Bay City U.S.O. Building
Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Erected in 1941 on land loaned by the Pierce Estate to serve both local citizens and World War ll military personnel at Camp Hulen in nearby Palacios, this is one of 16 United Service Organization (U.S.O.) facilities built that year in Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. A coordinating council was formed that year to create a community center; Bay City citizens and businesses generously contributed to the U.S.O. project. Dedicated in 1942, the center hosted groups such as the Women's Auxiliary and Girls Service Organization. Records showed 11,289 civilians served as leaders and program assistants; programs were attended by 150,230 service personnel and 222,509 civilians. The facility was operated by the Y.M.C.A. and a local committee under the auspices of the U.S.O., which terminated its operations in 1945. The property on the north side of the block and the building were deeded to Bay City Post No. 11, the American Legion that year. Post No. 11 initiated long-term leases with the city of Bay City to maintain the building and continue its operation as a community center of the five Gulf Coast U.S.O buildings constructed early in the war, this is the only one left standing. A meeting place and city center, the building continues to be an active and vital part of the community. Constructed according to standardized plans and finished in a brick veneer through the generosity of the Bay City Gas Company, the buff brick building features a U-plan wing housing meeting rooms, a refreshment area, locker room, darkroom and a large auditorium. The building reflects the influences of the International style with banded windows, industrial sash, cantilevered overhangs and a flat roof of articulated massing. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -1999
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1941 on land loaned by the Pierce Estate, the Bay City U.S.O. was one of sixteen such centers raised that year across Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma to serve both townspeople and soldiers training at nearby Camp Hulen. Dedicated in 1942 and run by the Y.M.C.A. under U.S.O. auspices, its programs drew more than 150,000 service personnel before operations ended in 1945 and the building passed to the American Legion. With its banded windows, cantilevered overhangs, and flat roof, the buff-brick, International-style hall is the last of five Gulf Coast wartime U.S.O. buildings still standing.
Why it matters
The building is a rare surviving witness to the home-front hospitality network that supported millions of American troops during World War II.
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Related events
- · World War II
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Philip H. Parker Post No. 2438, V.F.W.
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