It was on this day in 1939 that La Guardia opened up for commercial flights in 1939. A few years earlier, Mayor of New York, Fiorella La Guardia had landed at the airport in New Jersey. Reportedly, La Guardia refused to get off the plane because his ticket said New York and he said this aint New York. Supposedly to humor the man, the aircraft found a field in New York in which to land. This was part of a promotional stunt that La Guardia had devised as he was lobbying for an airport to be built closer to Manhattan. The Works Public Authority from the Depression era Roosevelt programs built much of the airport from land that La Guardia purchased in Flushing Queens. The acreage wasnt quite enough (558), so the project expanded filling in with metal work and fill from Rikers Island. The metal raises havoc with navigational equipment, so beware of taking off or landing on Runway 13. Part of the project also called for a circular mural depicting the history of flight that was done by artist James Brooks, which was completed in 1942. Ten years later amid the Cold War Era, the mural was ordered to be painted over because it was too soft on Communism. It has since been restored and rededicated in 1980. La Guardia was a revolutionary airport when it opened up. It was two-stories: one level for incoming passengers, and another for departing flyers. Much of the design was the popular Art Deco of the period. It boasted shops where passengers had a choice of three restaurants, a florist, a bank, a beauty salon, and a brokerage firm. It also boasted a Skywalk which cost a dime. The first commercial plane to land was from Chicago, a TWA DC-3.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 11:21:50 +0000
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