Aviation history leads through Leonardo Da Vinci, to the Montgolfier and Wright Brothers. But for real celebrity, in flew Charles A. Lindbergh!
Swords into plowshares
Wartime innovation often fuels civilian uses. The science of flight dramatically accelerated as air power progressed during World War I. Planes became sturdier, safer, and cheaper to build. The war left behind a stock of surplus planes and parts. Pilots fresh from the war loved the thrill flying provided. It was only natural that they looked to commercialize that thrill.
Development of airfields accelerated after the war, when the government got involved in broadening airmail service throughout the country. Plans for a transcontinental system were in place by 1921, and communities scrambled and competed for early build out of the airfields, hangars, and office infrastructure required. It was reminiscent of the fight cities staged for railroad presence half a century earlier. Many towns figured they would capitalize on this next wave instead.
Lindy catalyzes an air rush
Civic boosters aside, Lindbergh’s flight galvanized urban America into a headlong race for air dominance. Like the later interstate highway system, towns and cities wanted to be first with the most, as airplanes would ensure one city’s ascendence over others in the area. For instance, Los Angeles had been debating the necessity of any airport, but went to work on Vail Field almost immediately after Lindbergh’s flight. The nation’s first airport terminal opened at Ford Airport in Detroit the same year. Also in Chicago, a downtown terminal boasted a fireplace, wicker furniture and a restaurant. All this to accommodate people while waiting for a bus to take them out to Midway Airfield, also built in 1927.
Lindbergh, an introvert who never grew comfortable with fame, was only 25 years old when he became Time magazine’s Man Of The Year in 1927. Some aspects of American life grew a little manic upon his one-man conquering of the Atlantic Ocean. Rapid developments in transportation, communications and popular culture led the the S&P 500 to a gain of 34% in 1927, and an additional 43% increase for 1928. We all know where this would lead, but it must have been fun while it lasted.
There were 26 aviation movies filmed between 1927 and 1938. The first Oscar for for best picture was given to “Wings,” starring Clara Bow and Gary Cooper in 1927. The next year, Walt Disney first introduced Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the short animated film “Plane Crazy”.
Franklin W. Dixon, of Hardy Boys fame, turned out a new series, “Ted Scott’s Flying Stories,” that ran until 1943. Jack Hylton’s Orchestra recorded “Me And Jane In A Plane”, and here, Mildred Unger does the Charleston on a plane wing:
There were Lindy Lids:
And the Lindy Hop craze:
And across America towns renamed streets, bridges and schools in honor of the pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis.
Closer to home
In St. Louis itself, there was certainly some pressure to ramp it up a bit. Two months after the famous flight, Oliver Parks founded the first federally approved school of aeronautics (FAA license #1). Parks College went on to train fully 10% of Army Air Corps pilots and thousands of mechanics during World War II.
St. Louis civic leaders were busy too, trying to one up Kansas City. 25,000 showed up to see Lindbergh when he flew to a field downtown. In short order, that city raised a million dollars in bonds to build concrete runways and a $60,000 airport “station”.
But where to build a field to compliment Lambert (founded 1923), but be close to downtown? The Chamber of Commerce and City Hall bent to the task of choosing a site. The process arrived at eight semi-finalists: South Broadway, near Jefferson Barracks, Forest Park, near Merchants Bridge, Gabaret Island, near today’s I-270 into Illinois, North Market Street, Cahokia, Union Station, and our own Lafayette Park.
Lafayette Park received close scrutiny, by virtue of its proximity to the central post office, and 30 acres of city owned real estate. This was a particularly hot topic in August of 1927. To wit:
Winnowing the field
The competition played out as an elimination contest. South Broadway was far from downtown, near the bluffs, so would have to be built on two levels, causing duplication of facilities and driving up the price. Forest Park hosted 3000 baseball players per week on its nine diamonds. At that time there were 35 leagues in the city, all clamoring for more field space. Merchants Bridge, bounded by railroad tracks, would require covering the city’s water storage basins, and would be prone to traffic congestion. Gabaret Island was a long stretch from downtown, and would require changing course of the river, so cost prohibitive. North Market too had railroads to contend with, and land would be the most expensive. Cahokia was great, although it would take nearly as long to drive to from downtown as Lambert Field.
The Union Station scheme may have been the wildest. In order to consolidate mass transit near downtown, it envisioned a cap being built over the existing station and tracks, spreading out across Mill Creek Valley. The specs suggested that it would be 2000 feet wide and 8000 feet long. The city engineer sanely pointed out that at an estimated $6.00 per square foot to erect, the project would cost 96 million dollars.
And Lafayette Square? Only smaller planes could land there and the boundaries of the park precluded future expansion. It would also destroy a beautiful park; and then there’s this:
Conclusion
In the end, Clarence Good, a municipal airport expert from Buffalo, N.Y. and Bud Gurney, pilot, made an aerial reconnaissance of each site, and a final decision. The best place for a downtown airport was on the east side of the Mississippi River, a mile east of the Union Electric Cahokia plant. For the record, land near the Merchants Bridge finished second. They deemed both Union Station and Lafayette Park plans, “impossible”.
On our strolls through the neighborhood, we usually approach the park at ground level and low speed. It still looks great from that perspective, and still impossible as an airfield.
Thanks to research sources, including;
http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Government_Role/airports-growth/POL10.htm
http://kchistory.org/week-kansas-city-history/aviation-takes
St Louis Post-Dispatch articles from August 1, 2 and 5, 1927.
St Louis Star of August 5, 1927
http://www.1920-30.com/aviation
Parks College of Aviation, Engineering and Technology; https://www.slu.edu/parks/
Lindbergh; A. Scott Berg; G.P. Putnam’s Sons; 1998
