It's the Building!

Although Wichita's aviation community had claimed the title of "Air Capital" as early as 1928 (a year memorialized by Travel Air), by the end of the war in 1945, the Wichita Municipal Airport was one of the five most active airports in the country with a landing or take-off every minute, 24 hours a day.

photo ©2002 Eaglecliff/Yarnell

Charles Lindbergh was instrumental in the decision to build the new terminal building. The new facility would allow Wichita to be a favored competitor in locating stops for Lindbergh's TAT air service.

Transcontinental Air Transport Company (TAT) inaugurated coast-to-coast air-and-rail-combination service on a route which included Wichita, as laid out by Col. Charles Lindbergh, an employee and stockholder (stock was part of hire-on deal). The route from New York to Los Angeles (Glendale) via Wichita, Kansas, became known as 'The Lindbergh Line.'

A cast stone bas-relief mural of Lindbergh's famous solo transcontinental flight hangs over the entrance to the building as a tribute. The panel is 37 feet long, 5 inches thick, and weighs 11,500 pounds. The permanent rich colors on the panel are natural-colored aggregate from all parts of the Unites States and some foreign countries. The only color that could not be found in stone was the dark cobalt blue of the ocean. That part of the panel was made from crushed Mentholatum jars.

37 Foot Wide Cast Stone Mural of Lindbergh's Solo Transatlantic Flight
Crowns Entrance to Art Deco Airport Terminal Building. This unique Lindbergh
art panel is without rival anywhere in the world.

Major Carriers Served Wichita

This building served the needs of Braniff, Continental, and TWA, as well as the needs of general aviation from 1935 to 1954.

During World War II, the building was occupied by the United States Army, housing the largest procurement division in the country. The Army doubled the size of the building, added the control tower, and paved five runways. The control tower replaced the portable tower which was rolled from end to end of the field as the wind changed.

One of the Most Active US Airports

The large open area inside the front door was the waiting area for departing passengers and people waiting on the arrival of a flight. The ticket counters were around the outside perimeter of the atrium. Passengers would wait in the open area until their flight was called, and then proceed down the east stairs to the ramp area. The balance of the building contained a cafeteria, meeting rooms, and offices.

The ceiling above the south end of the atrium has the best preserved stenciling that was originally used throughout the area. A compass rose of multi-colored terrazzo chips imbedded in the lobby floor creates an almost 3-dimensional aspect of enduring beauty, even more so when viewed from the balcony.

photo ©2002 Eaglecliff/Yarnell

                                                              archive photo used with permission

Passengers would wait in the open area until their flight was called, and then proceed down the east stairs to the ramp area. Notice the stenciled rafters and chandeliers. The glass chandeliers are intact, but in protective storage awaiting the next phase of decorative restoration.

During the 1930s and 1940s, chairs and benches were located near the atrium railing so people could watch the passengers walk up the south stairs.

Many movie stars came through Wichita during that period. Fred Astaire once did a dance routine to entertain those watching from the balcony.

The west end of the third floor contained apartments for the flight crews and the airport manager. Very little restoration has been done in that area. The north end of the third floor contained observation windows which provided a view onto the ramp. From the third floor atrium balcony, you can gaze down upon an exquisite and accurate compass rose worked expertly into the terrazo tile of the main floor. Another practical work of art so indiciative of the Art Deco movement in vogue when this building was designed.

Although windows were closed-in when the mechanical equipment and storage room was added to the outside of the building. Future renovation will include the removal of the outside mechanical room addition and the restoration of the viewing windows and observaton deck.

The east end of the third floor contained the CAA, formerly Civil Air Authority, now named the FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, offices and the U.S. Weather Bureau offices.

1941 Control Tower

The control tower was dedicated in 1941. The original control tower was just a room with windows and was located just below the more familiar looking tower cab. Looking west from the control tower, past the terminal chimney, the brownstone-with-blue trim building of the original Stearman Airplane Co. plant stands legacy to Wichita's contemporary Boeing plant, and is still in use by Boeing.

photo ©2002 Eaglecliff/Yarnell

The control tower is open for public tours during regular museum hours. Contact the Kansas Aviation Museum for tour information.