Quonset Huts – A Brief History

Hundreds of thousands of Quonset huts were manufactured during World War II. These structures offered the U.S. military a quick and easily erected option that could be shipped and utilized anywhere. The U.S. military developed portable iron and wood Quonset huts after using the Nissan hut designed by the British during the first World War. The buildings were initially manufactured in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Because of their simple yet strong iron arc structure, the huts offered a very efficient use of interior space. The flexibility and simplicity of the huts allowed the military to have immediate solid structures for medical facilities, vehicle repair shops, barracks and storage. They offered a step up from the combination of tents and wooden platforms that were previously used for such purposes. The Quonset huts produced during the war were sold to the general populations for about $1000 each after the war. Since then the military have been manufactured and utilized for a plethora of commercial and residential uses.

Quonset huts provided the foundation for the modern prefabricated steel building of today. Because the arch design of the structure meant that the walls were curved where they met the floor, it was difficult to place furniture and machinery against the walls. The structure was later altered to have walls at 90 degree angles, which eliminated the wasted space of the original curved wall design. An added bonus of the new design was that the components of the structure disassembled into more pieces and was not as heavy. And the curved arc frame introduced here is still used by a lot of the current portable steel building manufacturers.

The same portability and ease of construction concept that made Quonset huts so invaluable to the U.S. military is why steel buildings are such an attractive option for residential and commercial uses today. Steel buildings can be assembled with a handful of people without special equipment. Both businesses and home owners use metal structures for any number of uses. They serve as hangars, auto repair shops, hobby shops and equipment storage. They are more economical than traditional buildings and require little maintenance.

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