The architecture of the United States life-saving stations
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Abstract
The study of the architecture of the United States Life-Saving
stations was undertaken to trace the development of a single building
type: the coastal rescue stations which housed men and equipment
engaged in bringing ashore victims of shipwrecks.
Formed in 1848, the United States Life-Saving Service was the only
government supported lifesaving.system in the world, all other organizations
being either volunteer or private societies. The Service began
its activities with the building of eight small, unmanned volunteer
boathouses along the New Jersey coast during 1849, and the following
year it was extended to the south shore of Long Island. After the
Reorganization of 1871 established paid crews to live in the stations,
the Service embarked on a building program which eventually led to the
construction of stations on the Atlantic, Gulf, Great Lakes and Pacific
coasts. In 1915 the United States Coast Guard was formed to take over
the Service.
Nearly all stations were built from standardized plans and
specifications designed by architects working directly for the Lifesaving
Service. Most reflected current architectural trends. This
study was undertaken to determine how many different plans were drawn,
how many stations of each type were constructed, where they were
located and the architects responsible for their designs. Using
architectural plans, photographs and secondary sources a history of
the Service was written focusing on the design and construction of the
stations. Lists were then compiled of each type built.
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License
This work is being made available in OpenBU by permission of its author, and is available for research purposes only. All rights are reserved to the author.