ALBROOK AIR FORCE STATION, HABS No. CZ-10-C NON ......ALBROOK AIR FORCE STATION, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' DUPLEX (Albrook Air Force Station, Building 203) HABS No. CZ-10-C (Page

ALBROOK AIR FORCE STATION, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' DUPLEX (Albrook Air Force Station, Building 203) East Side of Hall Street Balboa Vicinity Former Panama Canal Zone Republic of Panama

PHOTOGRAPHS

HABS No. CZ-10-C

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DAT A

HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY Rocky Mountain Regional Office

National Park Service Department of the Interior

12795 W. Alameda Parkway Denver, Colorado 80225

HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY

ALBROOK AIR FORCE STATION, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' DUPLEX

(Albrook Air Force Station, Building 203) HABS No. CZ-10-C

For information about other structures at the Albrook Air Force Station site, see:

HABS No. CZ-10, Albrook Air Force Station HABS No. CZ-10-A, Albrook Air Force Station, Field Officer's Quarters HABS No. CZ-10-B, Albrook Air Force Station, Company Officer's Quarters HABS No. CZ-10-D, Albrook Air Force Station, Parachute & Armament Building HABS No. CZ-10-E, Albrook Air Force Station, Dispensary

Location:

Present Owner:

Original Use:

Present Use:

Significance:

East side of Canfield Boulevard, between Buildings 202 and 204, Albrook Air Force Station, East Bank of Pacific entrance to Panama Canal, Balboa Vicinity, former Panama Canal Zone, Republic of Panama, Central America

United States Department of Defense

Non-Commissioned Officer's Quarters

Family Housing (vacated for transfer to Republic of Panama)

Building 203 is representative of 31 identical duplexes found at Albrook Air Force Station. The unusual configuration of housing one family over the other -- rather than the ordinary side-by-side arrangement -- makes this building type unique. Building 203 exhibits Mission features that are commonly found on other early housing types at Albrook. Front symmetry, red tile roofing, deep open eaves and mediagua, stuccoed surfaces, decorative scrollwork, square porch piers are all common Mission themes. The building was constructed as officer's housing for Albrook Field. It continued to serve its housing function until it was vacated for transfer to the Republic of Panama.

A. General Statement:

ALBROOKAIRFORCE STATION, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' DUPLEX


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1. History: A FY29 Army construction program appropriation provided funds for the construction of Albrook Building 203. On 7 May 1932, the building was completed on schedule at a cost of $15,930.61 (Figures 1and2). The design follows War Department Quartermaster Corps Construction Service drawing series No. 3216. From the onset, this building was designated Building 103. At a later unknown date, the structure was redesignated Building 203, its current designation. The U.S. Department of Defense has been the sole owner of the building. Occupancy logs for Albrook housing units have been lost and the current system is not accurate. Building 203 is currently vacant in preparation for the transfer of Albrook Air Force Station to the Republic of Panama.1

2. Architectural Character: Building 203 has a poured-in-place concrete post-and-beam structure and one-way concrete floor slab system. Walls are constructed of hollow tile finished with textured stucco. In its original state, the first- and second-floor living and rear porches were open-air. Two housing units are stacked one on top of the other, both hovering over the carport and storage understory. The gable-on-hip roof is clad in clay tile rather than the corrugated metal specified in the drawings for the housing type. Mediterranean influences include deep open eaves, mediaguas, and Mission details at the upper comers of the structural bays. In sum, Building 203 represents a modest yet dignified Mission-style non-commissioned officers' duplex.

Through time, all sides of the building have been modified. The character of the first- and second-floor porches changed significantly when the openings were substantially altered. The living and rear porches were originally open-air and contained only by insect screens. Now concrete block, stucco, and plaster construction seals small replacement sliding units into the large original openings. Original wooden bar transom openings are blocked with similar construction. The remaining first- and second-floor wooden casement windows were replaced with aluminum sliding windows like those added to the porches. Sometime after the removal of the screened frames, but prior to the installation of sliding aluminum units, jalousie windows were commonplace on this housing type (Figure 3). The original exterior screened doors at the rear porches have been replaced with hollow metal flush doors. Exterior doors on the ground-floor rooms are the original solid wood 6-panel doors. The upper four panels of these doors are louvered and covered with screen.

