ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Ask anyone at APG which physical structure best represents the installation and they will most likely tell you Bldg. 310. Built in 1918 as the original post headquarters, the white, wood-and-brick building has served as a symbol for APG for close to a century.
But throughout the years, continual structural damages have forced multiple renovations to maintain the historic building, which is currently vacant.
APG Cultural Resources Director Mark Gallihue said a consistent lack of funding and the method by which the building was constructed have contributed to the damages sustained by Bldg. 310 over the years.
"In many ways, the building is a bunch of compromises in the way it was built," he said. "It was going to be a dramatic building, have all of these wonderful Greek columns in the front ... but there's no such thing as a steady stream of funding. ... [The Army] built parts of the building in wood because wood goes together a lot faster, but then they built parts of it in brick.
"So my theory -- and I don't have any proof of this -- is that [the Army was] rushing to get this building done before [World War I] ended and money ran out," Gallihue said. "And that's why you have this fabulous building with these Parthenon-like columns on them out front, and it's built on a foundation that I would I would call like a shotgun shack. It's a foundation for a hunting cabin."
Only a single wing remains of the original four-wing building that has endured decades of water and structural damage.
The reduction to one wing came after negotiating with the Maryland Historical Trust to demolish the back of the building in 2011 in return for being allowed to maintain the front section.
APG must comply with the National Historic Preservation Act when deciding to make renovations to a historic building like Bldg. 310. The law states that federal agencies must consider the effects of their actions on historic properties before making a decision about what to do in their projects.
Gallihue said that a lack of a sturdy foundation and the alternating use of wood and brick for construction contributed to increased moisture damage within the building.
"A lack of foundation really came back to haunt 310 because it allowed moisture to come up into the building and create humidity, which in turn created mold issues," Gallihue said. "The second part of the problem came from the fact that 310 is on the old steam plant heating system. And what happens over time with these steam systems is pipes start to leak, tree roots grow through things and create ruptures. It?'s incredibly inefficient.
"Wood buildings are the fastest building you can build," he continued, "but they're also the hardest to take care of because the paint is constantly wearing out and having to be replaced. 310 is also relatively close to the bay, so it gets some weather from the bay."
Multiple renovations have been completed on the building -- including pipe repairs, bathroom renovations and exterior painting touch-ups -- the most recent being repairs on the building's pipes and sprinkler system that were recently damaged by cold weather.
Gallihue said that approximately less than 10 percent of the 2,800 buildings on APG are historic.
Bldg. 310 formerly served as the post commander's office, housing soldiers' records and cash safe boxes to pay the post's military personnel, and running operations during World War I and World War II.
Gallihue said maintaining Bldg. 310 is important for maintaining the character of APG.
"If there isn't somebody to care about it, then you can't predict what's going to happen," he said. "[Bldg. 310] symbolizes the post in a lot of ways because it is the original Post headquarters. And for all the compromises in building it, it was built to be a pretty cool building."
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