Barrett Hall, Building 59 (site) (New Rochelle, New York) | military

USA / New York / New Rochelle / New Rochelle, New York
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Building 59, built in 1939, was one of a group of three adjoining large barracks on the northeastern shoreline of Davids Island. These structures, Buildings 58, 59, and 60, were not only the largest barracks at the post, but were also the last permanent ones to be built.

Building 59 served as both a barracks and an administrative building. During the Second World War, it apparently housed student personnel of the Atlantic Coast Transportation Corps Officers' Training School (ACTCOTS) (active 1942-1944), where transportation specialists, such as railroad men, were taught the basics of military life before being commissioned as lieutenants or captains. Later, it became the administration building for the Army’s public affairs school, which was known successively as the Armed Forces Information School (1951-1954), the Army Information School (1954-1964), and the Defense
Information School (1964-1965). The school trained personnel in public affairs and in troop education and information. In its role as the school’s administration building, it held administrative and faculty offices, student lounges, and classrooms.

Fort Slocum Architectural Documentation Volume 3, Part 2 of 2: davidsisland.westchesterarchives.com/index.php?option=c...
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Coordinates:   40°53'6"N   73°46'4"W

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  • The photo above, from the Westchester Virtual Archive, shows how Barrett Hall looked shortly after its completion ca. 1940.
This article was last modified 15 years ago