Seven years after they were extensively damaged by Hurricane Sandy, two historic buildings that once housed military officers will be torn down at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey.

The buildings, No. 119 and 120, are to be razed beginning June 15. They are two of nearly 100 temporary buildings constructed as part of the U.S. Army’s 700 series of temporary wooden buildings developed in response to the massive mobilization of World War II at Sandy Hook.

Prior to Hurricane Sandy, Gateway National Recreation Area housed seasonal workers and volunteers in the buildings. The hurricane demonstrated that it was not sustainable to continue to use these buildings for housing, with their first floors being 3-4 feet below the 100-year-flood elevation and in a moderate wave action zone. While the late-19th Century buildings on Officer's Row in Fort Hancock didn't greatly suffer structural damage from the October 2012 storm, when water flooded their basements it upended tanks full of heating oil. That oil subsequently leaked and led to damage.

To replace the housing capacity lost to the damage to buildings 119 and 120, Building 102, a historic brick barracks associated with the Proving Ground and located in a higher, more flood-resistant location, was rehabilitated to serve as housing.

The storm that roared up the East Coast in October 2012 did great damage to the Sandy Hook Unit. 

"Yes, there's a lot of road damage, there's a lot of dock damage, there's bike path damage, there's roof damage," then-Superintendent Linda Canzanelli said at the time. "Just Sandy Hook alone, the early, short easy estimate was there was 20,000 dumptrucks worth of sand that has to be moved."

With extensive involvement from other governmental agencies and nonprofits interested in historic preservation, the National Park Service considered alternatives to demolition of buildings 119 and 120, including relocation to higher ground, raising the buildings above the flood level, and leasing to a third party. However, all of these proved to be economically unfeasible.

Since there was no viable future use for 119 or 120 due to their susceptibility to flooding and post-storm condition, the NPS has determined that demolition was the most suitable option. The buildings have been thoroughly documented, using both still photography and 3D modeling. An interpretive wayside will be installed near the location of the buildings with a link to the 3D imaging.