Fort Riley Friday visits first limestone commissary and post quartermaster building 301

FORT RILEY, KANSAS, UNITED STATES

05.17.2019

Photo by Scott A Rhodes 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

This #FortRileyFriday we continue our look at buildings that were built to support activities on both the historic Cavalry and Artillery Posts.

Building 301 Marshall Avenue is constructed of native limestone and opened its doors in 1892 as the post commissary and also offices for the quartermaster.
This area of Main Post between and to the south of the Cavalry and Artillery Posts is referred to in historic terms by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the Quartermaster Supply Service District. The buildings in this area served their respective functions in support of both posts.

Building 301 was constructed in part because the roof of the post's first commissary facility, made out of wood, was torn off in a tornado in 1882. The building was repaired and was used for another ten years.

In 1892, Fort Riley replaced the wooden commissary with a limestone structure that saw triple duty as a sales commissary, subsistence storehouse and quartermaster office. Building 301 served as the post commissary until 1905 when that activity moved to building 303.

A 1930 Public Works maintenance record describes the facility as "Valuables and Finance Office."

Today, building 301 is part of the Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA) campus of buildings located between Marshall and Holbrook Avenues. CHRA is the organization in the Department of the Army responsible for providing civilian human resources services.

Pictured: Building 301 as it looked in 1905 (top left) and in 1930 (top right) sometime after Marshall Ave. was constructed. Bottom, Bldg. 301 as it appears today.

• Date Taken: 05.17.2019
• Date Posted: 01.04.2024 14:56
• Photo ID: 8189390
• VIRIN: 190517-A-YH536-1001
• Resolution: 526x526
• Size: 36.33 KB
• Location: FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US