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Kingman airport tower on federal register; airport manager details history and preservation needs
Summary
Airport Manager Doug Breckenridge told the Heritage Preservation Commission that the Kingman Army Air Forces Flexible Gunnery School radio/air-traffic-control tower, erected in 1943 and listed on the federal register, is no longer in operational use but is being preserved and documented for future grant-funded maintenance and a nearby museum.
Airport Manager Doug Breckenridge told the Heritage Preservation Commission on May 26 that Kingman’s historic air-traffic-control tower was erected in 1943, is listed in the federal register, and remains an important preserved artifact though it is no longer used in flight operations.
"It was placed there on purpose," Breckenridge said, describing the tower’s siting at the center of the airfield and explaining that a steel tower was purchased, built in April and erected in 1943. He said the cab measures roughly 14 by 14 feet, the tower stands about 54 feet tall, and the original construction cost in 1943 was $5,400.
Breckenridge described the tower’s wartime role: the base hosted hundreds of aviators and flexible gunnery training beginning in 1942–43; he also noted an unusual episode when, during the 1940s, "we actually had Chinese Air Force that was coming out here and actually training here in Kingman."
The manager said the tower was nominated to the federal register in late 1998 and that state and national preservation listings now recognize the structure. He said the tower is used as a visual reference during environmental assessments: "every single time I do an environmental assessment on the airport, I have to take a picture of the work site with the air traffic control tower in the background," a practice required by federal agencies.
Breckenridge told commissioners the tower is functionally obsolete for modern air operations and therefore is not funded for active control uses; he said the city aims to preserve the structure and will seek grants and other funding for repairs such as window security and floor work when those needs are scheduled. He also noted plans to locate a museum adjacent to the tower to leverage its historic role: the museum is expected to occupy a 1942-style hangar adjacent to the tower and terminal area.
The presentation closed with Breckenridge saying the city and Mohave County have worked to maintain the tower while many similar military-built towers around the country were demolished. No formal action was requested or taken on the tower during the meeting.
