BGuthrie Photos: VA -- National Airport (DCA) -- Exhibit: History Gallery

VA -- National Airport (DCA) -- Exhibit: History Gallery:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. DCAHIS_040707_002.JPG: 1938. Before National -- Washington's First Airports Prior to the construction of Washington National Airport in 1940, the Washington region was served by Washington-Hoover Airport. This airport had been formed through the 1930 merger of two smaller airports, Hoover Airport and Washington Airport and is [sic] situated near the location of the present day Pentagon. Despite the merger, the new airport did not provide adequate air transportation facilities. High tension wires from the bordering US Highway 1, nearby smokestacks, and a military roadway that intersected the runway posed hazards during landings and takeoffs. Date of Photo: Circa 1938
2. DCAHIS_040707_005.JPG: 1938 (airport plans superimposed). New Airport Site Finally Selected Between 1926 and 1938, Congress debate the need for a new airport with no satisfactory resolution. One obstacle was a clause in the Air Commerce Act that limited federal involvement in the development of airports, rendering Presidents Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt powerless to initiate action. The impasse ended with the passage of the Civil Aeronautics [misspelled "Aeronatuics" on sign] Act of 1938, that permitted federal development of airports under the aegis of the Civil Aeronautics Authority, later to become the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA). On September 27, 1938, President Roosevelt approved plans for Washington National Airport to be built on the 730-acre site at Gravelly Point on the Potomac River. Given the lack of open land in the vicinity of the Capitol, it was decided it would be less expensive to make land (by filling the shallows of the Potomac River) then to purchase enough land for the new airport. As the proposed airport would be built over a section of the George Washington Parkway, the parkway had to be relocated to the airports' western boundary. Date of Photo: Early-mid 1938
3. DCAHIS_040707_008.JPG: 1939. National Rises from the Potomac The construction of the airfield was a remarkable feat of engineering. A massive earthen levee was constructed around a 500-acre area of Potomac shallows. Four of the world's largest and most powerful dredges pumped over 18 million cubic yards of hydraulic fill to form the airfield. The cornerstone for the terminal was laid on September 26, 1940, and construction of the Main Terminal, four runways, and the South Hangar Line was begun. The Airport opened on July 16, 1941, with President Roosevelt in attendance and the landing of a commercial airliner carrying the Secretary of Commerce and other officials. It was the first commercial airport in the United States to be federal owned and constructed. Date of Photo: 1939
4. DCAHIS_040707_014.JPG: 1943. Washington National -- "The People's Airport" The state-of-the-art Main Terminal was planned to accommodate spectators and passengers alike, at a time when air travel was still novel. While specifically designed to recall Virginia colonial architecture, especially Mount Vernon, the Main Terminal at National was articulated in the more modern Art Deco style. The Main Terminal, originally 540 feet in length, formed the center of the airport complex and formed an arc around the central traffic circle. Within one year of its opening in 1941, Washington National was the second busiest U.S. airport in number of scheduled air operations. Date of Photo: May 18, 1943 Aircraft Operations per year: 93,000
5. DCAHIS_040707_019.JPG: 1948. National Goes to War During World War II, an Air Transport Command (ATC) base was constructed by the Army to the north of the Main Terminal. The ATC terminal was planned to handle military, international, diplomatic, war-wounded, and other priority passengers, as well as cargo and mail. The ATC hangar was constructed on the north end of the Airport to provide a work area where transient military aircraft from the battlefronts of the war could receive routine and emergency servicing. It was a type of portable hangar, pioneered by the Army for its demountable characteristics. With the dramatic rise in commercial air travel following World War II, the ATC base gradually came under the jurisdiction of the CAA, eventually becoming the Commuter Aviation/General Aviation Terminals complex. In 1947-1948, Hangar No. 7 on the south end of the South Hangar Line (occupied by American Airlines), and Hangar Nos. 8 and 9 at the north end, and the Airport's first In-Flight Commissary were built. Date of Photo: May 1948 Aircraft Operations per year: 160,000
6. DCAHIS_040707_023.JPG: 1959. Commercial Air Travel Takes Off In 1949, Hangars 11 and 12 were built, completing the North Hangar Line and in 1950, an addition to the Main Terminal extended the curved building 297 feet to the south. Washington National Airport continued to be cramped for space, and additions and extensions occurred periodically. In 1955, the South Finger was added and in 1958, the North Terminal opened for business. In 1955, Capital Airlines (formerly Pennsylvania-Central Airlines) introduced the use of jet-powered planes (the Vickers Viscount turboprop) for commercial traffic in the United States out of Washington National Airport. In order to support Capital's fleet, which was expanding rapidly as the popularity of jet flight increased, a Jet Engine Test Cell (probably the first structure built in the United States to service commercial jet-powered aircraft) was built on National's south shoreline. The first turbojet or pure jet operations went into effect at National in the fall of 1958 with the introduction of large, four-engine, long-haul aircraft. However, in 1959, because of extensive noise, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned all turbojet operations at National (turboprop aircraft were still permitted). Date of Photo: May 5, 1959 Aircraft Operations per year: 309,000 Passengers per year: 5,006,000
