WWI Camp Bowie Base

world war one Camp Bowie Base. Hospital Building. Camp Bowie was established as a training facility for the 36th Infantry Division after the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917. Construction began on July 18, 1917 and it was officially opened on August 24, 1917. Among the camp's facilities was the Base Hospital which formally opened on September 24, 1917. Among its numerous buildings were administrative offices, surgical wards, nurses' quarters, medical supply depot, mess hall, enlisted men's barracks, and a guard house. More than 1,900 surgeries were performed at the hospital during its operation., To quickly construct a camp, even a temporary one, standardization of design was necessary. The Base Hospital, including this home, was a prime example of that practice. It exemplifies many design features found in the hospital buildings: its width, the dropped wood siding, large multiple-light windows, paired wood doors and transom at the main entrance, and the diagonal wood sheathing of the interior's perimeter walls., The Armistice ending World War I was signed on November 11, 1918 and the camp became a demobilization center. It closed on August 15, 1919. Most of the structures were dismantled and the building materials sold to the public. This building was altered and converted to residential use as the development of Arlington Heights exploded after the war. It is perhaps the only such building in Fort Worth with direct ties to the Camp Bowie Base Hospital.