Robert Mueller Municipal Airport was the first civilian airport built in Austin, Texas, operating from 1930 to 1999: it was replaced by the Austin Bergstrom International Airport at the turn of the century. Its surrounding 711 acres of land sat vacant and unused for over five years until the city finally approved a residential development plan on its original grounds. Strangely enough, the old airport's control tower -- an NGS benchmark -- was spared from demolition and is available for "viewing/recovery" to this date.
The control tower was first surveyed/recorded in 1961 by the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey. Its description at that time stated:
"NEW AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING AND TOWER WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE TIME OF SURVEY. THE BEACON HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED AT THIS TIME, BUT THE CENTER OF THE BASE SUPPORT WAS LOCATED."
The station was recovered fours years later, this time with the control tower in place:
"THE STATION WAS RECOVERED AS DESCRIBED IN THE 1961 DESCRIPTION AND THE BEACON HAS BEEN PUT IN PLACE."
Its last/final official survey was conducted in 2005:
"THE AIRPORT IS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL BUT THE CONTROL TOWER STILL STANDS."
Below are some additional facts, per the NGS database (with some editing for length): (
visit link)
BM0883 ***********************************************************************
BM0883 DESIGNATION - MUELLER MUN APT CONTROL TOWER
BM0883 PID - BM0883
BM0883 STATE/COUNTY- TX/TRAVIS
BM0883 COUNTRY - US
BM0883 USGS QUAD - AUSTIN EAST (1988)
BM0883
BM0883 *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
BM0883 ______________________________________________________________________
BM0883* NAD 83(1993) POSITION- 30 17 31.07184(N) 097 41 56.20405(W) ADJUSTED
BM0883* NAVD 88 ORTHO HEIGHT - **(meters) **(feet)
BM0883 ______________________________________________________________________
BM0883
BM0883_MARKER: 58 = CONTROL TOWER
BM0883_SATELLITE: THE SITE LOCATION WAS REPORTED AS NOT SUITABLE FOR
BM0883+SATELLITE: SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS - March 12, 2005
BM0883
BM0883 HISTORY - Date Condition Report By
BM0883 HISTORY - 1961 FIRST OBSERVED CGS
BM0883 HISTORY - 1965 GOOD CGS
BM0883 HISTORY - 1973 GOOD NGS
BM0883 HISTORY - 19980321 GOOD USPSQD
BM0883 HISTORY - 19980602 GOOD USPSQD
BM0883 HISTORY - 20050312 GOOD USPSQD