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Preserving, promoting and protecting Utah's
historic built environment since 1966.
<
http://www.utahheritagefoundation.org/>
www.utahheritagefoundation.org
Preservation ENEWSletter
January 8, 2008
If you are not yet a member of our organization, please consider becoming a
member. Online membership now available!
To join, please visit our web site at
<
http://www.utahheritagefoundation.org/join.php>
www.utahheritagefoundation.org/join.php.
Restoring history: Wendover Airfield once was home to 20,000 G.I.s
$450,000 > The money will stabilize the famous hangar that housed the Enola
Gay
Tom Wharton, The Salt Lake Tribune, December 31, 2008
Wendover > The remains of the venerable Wendover Airfield are barely
visible to passengers of thousands of cars that cross the Utah-Nevada border
on Interstate 80 each day.
Some might even dismiss the sight as a mirage in the desert, where
everything appears somewhat surreal.
<
http://www.sltrib.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRela
tionshipId=2247690>
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site297/2008/1229/20081229__Wend
overairfield_1230~13_300.jpgOnly a few history buffs know the role this
desolate base -- once made up of 668 buildings housing 20,000 soldiers --
played in the saga that ended World War II with America's atomic bombing of
Japan.
This is where Col. Paul Tibbetts organized a squadron trained on B-29
bombers including the Enola Gay and the Bockscar, the planes that dropped
the devastating bombs. Wendover's remote geography helped keep the
top-secret mission under wraps.
Now Tooele County and the nonprofit Historic Wendover Airfield
organization are trying to match a $450,000 federal Save America's Treasures
grant to restore the rusting hulk of a hangar that once housed the two
planes that bombed Japan.
"Our vision for this place is to preserve as many of the World War II
buildings as possible," so visitors can get a feeling of what the airfield
was like, said Jim Petersen, Wendover Airport director. "This is the most
original remaining Army Air Corps base : If we had unlimited money, this
would be the Williamsburg, Va., of the Army Air Corps."
Just fewer than 100 of the original buildings remain, and many are in
disrepair.
Work is under way to turn the old officer's club into a community
center, expanded museum and perhaps a cafe. About $300,000 is needed to
complete that project, said Jack Peake, director of the airfield's nonprofit
group, adding he expects about half of the restoration to be completed by
the annual Wendover Air Show next September.
In addition, a new terminal, designed to look like the older World War
II vintage buildings on the flight lines, is scheduled to open in March.
The key to the project, though, is restoring the Enola Gay hangar completed
in February 1945.
The old building these days serves as a quasi storage area. Though the
structure is sound, many of the windows are broken and the wooden sides of
the massive hangar that served as offices or housed equipment are in bad
shape. A dead raven hangs from a piece of netting.
"The foundation and girders are in good shape but the sides of the
building need support," Petersen said. "The metal roof leaks."
The Save America's Treasure grant will be used to "work on the exterior
of the building so there is no further deterioration," he said.
While preservation work proceeds, there is still plenty to see at the base.
A small museum in the base's old operations center enables visitors to
view a video, see a replica of the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima and
view memorabilia on the role the base played in the Manhattan Project.
Visitors can pick up a driving tour brochure of the base that includes a
map explaining the role each building played in the mission. Those who want
more details can sign up with the Intermountain Guide Service for a $25 one-
to two-hour tour of the base, which includes interpretation and a chance to
get to hard-to-find areas such as the cement pits where the 155 prototype
nuclear bombs (they had everything but the nuclear material in them) were
assembled for training.
They also can climb to the top of the control tower for a better view of
the base or tour "The Jailbird," a C-123 cargo plane used as a prop in the
movie "Con Air," much of which was filmed at the base. Other movies filmed
in Wendover or nearby include "Independence Day," the Ang Lee version of
"The Hulk" and "The Core."
The driving tour includes a stop at the old base swimming pool where
Steve Buscemi's character in "Con Air" enjoyed a tea party with a young
girl. Wooden hangars that housed the B-17s and B-24s are also
well-preserved.
One of the newest additions to the base is a F-86L Korean War vintage
fighter plane recently moved from Battle Mountain, Nev., with help from
Young Electric Sign and the Nevada National Guard.
Petersen and Peake would eventually like to have many World War II
vintage planes including a B-29 like the one displayed, though restorations
and acquisitions of the vintage planes can be expensive and difficult.
The Enola Gay is on display at a Smithsonian museum near Washington
Dulles International Airport, while the Bockscar plane is housed at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Trailer houses used by Russian inspectors to make certain Americans were
complying with the SALT treaties and decommissioning nuclear weapons have
even been moved to the airfield, making it possible to see where the atomic
age started and, in some cases, ended, in a single place.
ALSO IN THIS EDITION:
New sounds in an old Murray theater - Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune,
December 31, 2008
HISTORIC BUILDINGS FOR SALE OR LEASE
ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION AROUND THE GLOBE
SAVE THESE DATES FOR UHF EVENTS
NEW FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Utah's National Register is ONLINE!
