Old Aiplane Terminal Buildings

[Pat Carry]

Like the terminal building the Kansas Aviation Museum is housed in, these buildings are a flashback to the past. How many similar terminal buildings are still around? The ones still around should be preserved for future generations just like old train stations. Anyone have a favorite one?

[b29flteng]

Downtown St. Paul, Minnesota airport terminal is still open and looks great. It was built in the thirties as a WPA project.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... 8AapitXOCg

Last edited by b29flteng on Sat May 22, 2010 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

[k5083]

The Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia is a great art deco building designed to serve the clipper flying boats just before the war. It is now used as a terminal for shuttle flights between NYC, Boston and DC, which I take frequently. I always enjoy going through it.

August

[67N20]

Here is the old terminal at Houston's Hobby Airport-used thru the early 50's. Took these in November 2009. The B-17 is Texas Raiders, now at Hooks-north of Houston.

[rwdfresno]

Pan Am Terminal Building at former Nimitz Field at NAS Alameda

[The Inspector]

The original terminal building is still in limited use @ KBFI by a couple small local air lines, the old tower cab was removed many years ago because it leaked into the North concourse when it rained. Given a bit of time, I could show you the outlined area @ KSEA that used to be the original terminal, it's now sort of the middle of the passenger area in the building. I know that Lake Front in NooAwlunz was being restored to it's 30's grandeur before Katrina. But when Lakefront took such a beating from the Hurricane, I don't know if it got completed or abandoned-

[IndyJen]

The old terminal building at Cincinnati's Lunken Field is still there and in use, though not as a terminal--nowadays, it houses airport offices, a pilot shop, and a very nice (and not at all expensive) restaurant.



The airport is surrounded on three sides by high bluffs (which is why they call it "Sunken Lunken"), and on the fourth side by the Ohio River. When it was new, the airport was inundated by a major flood. The lone dark brick in the tower facade marks the high-water mark. The whole place was underwater, save for the very top of the tower.



Levees were built around the low areas between the field and the river, with huge steel doors that could be closed against the rising waters. The place has stayed dry since.

The building was a WPA project, and is all art-deco and beautiful. The lobby contains a tiny Aeronca Champ hanging from the ceiling (apparently, they used to build 'em at the field), and it also features a pair of big murals over the exits passengers would use back in the day. One depicts the downtrodden shirtless worker, oppressed by life and circumstance, while the other shows the same shirtless fellow, now uplifted and free and prosperous--he has apparently gotten a job in aviation.

It's one of my favorite places to go for the hundred-dollar hamburger. I've taken any number of people there. Highly recommended if you're ever in the vicinity ...

Last edited by IndyJen on Sat May 22, 2010 9:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

[coastdef]

1950 terminal building at Lubbock International Airport, now home to the Silent Wings Glider Museum (http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com).



Regards,

Andy

[Pat Carry]

Great photos everyone. Love the art deco building in Houston.

[mustangdriver]

The Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh is like that. I will post pics later. My office was in the second floor for a while overlooking the ramp. I loved it when the touring B-17's would come in and park there.
The original Pittsburgh International Airport was very cool and was going to be saved, but politicians got their hands in the situation and bulldozed it even after it was declared a historic monument.

[APG85]

The Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh is like that. I will post pics later. My office was in the second floor for a while overlooking the ramp. I loved it when the touring B-17's would come in and park there.
The original Pittsburgh International Airport was very cool and was going to be saved, but politicians got their hands in the situation and bulldozed it even after it was declared a historic monument.

That's a shame...

[barnbstormer]

scfan;
Wow! What beautiful shots of the beautiful Houston-Hobby building. Thanks so much for posting them. But is leaves us salivating for more..
Favorite part(s) are those 3D rectangular reliefs(?) over each of the twelve ground floor tall windows that show milestones of aviation. you show 3 of them. any chance you have similar shots of the rest?

[famvburg]

The one at Scott Field, Tallulah, La. is still there, but is in very sad shape. It was built in the '20s & is the home of Delta Airlines, AKA Delta Dusting Service & Scott Field is pretty much the home of cropdusting's very beginnings. The building was restored somewhat in the mid '70s & afterwards declined again & now it looks like it did when it began its limited restoration in the '70s. I don't have a pic handy, but I love that old building & it's a shame it's in the shape it's in.

[famvburg]

The terminal at VKS - Vicksburg Muni (Ms.) is the original built in the late '40s. Its overall exterior has changed little but the inside is completely different. It's currently under renovation again now. HEZ - Natchez-Adams County (Ms.) is their original building, too. IIRC, the terminal at HKS - Hawkins Field (Ms.) is its original. I think it's still standing but don't know as a bunch of the old ex-military wooden buildings were taken down in the '80s. I think M18 - Raymond, Ms. still has their original. If I remember my camera when I walk out our temp office, I can get a pic of the one here at VKS.

[Second Air Force]

Tulsa had a beautiful Art Deco style terminal that was removed years ago. The Tulsa Air and Space Museum has several artifacts from that building on display.

Here is a photo of the main lobby of the Wichita Terminal.

I have more pictures but it'll take time to find them. The terminal is beautiful and will be even more so when the restoration is complete.

Scott