1 "Property records for Building 203, War Department Q.M.C. Form 117," Howard Real Estate Office; Record drawing for Non-Commissioned Officers' Duplex, Engineering Flight-Drafting Section, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama.



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Figure 1. South and west sides of Albrook Building 203 (former Building 103) following construction completion. (Source: Property records for Building 203, War Department Q.M.C. Form 117, Real Estate Office, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)



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Figure 2. View of Building 209 (former Building 109) in lieu of Building 203 showing original windows and screened porches of typical non-commissioned officers' duplexes, n.d. (Source: History Office, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)



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Figure 3. View of back east side of Albrook Building 203 (former Building 103) showing interim use of jalousie windows, ca. 1957. (Source: History Office, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)



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The interior of the building is remarkably intact. The enclosure of porches and replacement of windows are the only significant changes to the interior. These modifications are most likely associated with the installation of air conditioning. The date of installation is unknown, but records show that the system was updated in 1981.2

To accommodate the cooling equipment, a mechanical closet was constructed in the comer of the dining areas of both units. Kitchen updates include replacing the custom wooden dressers with modem cabinets topped by metal-edged laminate countertops. Matching overhead cabinets were installed in both kitchens as well. Modem sinks replace the original sink-and-drain board setups. Original tile flooring at the first and second floors was replaced with asbestos tiles. Original doors are found throughout the interior, and original ceilings remain intact except in those areas where ductwork was added.

The building retains its essential original exterior appearance and building footprint since its completion in 1932. The most notable modification to the exterior is the replacement of the original wood-framed porch screens with sliding aluminum windows over plastered concrete block half-walls. Modifications to openings in the porches have also altered the original appearance of these interior spaces. The ground-floor and secondfloor spaces retain many of their original features. The store rooms and closets, above any other rooms in the building, depict the 1932 interior character of the building. Temperature differentials between the interior and exterior surfaces of the mechanical closet exterior walls are responsible for some degradation of the south exterior wall surface. Despite this, the building is in good condition due to regular occupancy and maintenance, and its historic character has been preserved. (See photographic documentation HABS No. CZ-1 O-C-1 through CZ-1 O-C-16).

B. Description of the Exterior:

1. Overall Dimensions: Building 203 is 35' by 37'8". The building contains 3,640 square feet of floor space on three levels. The finished ground-floor to finished first-floor height is 9'. The finished first-floor to finished second-floor height is 10'1-l/2". The finished second-floor to ceiling joist height is 10'3".

2. Foundations: The building rests on a spread foundation constructed of poured~in-place reinforced concrete walls and footings.

2 U.S. Air Force Real Property Inventory Detail List, 18 December 1995, Real Property Office, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama.



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3. Walls: Exterior walls are a combination of 14" square poured-in-place concrete piers and 6" thick hollow tile at all levels. Exterior wall surfaces are covered in a textured stucco. Ghost sills remain in wall surfaces where open-air porches originally existed.

4. Structural System: The structure is a poured-in-place two-way reinforced concrete system.

5. Porches. Exterior Stairs: Originally, recessed open-air porches ran the length of the front at all levels. The ground-floor porch remains, but the first- and second-floor living porches are now enclosed as interior extensions of the living areas. Screens, detachable panels, and transoms originally fit inside the scrolled porch openings. There were also porches in the rear comer of the building off the kitchens. They too were screened, transomed, and articulated like the front porches. The rear porches are now enclosed as well. Outdoor shelter is provided by the recessed carport at the back of the building. Ceilings and floors of all the porches are concrete.

From the northeast comer of Building 203, four flights of concrete stairs with intermediate landings rise to two rear porch entries at the first and second floors. Although an exterior stair, the entire rear stair sequence is recessed into the main building mass. Stuccoed concrete half walls with painted coping replace the original open stair rail. Landings are contained with simple pipe rails.

