Kelly Field Historic District
The Kelly Field Historic District is located in southwestern San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. It is the center portion of the base, east of the runways. The boundaries of the 1600 buildings are Billy Mitchell Road on the north, Wagner on the east, England on the south and S. Frank Luke Drive on the west. The 1700 block of officer quarters are bounded on the north by Chennault Street, the east and south by Chennault Circle, and Van Nostrand Drive on the west. The historic district contains 58 contributing and non-contributing buildings, structures, objects and sites, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[2]
Kelly Field Historic District | |
 Kelly Field Historic District, middle right of the runway | |
  Kelly Field Historic District  Kelly Field Historic District | |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, US |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°22′57″N 98°34′15″W |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000626[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 10, 2003 |
Camp Kelly was established on May 7, 1917 to be a US Army training facility for pilots and support staff during World War I. The first airplanes arrived on April 5, and on April 6 the United States declared war on Germany.[3] The increased training activities necessitated more facilities and the acquisition of additional land. The original field became Kelly Field No. 1. The new facilities became Kelly Field No. 2. Military cut-backs followed the 1918 Armistice with Germany, and the two facilities ceased training pilots but functioned as supply depots. The two fields were re-designated in 1925 as Duncan Field (Kelly No. 1) and Kelly Field (Kelly No. 2).[4] The latter included the Air Service Advanced Flying School where Charles Lindbergh earned his wings,[5] graduating first in his class on March 14, 1925.[6]
In 1926, the Army Air Corps Act authorized a 5-year period of expansion to begin July 1, 1927.[7] As a result, both Kelly No. 1 and No. 2 began being developed as permanent aviator training facilities.[8] During World War II, the facilities were consolidated as San Antonio Air Depot and was the largest maintenance and supply facility in the United States. The property was renamed Kelly Air Force Base after the National Security Act of 1947 established the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the military.[9] Kelly eventually became the largest employer in San Antonio.[8] In 1995, the United States government began realignment of military facilities. Kelly was closed in 2001, partially combined with Lackland Air Force Base. The remainder was taken over by the Greater Kelly Development Authority of the state of Texas and redeveloped as a commercial and military industrial center.[10]
Properties
The development that began between the two world wars, and continued through post-World War II, is the area designated as Kelly Field Historic District.[8]
National Register criteria for which the following properties qualify are two-fold:[2]
- "Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history."
- "Property embodies the distinct characteristic of a type, period, or method of construction or represents a work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction."
The following data is reproduced from Table 1 of NPS Form 10-900 Registration Form dated April 15, 2002. The dates represent the original construction period and subsequent improvements or other alterations to the property.[2]
Contributing
| Number/feature | Significant dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feature A | c.1940 | 237.5 by 1,100 feet (72.4 m × 335.3 m) esplanade along Goodrich and Mabry drives; Irregularly shaped parcels; Triangular intersection islands |
| Feature B | c.1940 | sidewalks |
| Feature C | c.1940 | streets |
| Feature D | c.1940 | landscaping |
| 1607 | 1943 | weather building, storage |
| 1609 | 1942 | Norden bombsight storage |
| 1610 | 1940, 1955, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1980, 1987 | Air Corps operations hangar |
| 1618 | 1937, 1953, 1973 | oil storage, pump station |
| 1625 | 1935,1960s, 1983 | miniature range, air conditioning; built by the Works Progress Administration |
| 1627 | 1942, 1950, 1967, 1981 | photo lab |
| 1632 | 1940, 1950s, 1960s | Quartermaster maintenance |
| 1635 | 1940, 1947, 1968 | signal office, warehouse, Public Affairs Office |
| 1638 | 1941 | water pump house, electric substation |
| 1643 | 1942 | bath house; built by the Works Progress Administration |
| 1644 | 1942 | water filtration building; built by the Works Progress Administration |
| 1645 | 1942 | swimming pool; built by the Works Progress Administration |
| 1650 | 1940, 1950s–1980s | enlisted men's barracks |
| 1676 | 1940, 1950s–1980s | cadet barracks |
| 1680 | 1940, 1943, 1960s–1980s | academic building, Air Depot HQ |
| 1681 | 1940,1971 | NCO quarters |
| 1682 though 1689 | 1940,1973 | NCO quarters |
| 1690 through 1694, 1696 | 1940 | NCO quarters |
| 1750, 1752–1753, 1755, 1757–1758 | 1940,1973 | officer's quarters |
Non contributing
| Number | Significant dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1600 | 1942, 1942, 1967, 1973, 1982 | Norden bombsight repair shop |
| 1611 | 1951 | bus stop |
| 1621 | 1940, 1953, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1989 | Air Corps warehouse |
| 1622 | 1987 | bus stop |
| 1623 | 1942,1966 | Quartermaster vehicle repair |
| 1626 | 1940, 1950s, 1960s, 1971 | Quartermaster warehouse |
| 1628 | 1942,1994 | theater, classrooms |
| 1636 | 1954 | dental clinic, counseling office, housing |
| 1637 | 1981 | Base Exchange |
| 1651 | 1959 | electric substation |
| 1654 | 1955 | baseball diamond |
| 1655 | 1986 | heating plant |
| 1669 | 1977 | chapel |
| 1670 | 1942, 1960s, 1994 | temporary barracks, Judge Advocate |
| 1671 | 1942, 1960s, 1994 | temporary barracks, Judge Advocate |
| 1674 | 1967 | telephone equipment |
| 1697 | 1972 | storage shed |
| 1698 | 1957 | flagpole |
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- "Kelly Field Historic District" (PDF). THC NR Program. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- "A Joint Resolution of April 6, 1917, Public Resolution 65-1, 40 STAT 1, Declaring that a State of War Exists Between the Imperial German Government and the Government and the People of the United States and Making Provision to Prosecute the Same, 04/06/1917". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- "Kelly Field narrative". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- Leatherwood, Art. "Kelly Air Force Base". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- Wagner, Heather Lehr (2003). Charles Lindbergh (Famous Flyers). Chelsea House Publications. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-7910-7212-7.
- "1926 – The U. S. Army Air Corps Act". United States Air Force. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- "Kelly Field Historic District". National Park Service. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- "1943–1947 Struggle for Air Force Independence". United States Air Force. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- Sasser, Chris (February 15, 2012). "Port San Antonio: Not Just Surviving, Thriving". Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Retrieved April 8, 2014.