(Editor's note: This is the last of the two-part series focusing on the installation's historic past and features World War II and Cold War era buildings.)
National Preservation Month 2014 aims to highight work being done to enrich and preserve the places that make communities special. Fort Leonard Wood is no exception.
In addition to the rich history and priceless artwork that make up the Black Officers' Club, the property includes stonework features built by German prisoners of war interned at Fort Leonard Wood between 1943 and 1946.
"The features at Building 2101 include walkways, retaining walls with decorative pedestals, a patio and a two-story chimney," said Stephanie Nutt, Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division, Cultural Resources Program coordinator.
The chimney's date stone indicates it was constructed in 1945.
German POWs constructed other stonework features across the installation.
Some of the most significant stonework are at Veteran's Park; the flagpole and courtyard of the original post headquarters; the patio, chimney and walkways at Garlington House; the Nebraska and Minnesota Avenue culvert; the Gammon Field culvert and weir; and the stairs, jetty and retaining wall at the water intake on the Big Piney River.
"Many of the stonework features are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Designs on some of the stonework features include a palm tree, emblem of Rommel's Africa Corps of which most of the POWs were a part of, swastikas, the German war eagle, sayings such as 'German Work,' date stones and initials," Nutt said.
Also from the World War II era is Building 430, which was home to the Red Cross and built in 1944.
"Most other World War II temporary buildings have their pale-yellow siding and green-shingled roofs, but Red Cross buildings were built with white siding and red roofs. The buildings were cruciform in shape so that from the air the building looked like a red cross, protecting it from possible bombing," Nutt said.
World War II era Red Cross buildings also feature additional architectural details in the form of columns and a formal front porch.
The post's Red Cross building is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is the only surviving World War II era Red Cross building in Missouri, according to Nutt.
Growth took a back seat at the end of World War II when Fort Leonard Wood was closed.
"Fort Leonard Wood was inactivated on March 31, 1946, and soon after a cattle rancher from Oklahoma leased the installation to graze his cattle. The installation was left in the hands of one commanding officer, several commissioned assistants, and about 50 to 60 civilians as caretakers. For more than four years, the only military activity at the inactive post were Army Reserve and National Guard troops using the area for summer training exercises," Nutt said.
The post remained on inactive status until Aug. 1, 1950, when it was reactivated during the Korean conflict.
On March 21, 1956, Fort Leonard Wood was declared a permanent installation, redesignated as the U.S. Army Training Center, Engineer and Fort Leonard Wood.
"Reflecting its permanent installation status, between 1956 and 1972, Fort Leonard Wood grew, and many new buildings were constructed. Temporary wooden buildings were replaced with varied architecture made of permanent materials, all tied together stylistically by the use of red brick," Nutt said.
Soldier Memorial Chapel, constructed in 1962, was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, according to Nutt.
"It is significant for architectural distinction at the local level, because it is one of the largest churches in the Fort Leonard Wood region and one of the few built in the modern architectural style. Building 450 has had no major alterations since its construction in 1962 that would affect or compromise the overall integrity of the structure," Nut said.
Important features of the building include the L-shaped footprint, vertical windows with yellow tinted glass, cut-stone details, interior exposed wood beams, and the multi-use altar.
"As with most military chapels designed during and after World War II, this was a multi-use chapel with curtains on the altar that could be closed or opened depending on the service. Building 450 served as the main post chapel from its construction in 1962 until recently, when the current post chapel was built," Nutt said.
Another example of Cold War era architecture on post are the Rolling Pin Barracks.
Constructed in the 1960s, Rolling Pin barracks can be found in the 300, 600, 700, 800 and 1000 areas of the installation.
"They are named for their appearance -- the ends of each barracks are slightly narrower than the center portions, resembling the handles of a rolling pin. They were originally designed as three-story buildings with semi-open bays and a separate mess hall," Nutt said.
The permanent Rolling Pin barracks were constructed in four stages at Fort Leonard Wood. The first stage began in 1961.
"These were some of the first rolling pin barracks built anywhere in the Army system, and they followed the original standard plans . . . a design only utilized for Buildings 651, 652, 654, 659 and 660," Nutt said.
"Of the Rolling Pin complexes on Fort Leonard Wood, only the 600 area contains all the buildings necessary to house a brigade. Each brigade needed a brigade headquarters, four battalion headquarters, four company headquarters, a chapel, a dispensary, a branch Exchange, a physical fitness center and a heating plant," Nutt said.
Only the 600-area contained those five barracks from the first round of rolling pin barracks construction along with examples of the later, stripped down design.
The 600 area was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, Nutt added.
Other buildings and structures constructed during the Cold War era include motor pools and vehicle maintenance facilities, Baker Theater, Abrams Theater, the main reviewing stand at Gammon Field and hundreds of Family housing units.
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