6. Chimneys: None.

7. Openings:

a. Doors: The formal front entry is on the west side of the building. Here a wooden screen door opens to a stair hall. The staircase rises to the first- and second-floor main entries. Solid wood 8-panel doors to each unit are located at the appropriate stair landings. Access to the ground-floor spaces is provided through the open garage area. Here original solid wood 6-panel doors remain with their upper four louvered panels covered with screens. A second wooden screen door provides access from the carport to the front stair hall. Hollow metal flush doors in metal frames replace the original screened doors at the back entries. These have replacement hardware and deadbolt locks.

b. Windows: Original solid wood 3-light casement pairs remain at the ground-floor level. Three- and four-light casements originally filled the openings on the first and second floors, but they have since been replaced with aluminum sliding windows. Two

ALBROOK AJR FORCE STATION, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' DUPLEX


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operable panes of glass are typical at each sliding unit, but a 3-pane variation appears at the front of the building on the top two floors. Here the middle pane is fixed and the flanking panes are operable. Aluminum double-hung windows replace the casements at the first- and second-floor baths and rear porch entries. None of the original bar transoms at the first and second floors remain. Windows are located 4'0-11116" above the finished floor at the front ground floor and 2'5-15/16" above the finished floor at the first and second floors. Smooth-finished concrete sills are located under all the original window openmgs. Decorative wooden sills remain intact at the locations of the original screened porches.

8. Roof:

a. Shape: Multiple gable-on-hip roof forms and bracketed mediaguas cover the structure. Originally designed with a corrugated metal roofing material, the roof was constructed with red tile. Rafters are 2x8s spaced 18" on center with a moderate slope. Gable ends contain triangular louvered vents backed with insect screens. The upper-level eaves have exposed wood decking on exposed wood rafters, with rafter ends exposed. The mediaguas have the same and are supported on decorative wooden brackets. The eaves and mediaguas have a lookout projection of 5' from the outside walls. Eighteeninch surface drains catch rainwater from the deep overhanging eaves. In addition, a copper funnel directs roof runoff at an inside rear corner of the building.

b. Skylights, Vents: As mentioned above, the gable ends of Building 203 contain wooden louvered vents that help exhaust heat from the attic space. The kitchens are vented through small square metal exhaust fans.

C. Description of the Interior:

1. Floor Plans: Building 203 is essentially a three-story rectangular building. The ground floor is for service spaces and the "A" and "B" units are stacked one on top of the other at the first and second floors, respectively. The plans for the "A" and "B" units are identical. The front entrance is on the west side through an enclosed stair hall that provides interior access between the levels. Front doors to the two units open off this stair hall and lead to the living/dining areas. Double doors in the living area open to the former full-width living porch. This space is now enclosed and is accessible through the living space and Bedroom 1. The former living porch and small, centrally located hall are the only circulation spaces. Bedroom 1 opens off the hall and living porch. Bedroom 2 opens off the angled wall in the hall. The kitchen opens directly to the dining half of



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the living/dining area. One bathroom is centrally located off the hall in each unit. A secondary entrance -- up an exterior flight of stairs, through the former back porch, and into the kitchen -- is located on the east side of the building. Storage spaces and a toilet room are located on the ground floor (Figures 4 through 7).

2. Stairways: The front stair hall has six flights and six landings. It is made up of concrete stairs, 4" square steel newel posts, iron bar ballusters, and wood handrails. The first step is larger in plan than the rest, with a circular wrap-around form at each end. The back stair consists of four flights and four landings. Again the stairs are concrete. The original open stair rail here has been modified and is now an enclosed concrete half wall.

3. Flooring: The original tile flooring at the first and second floors has been replaced by green asbestos tile in all spaces. The original ground floor remains exposed concrete. Ceramic floor tile is laid in a mosaic pattern in the shower stalls of both units.

4. Wall and Ceiling Finishes: Virtually all interior wall locations and surfaces are original to the construction of the building. The hollow tile partitions are plastered and painted cream or white. Structural columns appear as wall projections throughout the building with the hall, bath, front entry stair, and some closets as exceptions. These spaces fall between the structural spans. Both first- and second-floor baths have yellow and black ceramic tile shower stall surrounds that extend to an approximate height of 7'. Both also have a 12" ceramic tile retention wall at the shower stall entry. At the front and rear porches, original screened openings have been filled with stuccoed concrete block half walls. Both of these spaces are now considered interior rooms. In the "A" unit, a partition sections off part of the former living porch for an additional bedroom. This was done as part of the Albrook Self-Help Program. Drywall encloses newer mechanical closets in the dining areas of both units.

