Old Airport Terminal
2920 Yale SE, 1939, Ernest Blumenthal

The Old Airport Terminal serves as a reminder of two very important pieces of Albuquerque's history - the growth of the aviation industry and New Deal public works programs. Opened in 1939, the Old Terminal served as a link for trans-continental flights until 1965, when a new terminal was constructed just to the east. It was the first commercial passenger terminal in the state, and is one of the few remaining historic transportation facilities left in the city.

The Municipal Airport began with the sale of land to the city by Transcontinental and Western Airlines in 1936. Designed by then City Architect Ernest Blumenthal, construction for the terminal began on the site in 1937, completed in 1939. Funded by the Works Progress Administration, construction utilized local materials, including adobe bricks made on the site and wood and flagstone from the mountain forests near the city.

WPA workers spent thousands of hours crafting details of the building. Exterior features include a stepped parapet, exposed vigas, wooden posts with corbel brackets, and observation tower and a flagstone entry. The main lobby area is of the most historical significance on the interior of the building, featuring high ceilings with herringbone latillas, rough-hewn beams, heavy wood columns with corbel brackets, rough-plastered walls, recessed bays with ornate wooden screens, tin chandeliers, flagstone floors, and a corner fireplace.
During WWII, the U.S. Government occupied and operated out of the terminal, which led to the establishment of the Albuquerque Army Air Field, and eventually Kirtland Air Force Base.

The original 1939 building has been altered with several later additions, but the early form and integrity of the structure, including the interior detailing, remains essentially intact. The Junior League of Albuquerque, with offices in the building at the time, pursued a National Register of Historic Places designation for the Old Terminal in 1989.

Since then, work has been done to rehabilitate and restore the Old Airport Terminal. The first phase of rehabilitation was implemented in 1997 that included the demolition of all the additions post-1945 and basic renovation to the 1942 and 1945 buildings to bring the terminal up to code and restore among other things the casement windows and lighting. The second phase began in 2001 and includes site revisions to the traffic island and walkways and contemporary rehabilitation of the original Ticket Counter into a reception counter.