Inspired by the Canadian Nissen hut of WWI, the Quonset hut was developed in the US during WWII to satisfy the need for massive amounts of temporary housing of all kinds. For troops, storage, and service buildings of all kinds. The goal was to design something that could be relatively easily manufactured and erected, and produced in great quantity. The name Quonset hut comes from orignal place of manufacture, Quonset Point, in what was, during WWII, a naval constructin site. This is located just north of North Kingston, RI.
The units were remarkably durable, and after the war, many Quonset hut buildings were obtained for use as houses, for businesses, and for storage. Something over 150,000 were produced during the war, and one could still find them in many places decades after the war.
The images below show some of the styles and uses to which Quonset huts were put. Very large ones were built to house and service airplanes.
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The industrial arts building at Godwin, shown below, was not a true Quonset hut, but the manner of construction was similar. One can see in the examples above that shape of a true Quonset Hut is roughly a semicircle. The walls of the industrial arts buidling were vertical. But the structure did use the same corrugated metal construction, and it was likely built during WWII, or slightly after.
Left click on the item below for a larger version.
