Today in Smithsonian History: October 7, 1920
The Quonset hut behind Smithsonian Institution Building in the South Yard, site of the National Air Museum. In front of the Quonset Hut is a French made Renault tank and a German howitzer. (Photographer unknown, ca. 1920s)
October 7, 1920 A steel hangarlike aircraft building is opened to the public to exhibit aircraft and accessories produced during World War I. The Quonset hut behind the Smithsonian Institution Building, the “Castle,” was built in 1917 by the United States Signal Service for use during World War I. The shed was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1919 and served as the National Air Museum, now the National Air and Space Museum, for many years. It was demolished in 1975 in preparation for the Bicentennial of the American Revolution, Victorian Garden. In front of the Quonset Hut is a French made Renault tank and a German howitzer.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives
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Posted: 7 October 2019
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Very interesting, but the photo does not show a Quonset Hut. They came along about 21 years later, around the start of WW2.
David is right! The pre-fabricated steel American-made Quonset hut was based on a British design introduced during WWI. Produced in the hundreds of thousands during WWII, the Quonset Hut was named after the site of its first manufacture, Quonset Point, in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.