Throughout WWII, almost 200,000 Quonset huts were produced in the United States. The Navy spurred the production of so many Quonset huts, because they needed portable sturdy buildings that could be put in place without construction crews. The U.S. military developed portable iron and wood Quonset huts after using the Nissan hut designed by the British during the first World War. The buildings were initially manufactured in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Quonset huts had the advantage of a lot of open space inside, due to the galvanized iron cross section design. The huts were shipped easily to various locations and used for restrooms, living quarters, hospitals, hangars and mess halls. The metal structures were definitely an improvement over the wooden foundation tent structures that had served those functions. The Quonset huts produced during the war were sold to the general populations for about $1000 each after the war. Since WWII, many companies have produced buildings modeled after Quonset huts for many different uses.
Quonset huts provided the foundation for the modern prefabricated steel building of today. Because the arch design of Quonset huts meant that the walls were curved where they met the floor, it was difficult to place furniture and machinery against the walls. The design was later reconfigured with short straight walls on the side that made sense for uses that could not utilize the curved space on the original design. The design change actually allowed the structures to break down even smaller and made it lighter to ship. And many metal building makers today still utilize the arched construction of the original Quonset huts.
How easy it was for unqualified people to put the structures together and the fact that the Quonset huts could be packed up and shipped easily are the qualities that make the metal buildings of today so advantageous for consumers. Steel buildings, much like Quonset huts, can be assembled with a handful of people without special equipment. Both businesses and home owners use metal structures for any number of uses. They are gymnasiums, body shops, churches and garages. The structures offer a very efficient use of space and do not necessitate much time or money to build or maintain. The Quonset huts live on.

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