Coast Guard Air Station Dinner Key facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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United States Coast Guard Air Station Hangar at Dinner Key
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Side and end of the hangar
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 Location in Florida
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| Built | 1917 |
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| Architect | United States Coast Guard; Fred Howland |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival/Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001535 |
| Added to NRHP | February 20, 1975 |
Coast Guard Air Station Dinner Key was a special place where the United States Coast Guard used to operate. It was located in Dinner Key, a part of Miami, Florida. This important facility was built right next to the International Pan American Airport.
Contents
History of Dinner Key Air Station
In 1917, during World War I, the United States Navy set up a base called a Naval Air Station at Dinner Key. This base was a big deal! It was the second largest naval air facility in the whole U.S.
Its main job was to train pilots to fly seaplanes. These are special planes that can land on and take off from water. A person named Lieutenant Commander Marc Mitscher was in charge of this station.
After World War I and Pan Am
The Naval Air Station closed down soon after World War I ended. But the site didn't stay empty for long. Later, a famous airline called Pan American World Airways (or Pan Am) built an airport there.
World War II and the Coast Guard
During World War II, the Navy took over the site again. They used it from 1943 to 1945.
The United States Coast Guard also had its own air station at Dinner Key. They operated there for many years, from 1932 until 1965. In 1965, their operations moved to a new place called Coast Guard Air Station Miami at Opa-locka Airport.
Becoming Historic Places
Some of the old buildings from the station are now considered very important. The former barracks (where soldiers slept) and the mess hall (where they ate) were added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 1995. This is a list of places in the U.S. that are worth preserving because of their history.
Later, on December 19, 2002, the main hangar building of the US Coast Guard Air Station at Dinner Key was also added to this special list.