7. DCAHIS_040707_027.JPG: 1967. National in the '60s Improvements continued at the airport with the expansion of ramp area and construction of Taxiway "1" in 1960, followed by Taxiways "C", "D", and "H". An enclosed passageway to connect the Main Terminal and North Terminal was constructed in 1961 and the East Baggage Room was completed in 1962. Also in 1962, an airport waste segregation and collection system was installed followed, in 1964, by an industrial Waste Treatment Plant. Taxiways "C","D", and "H" were also constructed, along with a new Air Cargo Building and the expansion of aircraft parking. In 1965-1966, hold rooms and ticketing facilities for Eastern National, United Airlines and Lake Central Airlines were built. Eastern's hold rooms were equipped with seven all-weather boarding ramps. These extendable platforms connected the waiting lounges to the aircraft and were the first covered boarding ramps ever installed at National Airport. In 1963, the FAA lifted the ban on jet operations for corporate aircraft and on April 24, 1966, following the introduction of quieter short- and medium-range jets, the FAA also began to allow airline operation of two- and three-engine jet flights into Washington National. No plane larger than a Boeing 727-100, and no non-stop flights beyond 650 miles from National (except for seven "grandfathered" cities) were allowed. To the east of the airport, construction of Crystal City, a planned community of business, retain and residential housing, had begun. Date of Photo: January 23, 1967 Aircraft Operations per year: 335,000 Passengers per year: 9,400,000
8. DCAHIS_040707_030.JPG: 1971. National Tops 10 Million Passengers The American Airlines terminal was completed in February 1968. Boarding gates were connected to the aircraft with telescoping metal tubes, called "jet bridges". Building of the TWA/Northwest Airlines terminal began in the Spring of 1968 and was completed in 1970. Located at the extreme southern end of the terminal complex, this structure, known as the "banjo," consisted of a 1200-foot-long ramp leading from the ticketing lobby to a domed circular space surrounded by eight boarding gates. In 1968, an attempt to introduce an Airport Master Plan to help guide the growth of facilities at National proved unsuccessful. As a result, individual airlines constructed a patchwork of small-scale holdrooms and other additions. A Commuter Terminal was added and public and crew parking facilities and the Fire Crash House were all expanded. In 1969, Washington National airport was designate a "high-density" airport. Of the 60 operations per hour that were allowed, 40 were allocated to air carriers, 8 for air taxis (commuters), and 12 for General Aviation aircraft. In April 1970, the FAA allowed Boeing 727-200's to operate at National on a temporary basis. Date of Photo: February 11, 1971 Aircraft Operations per year: 330,000 Passengers per year: 10,400,000
9. DCAHIS_040707_035.JPG: 1974. National on the Move -- Metro Arrives Demolition and construction at National in the 1970's greatly altered the appearance of the site and reflected shifting trends in ground transportation. The demolition, circa 1973, of the enormous U.S. Army Air Transport Command facilities, located on the hill north of Abington Research Station, symbolically marked the end of the 30-year military presence at the airport. Metrorail station and track construction began in 1973. In front of the Main Terminal, the interior of the traffic circle was converted into a short-term parking area, with a rerouting of traffic around it. The many bus stops constructed at various points around the airport were intended to encourage the use of intra-airport public transit and to reduce the number of private automobiles and taxis on the airport roads. By 1972, with the completion of the last major addition to the Main Terminal complex -- the Piedmont Terminal, the airport's original bow-shaped plan reached its saturation point and further expansion at both ends of the arched pattern of structures was blocked by the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Date of Photo: April 17, 1974 Aircraft Operations per year: 312,000 Passengers per year: 11,700,000
10. DCAHIS_040707_039.JPG: 1979. National Tops 15 Million Passengers Between 1974 and 1976, the Federal Aviation Administration undertook a "Bicentennial Improvement Program" at National that included numerous renovations to passenger and service facilities. Metrorail service to the airport began in July 1977. Traffic circle modernization in front of the Main Terminal was completed adding 116 new short-term parking spaces and providing a new one-way road system to assist the flow of traffic. Between 1974 and 1979, few other external changes took place at the airport. Public parking was expanded, the West Sewage Pump Building was constructed, the Warehouse East facility was completed, and runways 15/33 and 3/21 were overlaid. Date of Photo: July 7, 1979 Aircraft Operations per year: 352,000 Passengers per year: 15,134,000
