The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport began life as a torpedo station in 1914, and saw its first building, Building 1, completed in 1915.

Today a chain link fence isolates the structure, creating an impression that Building 1 is quietly awaiting a wrecking ball. However, nearly 12 years after the decision was made to demolish it, Building 1 will instead once again become a functioning part NUWC Division, Keyport’s mission supporting the U.S. Navy warfighter.

Jared Peterson, Facilities Branch Head at NUWC Division, Keyport, has been deeply involved in the drive to save Building 1. As the project lead for the planning and design portion of the Building 1 restoration effort, Peterson has had to juggle everything from long-range military construction (MILCON) plans to the concerns of the State of Washington’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Many of the older buildings in the industrial heart of NUWC Division, Keyport are listed as historic structures by SHPO.  Any effort to demolish or renovate one of these buildings has to get approval from SHPO as well as the office of Commander, Naval Installations Command (CNIC).

“We first had to identify an operational need, we had to identify a requirement to justify keeping Building 1,” Peterson said.

Peterson said the long-range MILCON plan for a new undersea vehicle maintenance facility on board NUWC Division, Keyport called for removing the decrepit Building 1 and building a new structure in its place. CNIC had already received approval from SHPO for the Building 1 to be demolished when the preservation effort began, giving Peterson and his team an unexpected opportunity to save the oldest building on base.

Financial considerations were a critical component of the decision to save Building 1.  NUWC Division, Keyport’s parent command, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), published Campaign Plan 2.0 to drive the strategic vision of the vast NAVSEA organization. Maintaining a culture of affordability is one pillar of the Campaign Plan, so saving money by rehabilitating Building 1 was key.

“We had to do an economic study to prove keeping Building 1 was cheaper and more efficient than either tearing it down and building a new facility, or even leasing a facility out in town,” Peterson said.

Restoring a historic building is a complex effort, even without the oversight of multiple state and Navy agencies to contend with. The rehabilitation team has to decide what time period and appearance to restore the building to, and then they have to incorporate modern safety and security devices, such as alarms and sprinklers, in such a way that the historic look is not impeded.

“Unlike a car, you can’t strip it down and repaint it and make it look like it did in the showroom,” Peterson said. “The scratches and dings, the elements that were built over and changed, these are all part of the heritage. They show the building has served several different missions. They’re all part of the story.”

Peterson said people should not expect Building 1 to look brand new once the project is completed. The building will look as close to its original 1915 appearance as the team can bring it, but it will still bear the weathering, scars, and even some later additions that fill out the story of its hundred years of service.

Peterson said another decision the command had to make was deciding what team will move in to Building 1 once the renovation is complete. Based on current and future growth models, the Weapons Systems Engineering Division of the In-Service Engineering Department will be the lucky group moving into Building 1 once the renovation is complete early in the next decade.

“They are experiencing the greatest growth of any division right now,” Peterson said.  “We don’t currently have enough space for them, and Building 1 is there.”

Originally used as a torpedo construction and storage facility, Building 1 will become a hub for innovation in weapons system design and engineering.

“The total budget for the selective demolition, design, and construction is $11.6 million,” Peterson said.

The first phase of new construction is slated to start at the end of 2019, and Building 1 is expected to be open for new business by 2022. This is a faster timeline than what would have been achieved had if Building 1 were to be demolished and a new facility built in its place. Another pillar of NAVSEA’s Campaign Plan 2.0 is the drive to equip the workforce with cutting-edge tools and facilities, and the accelerated timeline achieved by renovating Building 1 will ensure the workforce at NUWC Division, Keyport has a state-of-the-art building in which to meet the Navy’s future challenges.

Building 1 is the oldest building on base, but not by much. Construction of the early torpedo station was rapid. Building 1 was completed in 1915, and by 1917 Building 12 was finished. All of these historic buildings are listed on SHPO’s register, but Building 1 was the only one slated for demolition.

“Building 1 was the only one in really bad shape. It was unique in that was unoccupied,” Peterson said. “We have no other facility in that condition.”

There are still a few years left before Building 1 is reopened, but the oldest structure on board NUWC Division, Keyport will remain standing. With the rehabilitation of Building 1, the workforce will continue to have a direct connection to those Sailors who founded a torpedo station on a small peninsula in Washington State over a hundred years ago.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.

For more news from Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, visit www.navy.mil/.