. If extant, the report could be in USACE archives or the National Archives.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION Photography and written documentation by Joseph Scott Murphey, Historical Architect, US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. Photography performed in June 2011.

WINDSOR LOCKS NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE SHOP (19591971) USAR AMSA (1971-2011)

PHOTOGRAPHY JUNE 2011

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

INDEX TO PHOTOGRAPHS

WINDSOR LOCKS NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE SHOP/USAR AMSA WINDSOR LOCKS, CONNECTICUT

JOSEPH MURPHEY, PHOTOGRAPHER

JUNE 2011

A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L.

Distant View From Spring Street Facing East. Oblique View Across Spring Street Facing North. Oblique View Facing East. Oblique View Facing Northeast. Oblique View Facing Northwest. Distant View Along Spring Street Looking West. East Elevation. Oblique View Facing Southwest. Oblique View Facing South. Oblique View Facing Southeast. West Elevation. Panoramic View of Site looking East.

M. Panoramic View of Site looking West. N. O.

Room 1. Office. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area Looking East.

P. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area

Looking West.
Q. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area

Looking Toward Room 1.

R. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area

Looking Toward Room 18, Missile Test Cell.

S. Room 17. Compressor Room.

Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Shop/USAR AMSA

T. Room 34. Main Shop Signal Looking Northeast. U. Room 34. Main Shop Signal Looking Southwest. V. Room 8. AA Gun Repair Looking North. W. Room 9. Auto Repair Area Looking South. X. Room 8/9. Looking West. Y. Room 8/9. Looking East. Z. Room 5. Missile Guidance Shop. AA. Room 19. Missile Paint Shop. BB. Room 18. Missile Test Cell looking East. CC. Room 18. Missile Test Cell Looking West.

DD. Room 18. Doors of Missile Test Cell. EE. Room 18. Doors of Missile Test Cell. FF. Room 18. Door Detail of Missile Test Cell. GG.Room 18. Door Detail of Missile Test Cell. HH.Room 4. Washroom. II. Typical Window Detail.

PHOTOGRAPHIC KEY

Photograph A. Distant View From Spring Street Facing East.

Photograph B. Oblique View Across Spring Street Facing North.

Photograph C. Oblique View Facing East.

Photograph D. Oblique View Facing Northeast.

Photograph E. Oblique View Facing Northwest.

Photograph F. Distant View Along Spring Street Looking West.

Photograph G. East Elevation.

Photograph H. Oblique View Facing Southwest.

Photograph I. Oblique View Facing South.

Photograph J. Oblique View Facing Southeast.

Photograph K. West Elevation.

Photograph L. Panoramic View of Site looking East.

Photograph M. Panoramic View of Site looking West.

Photograph N. Room 1. Office.

Photograph O. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area Looking East.

Photograph P. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area Looking West.

Photograph Q. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area Looking Toward Room 1.

Photograph R. Room 21. Initial and Final Inspection, Mechanical Repair, Test and Flight Simulation Area Looking Toward Room 18, Missile Test Cell.

Photograph S. Room 17. Compressor Room.

Photograph T. Room 34. Main Shop Signal Looking Northeast.

Photograph U. Room 34. Main Shop Signal Looking Southwest.

Photograph V. Room 8. AA Gun Repair Area Looking North.

Photograph W. Room 9. Auto Repair Area Looking South.

Photograph X. Room 8/9. Looking West.

Photograph Y. Room 8/9. Looking East.

Photograph Z. Room 5. Missile Guidance Shop.

Photograph AA. Room 19. Missile Paint Shop.

Photograph BB. Room 18. Missile Test Cell looking East.

Photograph CC. Room 18. Missile Test Cell Looking West.

Photograph DD. Room 18. Doors of Missile Test Cell.

Photograph EE. Room 18. Doors of Missile Test Cell.

Photograph FF. Room 18. Door Detail of Missile Test Cell.

Photograph GG. Room 18. Door Detail of Missile Test Cell.

Photograph HH. Room 4. Washroom.

Photograph II . Typical Window Detail.

WINDSOR LOCKS NIKE FIELD MAINTAINENCE SHOP (19591971) USAR AMSA (1971-2011)

SELECT ORIGINAL AS-BUILT DRAWINGS 1957

Construction Document. Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Facility Front (South) Elevation. 1957.

Construction Document. Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Facility Rear (North) Elevation. 1957.

Construction Document. Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Facility Left (East) Elevation. 1957.

Construction Document. Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Facility Right (West) Elevation. 1957.

Construction Document. Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Floor Plan. 1957.

Construction Document. Windsor Locks Nike Field Maintenance Site Plan. 1957.