11. DCAHIS_040707_045.JPG: 1984. Deregulation Comes to National Relatively little construction took place in the 1980's, reflecting the dense usage of the site and foreshadowing plans to redevelop the airport according to a comprehensive long-range plan. New building included the Crash, Fire, and Rescue Facility, which opened in 1982 on the southern portion of the airfield. Additional car rental facilities were built on the hill to the west of the Metrorail tracks and station and an additional 550 feet of landfill was added to the north end of the main runway in 1984, providing a runway over-run area. But while little construction was taking place on the airport, huge changes were taking place within the airline industry significantly affecting operations at National. Following the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the introduction of new airlines and merger or sharing agreements between existing airlines began to take place at a furious pace. Date of Photo: March 26, 1984 Aircraft Operations per year: 338,000 Passengers per year: 14, 843,000
12. DCAHIS_040707_051.JPG: 1991. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Takes Charge On June 7, 1987. the Federal government turned over the operating responsibility for Washington National and Washington Dulles International Airports to the newly formed Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. It is a self-funded regional entity governed by a board of directors representing Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the United States. Immediately following the turnover, the Airports Authority issued revenue bonds to fund a long-awaited $2 billion Capital Development Program (CDP) to improve facilities at National and begin an expansion program at Dulles. Because space at National was very limited, careful planning would have to allow the airport to continue serving 15 million passengers a year and over 50,000 vehicles a day while completely rebuilding the airport. Step one at National took taxis off of congested roadways by demolishing Hangar 1 and building a 500-space Taxi Parking Garage. General Aviation operations moved into Hangar 7 on the South Hanger Line and the old GA terminal was demolished. Hanger 11, on the North Hanger Line, was converted into an "Interim Terminal" to allow USAir to move out of the old North Terminal. (Three additional gates were later added to house Delta Airlines.) New remote lots were built or expanded to provide interim parking while daily lots were demolished to make way for the first structured parking garages at the airport. New roads or roadway changes were timed to open with new facilities. Airfield improvements would not interfere with aircraft operations. Date of Photo: June 14, 1991 Aircraft Operations per year: 293,000 Passengers per year: 15,099,000
13. DCAHIS_040707_057.JPG: 1993. The New National -- Taking Off The Airport's first structured parking garage, Garage A, opened December 14, 1991, with 2,100 spaces for public parking and rental car facilities. The garage was designed to resemble a terraced hillside to allow the facility to better blend into the airport landscape. In 1992, work began on a new 3.4 million gallon fuel farm that would increase the airport's fuel storage capacity from one and half days to four. In 1993, construction began on a new Bus Maintenance Facility, and in 1994, a new Rental Car Service Facility, designed to function with Garage A, was underway. Throughout this time period, phased roadway construction and airfield improvements were taking place as well as various utility and other infrastructure improvements. Date of Photo: July 16, 1993 Aircraft Operations per year: 312,000 Passengers per year: 16,308,000
14. DCAHIS_040707_063.JPG: 1994. The New National -- Underway Excavation, sitework and foundations for the new 35-gate Terminal B/C began in the fall of 1993. Designed by notable architect Cesar Pelli, the new terminal will consolidate the majority of airline operations at National Airport. It will encompass over one million square feet with a three-level main concourse that would run north and south, and three piers, perpendicular to the main concourse, to house airline hold rooms and gates. It will be connected to Metrorail and to the second structured parking garage by pedestrian bridges equipped with moving sidewalks. This dramatic domed terminal will forever change the face of National Airport. Work has also begun on a new Boiler/Chiller Plant that will provide for the heating and air conditioning needs of a majority of the airport, including the new terminal. The new Fuel Farm is now in operation and the old fuel farm undergoes a systematic demolition. Date of Photo: October 7, 1994 Aircraft Operations per year: 307,000 Passengers per year: 15,701,000
15. DCAHIS_040707_069.JPG: 1995. The New National -- On Course The footprint of Terminal B/C takes shape with the majority of steel in place and airfield apron paving has also begun. Construction for the new elevated roadway in front of the facility, is also well underway. Five lanes will be constructed on the upper -- Ticketing Level -- roadway for the convenience of those dropping off departing passengers. Below, on the Baggage Claim Level roadway, eight lanes will accommodate the commercial and private ground transportation needs of passengers arriving in the Metropolitan Washington area. Construction on Parking Garage B/C is also underway. The five-level garage will provide an additional 4,200 close-in parking spaces and will be connected to Terminal B/C by environmentally-controlled pedestrian bridges, equipped with moving sidewalks. For the first time at National, passengers will be able to park and walk leisurely to their airline gates, protected from weather and busy traffic. A covered walkway will also connect Garage A to Garage B/C. Date of Photo: October 17, 1995 Aircraft Operations per year: 305,000 Passengers per year: 15,506,000
