| Additional Information: | 2007-
Building 112 is located at 6025 South B Street on the west side of South B Street at General Mitchell IAP ARS in the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Building 112 is a single-story rectangular-plan concrete block building that consists of two sections: a single-story section and a high-bay section.
The single-story section is capped by a pitched flat roof with broadly overhanging eaves on the north and south facades. The roof fascia is sheathed in anodized aluminum. The section, located at the eastern end of the building, is pierced by modern windows and window bands, and doors. A rectangular-plan vestibule is appended to the east façade. The most prominent feature of the single-story section is the parachute drying tower. The tower is roughly three stories high and pierces the southwest corner of the roof. It is sheathed in corrugated metal panels and bears the shield of the 440th Airlift Wing (AW).
The high-bay section has few architectural details. It is constructed of concrete block and is pierced by modern windows, single doors and double-doors. The high-bay section originally accommodated the dinghy shop when it was constructed in the 1970s.
Building 112 was constructed in 1962 as the Parachute Shop for the US Air Force Reserve (AFRES) installation at General Billy Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Chicago District, the branch of the military that typically oversaw design and construction for military installations.
As described in the Historic Building Inventory and Evaluation, General Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station prepared for the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) in 2007, Building 112 has played a standard role in the history of the installation which has been home to the 440th AW since 1957, a unit of AFRES dedicated to providing air transport and airlift for deploying troops, cargo, and humanitarian aid in support of national policy. In 1975, the high-bay section was added to the west façade to accommodate the dinghy shop. The shop was designed by Hamm & Kessler, Inc., Engineers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under contract to the USACE, Omaha District. Building 112 has served as the survival equipment shop since its construction in 1962 and enlargement in the 1970s.
2024: Formerly addressed as 6025 South B Street. The exterior of this parachute shop has undergone minimal changes since it was previously inventoried. The 1962 structure was altered in the 1970s with an enlargement and addition of the distinctive high-bay section. The wood plaque medallion present in the 2007 survey images has been removed. It is associated with activities associated with the maintenance and preparation of survival equipment during the base's active years. Aside from that primary activity, research has not identified specific or significant events that are associated with this structure and that are significant to the history of the base. |
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| Bibliographic References: | AFCEE. Historic Building Inventory and Evaluation, General Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station. 2007.
Hamm & Kessler, Inc./USACE Omaha District. Addition to Parachute & Dinghy Shop-Building 112. Drawing No. 112-051. 1975. On file at Building 106 (Civil Engineering), General Mitchell IAP ARS, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
USACE Chicago District. Parachute Shop-Building 112. Drawing No. 112-003. 1961. On file at Building 106 (Civil Engineering), General Mitchell IAP ARS, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. |
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