A one-way concrete beam system is exposed at the ground and first floors at approximate floor-to-ceiling heights of 8'8" and 9'10". The second-floor ceilings are plastered insulation board with wooden coffer details and crown moldings. They rise to an approximate height of 10'. Structural beams appear as ceiling projections in the same spaces where columns are exposed as wall projections. Some ceiling sections in the firstfloor ("A") unit are dropped to 8' to enclose ductwork for the air conditioning system. These drywall enclosures are not necessary at the second floor, where attic space accommodates the ductwork.



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Figure 4. Original plan of Albrook Building 203 (then Building 103) following construction completion. (Source: Property records for Building 203, War Department Q.M.C. Form 117, Real Estate Office, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)



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Figure 5. Original standard plans for Non-Commissioned Officers' Duplex at Albrook Field. (Source: Engineering Flight-Drafting Section, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)

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Figure 6. Original standard plan and sections for Non-Commissioned Officers' Duplex at Albrook Field. (Source: Engineering Flight-Drafting Section, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)



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Figure 7. Original standard elevations for Non-Commissioned Officers' Duplex at Albrook Field. (Source: Engineering Flight-Drafting Section, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)

5. Openings:



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a. Doors: Original solid wood 6-panel doors are typical. Those at hall closets and the ground-floor toilet have the lowest two panels louvered. Those at the bedrooms and the ground-floor store rooms have the upper four panels louvered. The store room doors have screens covering the vented panels. For baths, the 6-panel doors are solid without louvers. Originally, wood bar transoms were located over the 6-panel interior doors to allow air to circulate. These openings remain intact, except in those areas where the ceilings are dropped for ductwork. A few original solid wood 3-panel doors are found at the bedroom closets. Here the single upper panel is filled with a plate glass mirror and the lower two panels are louvered. The living porch has a solid wood 5-panel replacement door at the self-help partition. The mechanical closet additions in the dining area have newer hollow wood flush doors with metal return-air vents and filters at the bottom. Doors between the living area and living porch, as well as those between the kitchen and rear porch, have been removed. The wood bar transoms over these doorless openings remain. The openings between the dining areas and kitchens have remnants of their original pivoting doors. The original 2" beveled wood door frames are typical throughout.

b. Windows: Aluminum sliding and double-hung units, as well as wooden 3-light casements, are found on the exterior walls. The former is located on the first and second floors and it replaces the original wood casements and insect screens. Their original barred transoms have been filled and plastered at the interior. The aluminum replacement windows have aluminum frames, and their sills are plain concrete insets. The kitchens have a set of former exterior casements converted to interior openings after the enclosure of the rear porches. These casements have been removed from the "A" unit, but they remain in the "B" unit. In both cases, the frames and concrete sills remain in place. Aluminum double-hung sash windows with obscure glass are situated next to the exterior doors to the rear porch and at the bathrooms.

The casements remain at the ground-floor perimeter. Each has an interior wood-framed screen that covers the entire opening. Original 2" decorative wood frames and 4" wood sills remain at these windows. A wooden stationary louvered sash is located in the ground-floor toilet room.

6. Decorative Features and Trim: An original wood crown molding runs the perimeter of the second-floor rooms. Six-inch baseboards are typical throughout the house. A 2-3/4"



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wainscot molding runs the perimeter of the kitchens and bathrooms. A picture molding runs the perimeter of the living/dining areas and the bedrooms.

7. Hardware: Much of the door hardware is original to the building. Virtually all of the knobs and key locks are Rushwin-brand. The double doors between the No. 1 bedrooms in each unit and the living porches have floor locks to secure one of the doors in the pair. The bedrooms have their original door stops and the bathrooms have replacement ones. Pivoting door hardware remains at the kitchen door frames even though the doors have been removed. Casement windows on the ground floor have their original cranks. The ground-floor toilet door has its original knob and copper latch. Most replacement hardware is Best-brand. Newer doors between the halls and dining areas have replacement hardware, as do all doors that lead to the exterior. Exterior points of entry are protected by newer deadbolt locks.

