Home > California > Novato > Hamilton Field, Hangar No. 9 & Air Corps Shop, Northwest end of Hangar Avenue, Novato, Marin County, CA
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Item Title
Hamilton Field, Hangar No. 9 & Air Corps Shop, Northwest end of Hangar Avenue, Novato, Marin County, CA
LocationNorthwest end of Hangar Avenue,
Novato, CA
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Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1933.
Notes
Survey number HABS CA-2398-F
Significance: Hamilton Field was constructed as a bombardment base and headquarters of the 1st Wing of the Air Force, one of only three wings in the nation. Conceived at a time when aviation was rapidly developing, the base was assigned the mission of defending the entire western United States, a role it maintained until 1940. Hamilton also played a significant role in national defense and training during World War II, when it served as one of the three major bases of the west coast wing of the Air Transport Command's Pacific Division and parent group of the Operational Training Unit Program, a role critical to the war effort in the Pacific. Hamilton represented a significant departure from accepted Army base architectural style and layout. The carefully planned landscaping that incorporated natural oak groves, knolls, and hills, the cohesive design of all buildings in a Spanish Eclectic style, and the conception of an Army base as a planned community were creative and daring innovations. In contrast to the careful planning evident in the original layout, the temporary buildings constructed during World War II seem to have been built wherever there was room, and project a feeling of haste and frenzy that accompanied activities during the war. This facility, finished in July of 1933, was the first of the air hangar facilities to be completed. This hangar was used for storage, maintenance, and repair of various aircraft. This building is an example of the application of an important architectural trend (Spanish Colonial Revival) adapted to reflect California's Mission heritage in a departure from traditional military architecture.
Collection
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
NORTHWEST ELEVATION, HANGAR NO. 9
AIR FORCE SHOPS, NORTHWEST ELEVATION
NORTHEAST ELEVATION
PARTIAL SOUTHWEST ELEVATION, NORTHWEST PART
PARTIAL SOUTHWEST ELEVATION, SOUTHEAST PART
INTERIOR, AIR FORCE SHOPS, LOOKING TO NORTH CORNER
AIR FORCE SHOPS, OVERALL INTERIOR, LOOKING SOUTH
AIR FORCE SHOPS, INTERIOR LOOKING TO NORTHWEST
SHOP AREAS ALONG NORTHEAST WALL, SHOWING SINK
DETAIL, INTERIOR NORTH SLIDING DOORS
AIR FORCE SHOPS, SECTION OF ROLLING NORTHWEST FRONT
LARGE CIRCULAR WASH BASIN
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