Utah's National Register of Historic Places nominations have been digitized
and are now online.
The following link is to the National Register search page:
<
http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreghome.do?searchtype=natreghome>
http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreghome.do?searchtype=natreghome
LOCAL ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION
New sounds in an old Murray theater - Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune,
December 31, 2008
<
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11343838?IADID>
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11343838?IADID
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HISTORIC BUILDINGS FOR SALE OR LEASE
(For more information about listing in this section, inquire at
<mailto:enews@???> enews@???.)
A Victorian / Queen Anne home for sale -
3rd Avenue, Salt Lake City
The house has been in the family for four generations and has never been
sold.
Original formal rooms including parlor, library (with original pocket doors)
and dining room.
Original fire places, woodwork and pantry. Three bedroom and three
bathrooms. Two car garage.
Some decor may be available for purchase with the home.
Contact: Margaret 801-467-9222
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ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION AROUND THE GLOBE
Arch Enemies? - Debate over Jefferson Memorial grounds in St. Louis - Miriam
Moynihan, The Architect's Newspaper, December 29, 2008
<
http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=3084>
http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=3084
Architects create American-style suburbs overseas - Daisy Nguyen, The
Associated Press, December 26, 2008
<
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hN7tsOlBL7Zj5D-TU5Pq-zYTh
LvQD95AGU080>
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hN7tsOlBL7Zj5D-TU5Pq-zYThL
vQD95AGU080
A Decade's Most Remarkable Homes - Sara Lin, The Wall Street Journal,
December 25, 2008
<
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123016782844333635.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#
project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB123005436984730535%26articleTabs%3Darticle>
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123016782844333635.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#p
roject%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB123005436984730535%26articleTabs%3Darticle
In Harmony With Earth, Wind and Fire - Stephen Orr, The New York Times,
December 31, 2008
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/garden/01garden.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=archit
ecture&st=cse>
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/garden/01garden.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=archite
cture&st=cse
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SAVE THESE DATES FOR UHF EVENTS
April 30 - May 2
Utah Preservation Conference
Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City
Tell us what you want to hear about! Submit an Education Session Proposal
Form NOW!
<
http://www.utahheritagefoundation.com/tours-and-events/preservation-confere
nce/2009pc/182-edusessionform>
http://www.utahheritagefoundation.com/tours-and-events/preservation-conferen
ce/2009pc/182-edusessionform
Traditional Building Skills Institute Workshops - Ephraim, UT
For full calendar, visit their website:
<
http://www.snow.edu/tbsi/class-schedule.html>
http://www.snow.edu/tbsi/class-schedule.html
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NEW FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
NTHPlogo
<
http://www.PreservationNation.org>
www.PreservationNation.org
Story of the Week - Best & Worst 2008: This Year's Outstanding Wins, Great
Saves, and Sad Losses
Magazine Editors, Online Only, December 26, 2008
<
http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/story-of-the-week/best-wors
t-2008.html>
http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/story-of-the-week/best-worst
-2008.html
Public Policy Weekly Bulletin -
<
http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/newsletters/public-policy-weekl
y-bulletin/PPWB_12-31-08_FINAL_web.pdf> December 31, 2008, Vol. 3, Issue 27
- Read about the National Trust's proposed preservation stimulus package to
Congress and the incoming Obama administration that would benefit a wide
array of historic and cultural resources.
Teardown Tools on the Web - An Online Guide for Planners, Homeowners, and
Advocates.
Highlights approximately 30 tools that are being used by communities around
the country in response to teardowns with direct web links to more than 300
examples in 32 states. Teardown Tools on the Web is part of the Teardowns
Initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and intended as
an easy-to-share, user-friendly, one-stop-shop for people looking for tools
to better manage teardowns. <
http://www.preservationnation.org/teardowns/>
http://www.preservationnation.org/teardowns/
Subscribe to National Trust newsletters at
<
http://member.nationaltrust.org/site/PageServer?pagename=enews_signups>
http://member.nationaltrust.org/site/PageServer?pagename=enews_signups
Seeking funds for planning your preservation project or to hire a consultant
to get that project off the ground? Apply for a grant from the Utah
Preservation Initiatives Fund (UPIF) by contacting Amy Cole at the National
Trust for Historic Preservation at <mailto:amy_cole@???>
amy_cole@??? or (303) 623-1504. Grants are available in three rounds
per year - February 1, June 1 and October 1 - and awarded on a competitive
basis!
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Comments and contact. We hope you find this UHF ENEWSletter informative and
helpful. As always, we are happy to hear your feedback. Comments are
welcome at <mailto:enews@???>
enews@???.
Utah Heritage Foundation │ P.O. Box 28 │ Salt Lake City │ UT │ 84110-0028 │
801.533.0858 │ <
http://www.utahheritagefoundation.org/>
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