Lubbock in Lubbock County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Original Lubbock Municipal Airport
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, June 9, 2017
1. Original Lubbock Municipal Airport Marker
Inscription.
Original Lubbock Municipal Airport. . Charles Lindberghs solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 dramatically increased worldwide interest in aviation. To participate in this new and potentially significant technology, the City of Lubbock established a municipal airport about five miles north of downtown. Land was purchased in 1929 and a brick hangar with Art Deco features was completed in 1930. The small airport was in operation by the end of that year. A well-known contractor in the area, W.G. McMillan Construction Company, was awarded the contract to construct the hangar. When completed, the building featured solid masonry construction, with cast concrete details and parapet caps on the front and south facades to add style to the utilitarian structure. The main portion of the hangar was a curved roof design supported by steel truss girders. , The airport primarily served local aviation needs but was periodically utilized by the military, with rare commercial flights. Grass landing strips were used until the mid-1930s. In 1938, a federal grant from the works progress administration (WPA) led to the construction of concrete runways adjacent to the hangar. In the late 1930s or early 1940s, a second hangar made of sheet metal was added to the complex. In 1941, as the U.S. prepared to enter World War II, the city offered the Army the use of the municipal airport. The South Plains Army Flying School (later South Plains Army Airfield, or SPAAF) operated here from 1942 to 1945 as an advanced training base for the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) Combat Glider Training Program. In 1948, the city regained control of the airport and a new terminal building opened north of this building in 1950. , Recorded Texas Historical Landmark
Charles Lindberghs solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 dramatically increased worldwide interest in aviation. To participate in this new and potentially significant technology, the City of Lubbock established a municipal airport about five miles north of downtown. Land was purchased in 1929 and a brick hangar with Art Deco features was completed in 1930. The small airport was in operation by the end of that year. A well-known contractor in the area, W.G. McMillan Construction Company, was awarded the contract to construct the hangar. When completed, the building featured solid masonry construction, with cast concrete details and parapet caps on the front and south facades to add style to the utilitarian structure. The main portion of the hangar was a curved roof design supported by steel truss girders.
The airport primarily served local aviation needs but was periodically utilized by the military, with rare commercial flights. Grass landing strips were used until the mid-1930s. In 1938, a federal grant from the works progress administration (WPA) led to the construction of concrete runways adjacent to the
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hangar. In the late 1930s or early 1940s, a second hangar made of sheet metal was added to the complex. In 1941, as the U.S. prepared to enter World War II, the city offered the Army the use of the municipal airport. The South Plains Army Flying School (later South Plains Army Airfield, or SPAAF) operated here from 1942 to 1945 as an advanced training base for the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) Combat Glider Training Program. In 1948, the city regained control of the airport and a new terminal building opened north of this building in 1950.
Recorded Texas Historical Landmark
Erected 2014 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17972.)
Location. 33° 39.362′ N, 101° 50.079′ W. Marker is in Lubbock, Texas, in Lubbock County. It is on North Cedar Avenue, on the right when traveling north. North Cedar Avenue is accessed
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, June 9, 2017
2. Original Lubbock Municipal Airport Marker
from Interstate 27 exit 9. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6004 North Cedar Avenue, Lubbock TX 79403, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Texas’ South Plains. It is also on the American Great Plains, specifically on the Southern Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2017, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 689 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 29, 2017, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.