8. Mechanical Equipment:

a. Heating and Air Conditioning, Ventilation: A central-zone air conditioning system cools the first and second floors. Lennox-brand equipment is located in a mechanical closet added at the dining areas. Rooms on the ground floor are naturally vented. Minor spaces, such as closets, and the living porches are cooled from adjacent rooms. Hall closets were originally dry closets that featured a single dry-bulb fixture for reducing humidity. These features no longer function and their fixtures have been sealed with metal plates. Ductwork is exposed in the bedrooms of the "A" unit. Exhaust fans are located in the kitchens. Two air conditioning condensers rest on concrete pads situated outside on the south end of the building.

b. Lighting: Most lighting in Building 203 is provided by replacement ceiling-mounted fixtures. These fixtures are present in a variety of incandescent, flood, and circular fluorescent bulbs. Most are covered with newer round disk enclosures. Original 1-bulb incandescent fixtures hang from the ceiling at the bathrooms. They are protected by belllike covers. The bathrooms also have incandescent wall-sconce fixtures situated over the lavatories. Newer hanging 5-bulb incandescent chandeliers illuminate the dining and living areas. One recessed flood fixture is located at the first-floor halls. The bedroom closets have no lighting. Electrical panels are located at the rear porch and fire alarms are found in the central halls.

c. Plumbing Fixtures: The original Crane Welling model valve toilets are typical throughout Building 203. Wall-mounted lavatories are found in the first- and second-



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floor baths, and no lavatories are located in the ground-floor toilet room. The showers retain their original gooseneck fixtures, but the shower heads are replacements. In the kitchen, two-well stainless steel sinks replace original sink-and-drain board combinations. Plumbing pipes from the second floor protrude from the ceiling at the first-floor bath. The ground-floor laundry area has a double-well concrete utility sink resting on a metal stand, and a Rheem brand replacement water heater. Plumbing pipes are exposed at the beams and columns in the recessed carport area.

d. Conveyance Systems: None.

9. Original Furnishings: The bedroom closets retain their original wooden shelves, screened boot shelves, hanging rods, and coat hooks. The hall closets have the same, with the exception of the boot shelves. They also have built-in wooden linen dressers with drawers and cabinets. Hall "B" has the attic scuttle. The bathrooms have their original steel pipe shower curtain rods, ceramic soap dishes, and metal medicine cabinets with mirrors. The bath in unit "B" has its original ceramic towel rod as well. Kitchen dressers are replaced with dark wood cabinetry topped with laminate countertops and backsplashes with metal edging.

1. General Setting and Orientation: Building 203 faces west towards the Pacific inlet to the Panama Canal. Northward bound on Hall Street from Old Curundu Road, it is the fourth quarters of its type on the right side of the street (Figures 8 and 9). It is situated on an incline that eventually drops to a housing area on the north side of Albrook. Building 203 is similar in style and construction to those duplexes located on Sempsey Circle and Hanson Street. The formal entrance to Building 203 is on the west side of the building.

2. Historic Landscape Design: No historic landscape plan was found. Building 203 is located among similar three-story non-commissioned officers' quarters. The close proximity of these taller housing structures creates a unique physical environment. Tall palms, street lanterns, and sidewalks line the streets. A small concrete sidewalk and 3-tread stair branch off the main sidewalk to Building 203. Palms, birds of paradise, mother-in-law's tongue, yuca, coleus, diffenbachia, banana trees, caladium, purple-leaf shamrocks, New Guinea impatiens, and philodendron are plentiful at the building's perimeter. A service drive behind the building links the quarters in the area and provides vehicular access to Building 203 on the north and east sides. Two asphalt driveways -one for each unit -- lead to the recessed carports located on two adjacent sides of the



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building. Eighteen-inch surface drains, with breaks in several locations, divert rain water to the southwest corner of the lot. A section of drain at the northwest corner has settled through time and now rainwater collects at this point.

3. Outbuildings: Building 619, a rectangular flat-roofed concrete utility vault, is located on the south side of Building 203.

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Figure 8. Map of Albrook Air Force Station, showing location of Building 203. (Source: Army Community Service, U.S. Army Garrison-Panama, Corozal, Republic of Panama)



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Figure 9. Aerial view of Albrook Field, ca. 1932. (Source: History Office, Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama)

Documents

ALBROOK AIR FORCE STATION, HABS No. CZ-10-C NON ......ALBROOK AIR FORCE STATION, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS' DUPLEX (Albrook Air Force Station, Building 203) HABS No. CZ-10-C (Page