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Commission unanimously recommends Bullock Field Navy Hangar for National Register nomination
Summary
The commission voted unanimously to recommend local designation and listing of the World War II-era Bullock Field Navy Hangar to the National Register of Historic Places, following a Broadbent Associates presentation that highlighted the hangar's military association and architectural significance.
The Boulder City Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended to the City Council that the Bullock Field Navy Hangar be locally designated as individually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Matthew Johns, project historian with Broadbent Associates, presented an intensive-level survey and nomination materials on Sept. 24. He summarized the hangar’s 1941 construction and wartime role, noting its association with nationwide military mobilization and its retention of significant architectural characteristics despite loss of some window glass and changes to setting. "We do recommend the hanger itself as individually eligible under criterion A for military association and criterion C for architectural characteristics," Johns said.
Johns outlined the hangar’s original components — a steel-frame hangar, fuel-storage tank, a small wood comfort building and apron — and described later changes including removal of the comfort building and encroaching modern development. He noted Broadbent interviewed Khan scholars who agreed the hangar is consistent with smaller designs attributed to Albert Kahn Associates, though definitive documentation is lacking.
Public commenters supported designation and potential adaptive reuse. Brandon Smith called the hangar a "monumentally cool building" and urged the city to prioritize its reuse for public events rather than continued storage. Staff and consultant Courtney Mooney said designation would not preclude future operational uses such as a veterans museum; Mooney stated, "The designation will not have an impact on that — that's an operational question."
The commission moved and voted to recommend approval of the nomination to the City Council, with the motion recorded as approved unanimously. The recommendation sends the nomination forward for the city’s formal action and any subsequent National Register processing.
Next steps: the nomination will be transmitted to City Council for local designation consideration and the city will continue to coordinate on potential adaptive reuse and preservation planning for the site.
