An unknown gem of aviation history in the United States, Hangar 9 is located within the now-privatized Brooks City Base (formerly Brooks Air Force Base). The wooden structure is the only surviving hangar from World War I, is the oldest storage and aircraft repair facility in the U.S. Air Force, and is adjacent to the memorial gravesite of Sidney Brooks, the Base’s namesake and one of the first American aviators in World War I.
While honoring and commemorating this history, the rehabilitated Sidney Brooks gravesite provides a unique place to view the memorial, as well as a courtyard houses location for future memorials of veterans in the area. The adjacent Hangar 9 restoration creates an open civic and event space, tying the City’s culture and current events to its military history.
Dunaway provided Planning + Landscape Architecture and survey services on The Hangar renovation, which involved foundation and structural repairs, electrical upgrades, painting, siding replacement, and new windows and doors. The site improvements focused on creating a simple landscape for the structure. Brick pavers, concrete walks, site walls, and decomposed granite create accessible access to the structure and provide outdoor event space. The decomposed granite paving areas remind visitors of the dirt runway that led the JN-4 “Jenny” aircraft into the structure.
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Location:San Antonio, Texas
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Client:Brooks Development Association
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Services:Planning + Landscape Architecture
Survey