Tinker AFB Historic Buildings

Tinker AFB Historic Buildings. . Oklahoma City Air Depot began operations just east of Oklahoma City in 1942 as part of the preparations for World War II. The facility was designed to build large quantities of aircraft and support aircraft repair and maintenance. In late 1942, the airfield was renamed Tinker Field. It was named in honor of native Oklahoman and member of the Osage Nation, Maj. Gen. Clarence J. Tinker, who lost his life leading a bombing flight against Japanese forces in the Pacific earlier that year. Throughout World War II, workers at Tinker maintained, repaired, and modified B-17, B-24, and B-29 bombers. At the height of the war the air depot employed 13,500 people, nearly half of them women. After the war and the creation of the Department of the Air Force in 1947, the facility was named Tinker Air Force Base. Today, Tinker continues to provide support and maintenance for critical Air Force assets. , Building 1 , Building 1, known as the Depot Supply Building, is located along Arnold Street and O Avenue. The Depot Supply Building was constructed in 1942 and housed the first activated division of Tinker AFB. The Depot Supply Building received raw materials for the repair and maintenance of Army and Navy aircraft during World War II, and continues to be used as a supply warehouse for the base. It also houses administrative and training functions. During World War II the building also housed the first base cafeteria. The availability of a hot meal helped the morale of the workers. who no longer needed to bring a sack lunch for the long working days needed to construct the building and make repairs during wartime. The Depot Supply Building originally received shipments by rail. There are tracks and a platform dock for unloading rail cars on the inside of the "U" of the building. During World War II, the building was left intentionally unfinished to accommodate the passing of the railroad beneath, although the original plans show it enclosed as it now appears. After World War II, the building was finished to the plan specifications. , Building 240 , Building 240, known as the Flight Test Hangar/Base Operations Building, is located at the corner of 1st Street and Avenue A on the north end of the flight line ramp area. It is a large airplane maintenance and repair hangar facility with space for administration and base operations in the middle bay. Constructed in 1942 as one of the original hangars at the Oklahoma City Air Depot, Building 240 is an example of the International Style of modern architecture. The building was a center of activities and reception area for the Air Depot, because of its location at the intersection of two main runways. Important military and government officials who travel in government aircraft are still received here. Because of the central location of the Oklahoma City Air Depot in the mainland United States, some continental defense functions have been housed in this building. For several years, the two bays have been used for maintenance work on various aircraft. Presently, the bays are used to maintain KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft of foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, and Canada. Tinker AFB Base Operations continues to occupy the building. , Building 208 , Building 208, known as the Steam Plant, is located on the east side of Avenue C south of Arnold Street. The Steam Plant was the first building constructed on the base in 1942. It is an outstanding example of the Modern Movement style of architecture, manifested by the group of industrial buildings built throughout Tinker AFB during World War II. The high glass block windows on all sides of the building are its most distinctive feature. The Steam Plant was the heating source for the original Oklahoma City Air Depot, and it provided forced steam for cleaning tools located inside the Maintenance and Repair Division. The Steam Plant was an important element in the operations of the Oklahoma City Air Depot during World War II and has continually supplied steam for the various production shops and for heating and cooling the buildings in Area A. , Building 230 , Building 230, known as the Airplane Repair Building, is a large military aircraft repair and maintenance facility constructed in 1942. The building has large hangar bays at both ends and three stories of administration and support facilities in the middle portion of the building. It is a fine example of the Modern Movement architectural style used for the earliest group of buildings at the Oklahoma City Air Depot. The hangar was a central repair hangar during World War II, where workers entirely disassembled and reassembled airplanes brought to the depot for repairs. By the end of World War II, the Maintenance Division had repaired 5,391 airplanes, mainly B-17s, B-24s, and B-29 Superfortresses. In July 1976, the 552 AWAC Wing was established. Building 230 became the maintenance hangar for the E-3A aircraft. The 552 AWAC Wing continues to use the building today for maintenance work. , Building 4209 , Building 4209, known as the Combat Control Center, was designed by Holabird-Root-Burgee Architects and Engineers in 1949. It is a modest two-story example of International Style architecture. This modernist style is known for its rectilinear shapes, unornamented surfaces, open interior spaces, and cantilever construction made possible by glass, steel and reinforced concrete. The Combat Control Center has always been a separate command post, which directed military air traffic for the southwestern United States. It also housed a bomber squadron, known as the 32nd Air Division, which was part of the plan to attack Cuba in event of war with Cuba and the Soviet Union. The 32nd Air Division was independent of Tinker AFB Command and received its orders directly from the Pentagon. Today this area is the Engineering Installation Group.