Not a Typical Military Barracks

As part of a deal brokered by John D. Rockefeller Jr., the National Park Service built this structure in 1935 to house Navy personnel and top-secret radio operations, while the Navy moved its base from Mount Desert Island to make way for the expansion of Acadia's Ocean Drive. Designed by the same architect as the carriage road gate houses on Mount Desert Island and originally known as the Apartment Building, Rockefeller Hall added to the park-like setting of the Navy base at Schoodic Point. In Rockefeller Hall's basement Mux room, radio signals were multiplexed, or combined, for easier transmission over a single channel. As technology advanced, the need for large radio bases diminished, and Naval Security Group Activity Winter Harbor ceased its mission in July 2002, transferring 36 buildings and land back to Acadia National Park. The 1947 security checkpoint later became the Schoodic Education and Research Center entrance after the Navy ceased its mission.

Winter Harbor, Maine · United States