| What IS an Aerodrome?
According to Webster's Encyclopedic
Unabridged Dictionary of the English
Language:
1. aero- , a learned borrowing from Greek meaning
"air" used in formation of compound words.
2. aero, (free form) of or for aircraft; of or
pertaining to aeronautics.
-drome, a suffix from Greek, dromos meaning
running, course, race course (example: Hippodrome);
on this model used to refer to other large
structures.
For our purposes, Aerodrome is a poetic word choice from the
Greek for a location for air based --above the earth's
surface-- interests and activities. So Space Port, or Airport, or
Balloon Lauch Facility would all apply.
Wichita's original Municipal Airport Administration and
Terminal Building reflects Art Deco structure typical of
the geometric themes of the Greek revival elements used
by artisans and architects during the Art Deco movement
of the 1920s and '30s.
While Frank Lloyd Wright may have shunned the archetypal
"Art Deco" you see in the myriad interlinking geometric
patterns embossing, adorning, and facing this building,
they reflect similar patterns he used in numerous " Light Screens"
during the period. As Wright had been responsible for
several homes in the Wichita area, it is fitting that
some of his graphic arts would spill into the structure
meant to represent the Wichita that had emerged from the
"cow town" to become a leading center on the cutting edge
of the wondrous new technology of aviation.
This building was designed in 1929, but not completed
until 1935, with a passionate drive from some local leaders,
a little help from local bonds, and the
WPA
(Works Progress Administration), a government program
providing employment during the critically depressed
economic times..
Kansas' rich and continuing aviation heritage is
complimented by Wichita's architectural achievement,
embodied in this building.
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photo ©
Eaglecliff/Yarnell
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| This structure, crowned by a
37 foot cast bas-relief mural honoring
Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight, is a
three-story Art Deco style architectural
prize from the 1920's and 30's. Already on
the National Register of Historic Places, we
enthusiasts are working toward designation by
the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a
National Landmark. |
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The former Wichita Air Terminal
Building, now the home of the Kansas
Aviation Museum, is a monument to the
passions of early aviators, and the public
willing to participate in commercial
aviation. It was the focus of Wichita's
commitment to a fledgling industry that
would completely change our society's
perception of distance and travel. That
commitment enabled Wichita's aviation
companies to produce most of the free
world's single-engine aircraft, thus
earning the city the title "Air Capital
of the World."
Now listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, design of this
building was begun in 1929, with construction
completed in 1934 and dedication in
1935. An architectural treasure, this art
deco structure complemented by an abundance of
aviation related motifs, has enjoyed compliments
from visitors and fans throughout the world.
During the years the building served as the
Wichita Municipal Airport terminal building,
the halls and stairways were graced by travelers
of film, music, business, and political fame.
The elegant atrium served visitors and traveling
locals from 1935 to 1954 as commercial air transportation
transformed business and family travel in the United States.
Charlie's Friends/
cpr would like to see the facility returned to
a usage more in keeping with the original use standards of
the building: meeting rooms, offices, a coffee shop/cafeteria comparable
to the Dobbs House services in the original use of the building.
This would be a change from having displays of aircraft engines and
partically restored aircraft, and fully restored aircraft housed inside
a former office building (in the main access areas), and
storage, workspace for structures, assembly and painting in areas
which could be made to accomodate a more refined tenancy comparable
to the office space rented to early tenants.
We would want to keep the facility open for organization and
youth meeting space, program space, an aviation literature reading room,
and to provide workshops, tours, and reinactments in the evenings and on
Sunday afternoons.
High quality reinactments could be performed in an atrium area returned to the
energetic appearance of the forties or fiftees, including airline ticket
counters, an arrival-departure posting board, traveler waiting area,etc.
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Prairie Runways, The History of Wichita's
Original Municipal Airport by Susan
Thompson, published by Air Capital Press, subsidiary of
the Kansas Aviation Museum (KAM), tells the story of this
grand old art deco architectural treasure from its
inception, through the glory days of the Air Capital,
and its later performance for
McConnell Air Force Base, before being left to decay.
This engaging book is a must-have for aviation enthusiasts
and history buffs alike. You can purchase yours on location
from the KAM. Cover depictions of the book are ©1999 Air Capital Press.
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| Enjoy an Illustrated
Article by enthusiasts David Dewhirst and
Maribeth Yarnell for more details and great photos
of the Aerodrome Building. |
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