By Bob Granath
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida
When NASA acquired land on Florida’s Merritt Island in the early 1960s, most of the existing structures were taken down to make way for the sprawling facilities necessary to send Apollo astronauts to the Moon. One of the few structures to remain became a popular meeting site and has come to be known as the Beach House.
The building sustained severe damage when Hurricane Matthew slammed Central Florida on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. After months of restoration, the facility officially known as the Kennedy Space Center Beach House and Conference Center reopened on July 25.
Nancy Bray, Kennedy’s director of Spaceport Integration and Services, praised the effort to restore the popular meeting site for groups at the center and astronauts preparing for spaceflights.
“I’m proud of the great workmanship with which our team restored and remodeled the entire facility to where it not only looks great,” she said, “but also once again feels like a home away from home for our astronauts.”
According to Robert Smith, who helped oversee the effort as a program support specialist in Spaceport Integration and Services, the restoration required a year to complete.
“The storm damage was extensive,” he said. “We had one contractor to do the cleanup and another in charge of all of the repairs.”
Renovations included completely gutting the second floor, replacing the second-floor ceiling and most of the sheet rock walls.
“We also replaced the kitchens and renovated the bathrooms,” said Smith, who now is in Communications and Public Engagement.
Anthony Harris of Institutional Projects in Spaceport Integration served as the project manager for the renovation. He explained that remodeling took place outdoors as well.
“We replaced the roof, several outside doors, second floor windows, exterior siding and repainted the deck,” he said. “The inside and outside also were completely repainted.”
The final steps toward making the Beach House functional again took place in July with delivery of new furniture and installation of information technology services, such as the Broadband Communications Distribution System, the Kennedy Institutional Network and telephones. A new fire alarm system also was added.
“A 70-inch television monitor was installed on the second floor and a 60-inch television monitor installed on the first floor,” Harris said. “The second floor is set up more like a formal conference center for business meetings.”
One of the final steps to finishing the Beach House was returning the astronaut crew champagne and wine bottle collection to the two display cabinets.
The two-story, wood-frame and concrete-block oceanfront house has a long history at the Florida spaceport.
It was built in 1962 as part of what was known as the Neptune Beach subdivision. NASA purchased the house and surrounding property in 1963 for $31,500. It was part of the Merritt Island land acquisition in advance of construction of the space center adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The cottage was spared, although all the other buildings in the surrounding areas were demolished, including a store and gas station.
During the Apollo era, the Beach House was called the Astronaut Training and Rehabilitation Building, with crew members sometimes staying there overnight.
According to a 2013 Historic American Buildings Survey by the National Park Service, through the Space Shuttle Program, the facility continued to be a quiet preflight haven for astronauts prior to launching on missions to Earth orbit.
“The Beach House was a place of rest and refuge as they prepared for launch, the highly anticipated conclusion of the stressful, years-long training programs,” the report said. “Astronaut crews used the house as a seaside retreat where they could find privacy, share meals with one another, reflect on the danger and excitement of their missions, and say farewell to their spouses and families.”
Astronauts were granted near-exclusive use of the building until it was remodeled during 1997, becoming the Center Director’s Conference Center. The Beach House now has two living rooms downstairs and the conference area upstairs.
The Kennedy Beach House is used for business functions such as discussions with visiting dignitaries, retreat seminars, agency-level meetings and program reviews.
“With restoration now complete, we’re ready to go back to using the Beach House as a meeting place,” Smith said. “It’s beautiful now, equipped and ready for operations.”
Harris noted that recently-selected astronauts were glad to see the renovations were nearing completion.
“Several commented that they look forward to bringing their families out to the Beach House as they prepare for upcoming Commercial Crew and Orion flights,” he said.
Bray agreed that the facility is an excellent site for meetings of center organizations and guests.
“It’s such a great venue for our employees,” she said. “The beautiful surroundings are a great backdrop for department and program retreats. I know a lot of group leaders have been anxiously awaiting its reopening so they can gather their teams there again.”