Kansas Aviation Museum facts for kids
Southeast side of building
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| Former name | Wichita Municipal Airport |
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| Established | April 19, 1991 |
| Location | 3350 George Washington Blvd Wichita, Kansas 67210 USA |
| Type | Aviation Museum |
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Administration Building
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| Location | McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kansas |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Architect | Glen H. Thomas |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000908 |
| Added to NRHP | June 11, 1990 |
The Kansas Aviation Museum is a cool place in Wichita, Kansas, where you can explore the exciting world of airplanes! It's located near 31st South and George Washington Blvd. The museum building itself is historic. It used to be the main terminal for the Wichita Municipal Airport from 1935 to 1954.
Inside and outside the museum, you'll find many amazing aircraft. Some of the planes on display include the WB-47E Stratojet, B-52D Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, Boeing 727, Boeing 737-2H4, and a Learjet 23. There are also older planes like the 1920 Laird Swallow and a 1944 Beech Staggerwing.
The museum building is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It was listed as the Administration Building and was also known as Building One.
Contents
Aviation History in Wichita
Building the Airport Terminal
The Kansas Aviation Museum is housed in the old terminal building of the Wichita Municipal Airport. This area was once open land that had never been plowed. In 1928, the city bought about 640 acres (2.6 km²) for the airport.
Construction on the terminal building started on July 1, 1930. However, work quickly stopped because of the Great Depression. There wasn't enough money to finish it. Luckily, construction started again in 1933 as part of a WPA project. The WPA (Works Progress Administration) was a government program that created jobs during the Depression. The airport officially opened on Sunday, March 31, 1935. Later, in the late 1930s, the runways were paved, also as a WPA project.
A Busy Hub for Travelers
Back then, Wichita was a very important stop for airplanes. It was the last stop before planes flew over the Rocky Mountains to places like Denver or Los Angeles. Pilots really needed to refuel and get weather updates here.
Many famous people visited the airport. Legends from industry and film, like Fred Astaire, Bob Hope, and Howard Hughes, all walked on the shiny terrazzo floors. People even called it the "Country Club without dues." During hot summer nights in the 1930s, families would come to the airport. They would spread out blankets, enjoy the cool breezes, and watch planes take off and land. The building is about 75 feet (23 m) higher than downtown, so it always had a nice breeze.
World War II and Beyond
During World War II, the Wichita airport became incredibly busy. It was the fourth busiest airport in the United States! This was because it was a convenient stop in the middle of the country. Also, tens of thousands of aircraft were being built and tested in Wichita for the war effort. To handle all the activity, additions were built on the east and west ends of the terminal in 1942 and 1943. The top part of the control tower was added in 1940. It was special because it was the first control tower to have slanted windows.
After World War II, the U.S. Air Force decided they needed a central air base in Kansas. This base would become McConnell Air Force Base. The Air Force wanted a base quickly, so they didn't want to spend years building a new one.
From Airport to Museum
In 1951, the Air Force and the City of Wichita agreed on a price, and the building was sold to the government. The city then bought land on the west side of Wichita to build a new municipal airport. Both civilian and military flights shared the old airport until October 1954. That's when the last commercial flight took off from the historic terminal.
The Air Force continued to use the building, calling it "Building One," until about 1984. Then, they closed it down and left it empty for about six years. In 1990, the Kansas Aviation Museum was formed and began working to restore the building. An application to place the building on the Historic Register was approved. The outside of the building has been mostly restored to look like it did in 1935.
In 2019, the museum made more improvements. New exterior doors were installed, and the control tower glass was replaced. These projects helped the building work better while keeping its historical look.
Art Deco Design
The museum building is a great example of Art Deco architecture. This style uses strong, clear geometric shapes and sharp angles. Above the main entrance, you can see a famous bas-relief sculpture. A bas-relief is a type of sculpture where the figures are raised or sunken, not flat. This one shows the Spirit of St. Louis airplane crossing the Atlantic Ocean with Ireland in sight. The sculpture was made using a material called Carthalite. This material is a special concrete with colored glass, which helps it last a long time and keep its vibrant colors.
Visiting the Museum
The Kansas Aviation Museum is one of the few museums that lets visitors go inside some of its exhibition aircraft. This means you can actually step into some of the planes! The museum also hosts a special event once a year called "Play on a Plane Day."
Gallery
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Kansas Aviation Museum looking southeast.
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Art Deco brick inset.
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Art Deco railing.
See also
- Cosmosphere in Hutchinson
- Combat Air Museum in Topeka
- Mid-America Air Museum in Liberal
- Kansas World War II army airfields
- List of aerospace museums
- List of museums in Kansas
