Davisville, Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
Davisville, Rhode Island
was the former home of the U.S. Navy SeaBees. It was located at Quonset Point
on Narragansett Bay
, an area now included in the town of North Kingstown
. The Navy acquired the property in 1939 and built Naval Air Station Quonset Point
. In 1942, adjoining properties were developed for training Seabees, including the Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) at Davisville. After World War II
, the Naval Air Station remained in operation, but the NCBC was inactive until 1951, when the site was designated Headquarters, NCBC. The Naval Air Station was decommissioned in 1974. NCBC Davisville was selected for closure during the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC 1991) program and operational closure occurred on April 1, 1994. The land eventually was obtained by the State of Rhode Island.
The State of Rhode Island has invested heavily into the transportation infrastructure of the Quonset Business Park, including rail, water/sewer, and the$170 million Rte 403 Connector, a 4-lane highway connecting the Park to Route 4.
Today, the Park is the largest industrial park by employment levels in R.I. It is located on Narragansett Bay, Route 1 and Route 403. This 3174 acres (12.8 km²) master planned business park had, in 2007, nearly 150 businesses with infrastructure capacity for 18,000 total employees. The largest business is Electric Boat. Also in the Park is the Northeast Volkswagen/Audi/Bentley importer. There are some thousand cars at any time stored within the Park.
Within the park, the Quonset Airport (using the former Navy Air Station Quonset Point runway) is managed by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, is a general aviation facility with an 8000 ft (2,438.4 m). runway.
Also located within the park are the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park, a non-profit museum developed by on 6.5 acres (26,304.6 m²) by former U.S. Navy Seabees which includes the former Navy concrete chapel, seven vintage Quonset huts, and a huge Seabee statue; and the non-profit Quonset Air Museum located in buildings that were originally built for the Naval Air Station Quonset Point (NASQP).
In 2007, the State of Rhode Island announced a $150-million mega-yacht shipbuilding and repair yard that will include a training center on 43 acres (174,015 m²) within the Park, and a $80 million mixed-use development: The Gateway Project. The over 450000 square feet (41,806.4 m²) Gateway Project will include a hotel, visitor center, local grocer, drug store, coffee shop, restaurants, a bank, small shops, two anchor stores and will surround the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park.
BASE: Advancing a Post-Military Landscape An extensive photographic survey of the Davisville & adjacent Quonset Point Naval Bases completed in 2000 by Erik Carlson & Erica Carpenter.
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
was the former home of the U.S. Navy SeaBees. It was located at Quonset Point
Quonset Point
Quonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place".Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air...
on Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
, an area now included in the town of North Kingstown
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 26,486 at the 2010 census. The famous American portraitist Gilbert Stuart was born in the village of Saunderstown, located in the southern region of North Kingstown....
. The Navy acquired the property in 1939 and built Naval Air Station Quonset Point
Naval Air Station Quonset Point
Naval Air Station Quonset Point was a United States Naval Base in Quonset Point, Rhode Island that was deactivated in 1974. Next to NAS Quonset Point was Camp Endicott at Davisville, home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the Seabees. Quonset Point also gave its name to the Quonset hut,...
. In 1942, adjoining properties were developed for training Seabees, including the Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) at Davisville. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Naval Air Station remained in operation, but the NCBC was inactive until 1951, when the site was designated Headquarters, NCBC. The Naval Air Station was decommissioned in 1974. NCBC Davisville was selected for closure during the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC 1991) program and operational closure occurred on April 1, 1994. The land eventually was obtained by the State of Rhode Island.
The State of Rhode Island has invested heavily into the transportation infrastructure of the Quonset Business Park, including rail, water/sewer, and the$170 million Rte 403 Connector, a 4-lane highway connecting the Park to Route 4.
Today, the Park is the largest industrial park by employment levels in R.I. It is located on Narragansett Bay, Route 1 and Route 403. This 3174 acres (12.8 km²) master planned business park had, in 2007, nearly 150 businesses with infrastructure capacity for 18,000 total employees. The largest business is Electric Boat. Also in the Park is the Northeast Volkswagen/Audi/Bentley importer. There are some thousand cars at any time stored within the Park.
Within the park, the Quonset Airport (using the former Navy Air Station Quonset Point runway) is managed by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, is a general aviation facility with an 8000 ft (2,438.4 m). runway.
Also located within the park are the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park, a non-profit museum developed by on 6.5 acres (26,304.6 m²) by former U.S. Navy Seabees which includes the former Navy concrete chapel, seven vintage Quonset huts, and a huge Seabee statue; and the non-profit Quonset Air Museum located in buildings that were originally built for the Naval Air Station Quonset Point (NASQP).
In 2007, the State of Rhode Island announced a $150-million mega-yacht shipbuilding and repair yard that will include a training center on 43 acres (174,015 m²) within the Park, and a $80 million mixed-use development: The Gateway Project. The over 450000 square feet (41,806.4 m²) Gateway Project will include a hotel, visitor center, local grocer, drug store, coffee shop, restaurants, a bank, small shops, two anchor stores and will surround the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park.
BASE: Advancing a Post-Military Landscape An extensive photographic survey of the Davisville & adjacent Quonset Point Naval Bases completed in 2000 by Erik Carlson & Erica Carpenter.