Quonset Hut

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

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2. How the Hut Came to Be

   • Chris Chiei

   Pages 1-29

3. Quonsets, Alaska, and World War II

   • Steven Haycox

   Pages 31-45

4. War, Design, and Weapons of Mass Construction

   • Brian Carter

   Pages 47-61

5. After the War: Quonset Huts and Their Integration Into Daily American Life

   • Tom Vanderbilt

   Pages 63-103

6. The Huts That Wouldn’t Go Away: Alaska Adopts the Hut

   • Chris Chiei

   Pages 105-131

7. Quonsets Today: Concluding Thoughts

   • Julie Decker, Chris Chiei

   Pages 133-147

8. Back Matter

   Pages 148-166

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Julie Decker x Acknowledgments xii Introduction The Hut That Shaped a Nation Julie Decker and Chris Chiei xv Chapter 1 How the Hut Came to Be Chris Chiei 1 Chapter 2 Quonsets, Alaska, and World War II Steven Haycox 31 Chapter 3 War, Design, and Weapons of Mass Construction Brian Carter 47 Chapter 4 After the War: Quonset Huts and Their Integration into Daily American Life Tom Vanderbilt 63 Chapter 5 The Huts That Wouldn’t Go Away: Alaska Adopts the Hut Chris Chiei 105 Chapter 6 Quonsets Today: Concluding Thoughts Julie Decker and Chris Chiei 133 Appendix: Hut Types 148 Notes 150 Image Credits 156 Index 161 Contributors 165 Preface Julie Decker Quonset Hut: Metal Living for a Modern Age is a project that began half a decade ago when architect Chris Chiei took note of the presence of Quonset huts throughout Alaska—more than half a century after the huts were sent around the world as temporary shelters for World-War-II soldiers, forming a major part of the inf- structure of war. Until now, the impact of Quonset huts in post–World War II life has not been documented in a comprehensive way. Quonset huts are referenced in a variety of publications, and everyone seems to be able to conjure up an image of a semicircle when they hear the word “Quonset,” but its story has not yet been told.

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