16. DCAHIS_040707_073.JPG: 1997. The New Terminal -- On Approach "The character of the aesthetic of airports from the air is not often considered and this is extremely important," said architect Cesar Pelli. Careful consideration was given to this important design derail for Terminal B/C at National. The Terminal's distinctive profile comes from roof domes clad in stainless steel. They give the airport an identity that is classically modern, instantly memorable, and visually distinct from any viewpoint. Interior fit-out of the new terminal continues apace, including a fully integrated architectural enhancement program. The Connector, which will join new terminal to old, nears completion. A new Metro Farecard Plaza is being constructed to the north of the old, to better serve travelers using Terminal C, and Garage B/C nears completion. Work has begun on the restoration of historic Abingdon Plantation site located on a hill between Garage A and Garage B/C. Amongst other notables, Abington Plantation was once the home of Nellie Custis, grandchild of George Washington. Date of Photo: February 10, 1997 Aircraft Operations per year: 305,000 Passengers per year: 15,907,000
17. DCAHIS_040707_080.JPG: 1998. Welcome to the New National On July 27, 1997, the first 24-gates of new Terminal B/C at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport opened for business. After US Airways and Delta Airlines moved their operations into the new terminal, the Interim Terminal was closed, clearing the way for the completion of the far north and south gates of Terminal B/C. The Connector, containing four airline gates and joining Terminal B/C to Terminal A, was completed. Today, Terminal B/C operates smoothly, providing an efficient, aesthetically pleasing, convenient and passenger-friendly environment for passengers departing from and arriving at our Nation's Capital. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has now turned its attention to the renovation of historic Terminal A. Much has already been accomplished, including the removal of old appendages, the restoration of the original exterior facades and the rehabilitation of several of the original building's facilities. Ultimately, Terminal A will continue to serve the public as a fully-functional airline terminal, with great attention given to maintaining the integrity of the design of this historic facility. Date of Photo: July 18, 1998 Aircraft Operations per year: 297,093 Passengers per year: 15,970,000
18. DCAHIS_040707_093.JPG: 2005. Finishing Touches "Restore National Airport's historic Terminal A to fully functional airline terminal." That is the goal of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority as it brings architects, engineers, historic preservation specialists, and the airlines together to plan for this facility's future. Careful attention is being paid to ensure that what is original to the building is retained and any changes that must take place to develop an efficient and safe facility are respectful of the original design intent -- the essence -- of the building. (The "footprint" of the proposed facility restoration has been added to the photograph above.) This design approach has already resulted in the sensitive restoration and adaptive reuse of several areas within the building. The old Post Office Lobby has found new operational life as the airport's Pass and ID office, the President's Suite now serves as a much needed conference room, and the original Dining Room was divided into two functional areas. One half houses Continental Airlines' President's Club and the other a public Exhibit Hall detailing the long rich history of the airport and the land upon which it was built. (The Exhibit Hall is located to the right at the top of the Grand Staircase.) Also visible in the photograph above is the new southbound entrance road to National as well as two new bridges that were constructed on the Mt. Vernon Trail to safely separate trail users from vehicular traffic. And, finally, not visible in this photograph is a new pedestrian tunnel that will connect Parking Garage A to the restored Terminal A. It will be equipped with moving sidewalks and will allow passengers to walk, in comfort, between the Terminal and their vehicles. Date of Photo: Circa 2005 (This photograph has been retouched to indicate projects that are currently underway or in design.)
19. DCAHIS_040707_124.JPG: This is a 1939 model of the original terminal.
20. DCAHIS_040707_126.JPG: Glass Balustrade Rediscovered in 1997, this glass panel was originally part of the Waiting Room mezzanine balustrade. The etched Art Deco design combined federal symbols, such as an eagle and shield, with the Wright brothers' biplane. The CAA initials refer to the Civil Aeronautics Administration -- the precursor of today's Federal Aviation Administration.
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2004 photos: Equipment this year: I bought two Fujifilm S7000 digital cameras. While they produced excellent images, I found all of the retractable-lens Fuji models had a disturbing tendency to get dust inside the lens. Dark blurs would show up on the images and the camera had to be sent back to the shop in order to get it fixed. I returned one of the cameras when the blurs showed up in the first month. I found myself buying extended warranties on cameras. Trips this year: (1) Margot and I went off to Scotland for a few days, my first time overseas. (2) I went to Hawaii on business (such a deal!) and extended it, spending a week in Hawaii and another in California. (3) I went to Tennessee to man a booth and extended it to go to my third Fan Fair country music festival. Number of photos taken this year: 110,000.
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