Sunday Chicago Bee

25 Army Posts To Construct New Fieldhouses

Construction of field houses at 25 army posts to provide facilities for such indoor sports as basketball, boxing and wrestling, was authorized today by the War Department.

Each of the field houses, it is estimated will cost about $77,000 of which $7,000 will be allotted for the necessary portable seats and basketball backstops.

Total cost of the construction project will be $1,925,000.

Under plans drawn in the Office of the Quartermaster General the field houses will provide approximately 2,750 seats for basketball and approximately 3,750 seats for boxing and wrestling.

The 25 posts at which the first field houses will be built were selected after the Morale Branch had taken into consideration existing facilities, personnel strength weather conditions, type of camp and degree of isolation.

Field houses have been recommended for 17 other posts, but authorization has not yet been given. The Army stations where field houses will be constructed follow:

First Corps Area—Camp Edwards, Massachusetts.

Second Corps Area—Pine Camp New York, Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Third Corps Area—Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Fourth Corps Area—Fort Bragg North Carolina; Fort McClellan Alabama; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Camp Forrest, Tennessee; Camp Livingston, Louisiana Camp Claiborne, Louisiana; Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Davis, North Carolina; Camp Shelby, Mississippi; Camp Stewart, Georgia; Camp Blanding, Florida,

Fifth Corps Area—Fort Knox, Kentucky

Sixth Corps Area—Fort Custer. Michigan; Chanute Field, Illinois.

Seventh Corps Area—Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Camp Robinson, Arkansas.

Eighth Corps Area Camp Barkley, Texas; Camp Bowie, Texas, Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Ninth Corps Area—Camp San Luis Obispo, California

When the Army expansion program began last fall there were only a few posts in the country that were equipped with permanent gymnasiums.

The plan to build field houses—uniform in design—was formulated by the Morale Branch as part of its recreational program to provide every large Army station with facilities for sports during winter months or inclement weather.