Charles L. Williams Passenger Terminal Expansion - 2014 - Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport - Dated Architectural Structures Multifarious on Waymarking.com

Located at the main entrance to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is a dedication plaque commemorating the airport terminal expansion, completed in 2014. The newer terminal is very clean and modern looking, inside and outside and sits on the property that was once Williams Air Force Base before its closure in 1993.

The airport website has a nice history of this place and it reads:

Past
The former Williams Air Force Base played a strategic role in America's aviation history. Over a span of 52 years, more than 26,500 men and women earned their wings at Williams. Gearing up for the combat pilot demands of World War II, the Army Air Corps broke ground in Southeast Mesa, Arizona for its Advanced Flying School on July 16, 1941. In February 1942, the growing military base's name was changed to Williams Field to honor Charles Linton Williams, an Arizona-born pilot. The facility was re-designated as Williams Air Force Base (WAFB) in January 1948. WAFB was the U.S. Air Force's foremost pilot training facility, graduating more student pilots and instructors than any other base in the country and supplying 25 percent of the Air Force's pilots annually.

The Base was closed in 1993 and officially reopened as Williams Gateway Airport in March 1994. In 2008, the name of the Airport was changed to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

Present

Gateway is also developing as an international aerospace center with aircraft maintenance, modification, testing, and pilot training. In addition to the area's skilled labor force, excellent year-round flying weather, three expansive runways averaging 10,000 feet, and access to international markets, Gateway's assets make it a prime location for global-minded companies. Gateway has been designated as Foreign Trade Zone #221, as well as a Military Reuse Zone, offering aviation companies a significant financial edge in the global marketplace.

Year built or dedicated as indicated on the structure or plaque: 2014 Full Inscription (unless noted above): Charles L. Williams Passenger Terminal Expansion Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority Board of Directors Chairman Lt. Governor Stephen Lewis, Gila River Indian Community Vice Chairman Mayor Gail Barney, Town of Queen Creek Councilwoman Theida Williams, City of Phoenix Mayor John Lewis, Town of Gilbert Mayor John L. Insalaco, City of Apache Junction Jane L. Morris, Executive Director DWL Architects + Planners, Inc., Architect Sundt and D.L. Withers Construction, Contractors Funding Recognition To: Federal Aviation Administration ADOT - Aeronautics Group 2014 Website (if available): [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:


Any log as a visit to a waymark will require a picture as proof that the person visited a particular dated architectural structure. Any posted visits not containing a picture in the log will risk being being deleted.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.