Administration Building
Wichita Municipal Airport
Aviators began to fly over Wichita’s skies as early as 1908 and the first aviation show was held there in 1911. Clyde and Roy Cessna partnered with Jones Motor Company to begin an aircraft manufacturing company and flight school in 1916. The Laird Airplane Company was among the early manufacturers in the city. By 1929 a quarter of the nation’s aircraft were being produced in Wichita, which had gained the nickname, Air Capital of the World.
The National Air Congress was held in Wichita in 1924. Here more than 100,000 people from Kansas and surrounding states watched the foremost military and civilian pilots participate in races, contests, and exhibitions. The flat unbroken prairie where the congress gathered became the Municipal Airport. A municipal hangar, built of brick and steel in 1929, was the first structure. (This building is no longer standing.) Architect Glen H. Thomas of Wichita was hired to design the administration building in 1929. Charles Lindbergh said the plans showed there was no reason “why Wichita should not continue to be one of the most widely known of air centers.”
The beautiful new administration building opened on March 31, 1935, considered among the finest terminal buildings in the nation. Built at an estimated cost of $25,000, the building also served as headquarters for Transcontinental Air Transport, Western Air Express, and National Air Transportation. This new facility helped secure Wichita’s place as an aeronautics center in the U.S.
The grand Art Deco style airport featured many unique aviation details. One of the more dramatic features on the exterior was a mural designed by L. W. Clapp, a prominent public figure who helped secure Wichita’s place in aviation. The large cast stone mural with colored glass depicted Charles Lindbergh’s flight in the Spirit of St. Louis.
Departing passengers could enter the building through the triple front doors or be dropped off at the entrance on ground floor. Inside, they could see the two-story waiting room richly decorated with mosaic tiles and the beautiful terrazzo floor with inlaid compass. The stylized airplane motif carried throughout the interior decoration. Travelers could dine in the elegant restaurant and watch planes take off or land every 90 seconds. Among the nation’s important aviation hubs, the airport served everyday people along with the rich and famous, Fred Astaire, Jimmy Doolittle, Howard Hughes, Bob Hope, and Harpo Marx, as they made stops during their cross-country flights.
Locals enjoyed a visit to the airport where they could bring lawn chairs and enjoy the airport activities at this “country club without dues.” A hot dog vendor served food while people picnicked and gathered to watch their favorite stars.
By 1940 nearly 1.2 million Americans were traveling by air, many passing through Wichita’s airport. That role began to change during World War II with increased military use and modifications were made to the airport. While a portion of the building was used by the War Production Board, two two-story wings were built on either side of the original central three-story building. Here military workers supervised the Stearman-Boeing Kaydet trainer that was being built across the street. Following the war, the first floor was redone and wood trim on doors, beams, and joists were covered.
The airport was sold to the federal government in 1951 and became McConnell Air Force Base, used primarily to train B-47 crews. All of the non-military traffic was
moved to the new Mid-Continent Airport in 1954. Boeing continued to lease a portion of the building from 1956 to 1963 during production of the B-52. The Tactical Air Command trained F-105 crews here from 1963 to 1971.
The Administration Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and became the Kansas Aviation Museum in 1991.
