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San Francisco Airport – San Francisco CA

San Francisco Airport

San Francisco Airport

San Francisco Airport aerial view. - National Archives and Records Administration, RG 69-MP Box 6

San Francisco Airport

San Francisco Airport

San Francisco Airport

Project type: Airports, Infrastructure and Utilities
Agency: Public Works Administration (PWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Quality of Information:
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Description

The airport first opened in 1927 as Mills Field Municipal Airport. It became San Francisco Municipal Airport in 1931, and SF International Airport in 1955. Both the WPA and the PWA were heavily involved in airport construction and expansion:

“[The WPA] Improved the airport by grading, draining, paving and lighting, installing water, gas, electricity, telephone and sewers; building walks, curbs, pavements, new buildings; dredging for seaplane harbor; building seaplane wharves, ramp and seawalls, rock and earth levees and work incidental to making a first class seaplane port.” –Healy, p. 70.

As of 1936, over $1,800,000 had been expended by the WPA. The reclamation of tideland in the San Francisco Bay was financed by a PWA bond issue of $260,000.

Note the varying stages of development and land reclamation in the photos below.

The present airport museum is a replica of the airport waiting room pictured below.

Project Details

Federal Cost Local Cost Total Cost Project #'s
2171947

Source notes

Healy, Clyde E. San Francisco Improved: Report of Clyde E. Healy, Assistant City Engineer - City of San Francisco and Coordinator of W.P.A. Projects, Period October 10, 1935 to August 31, 1939. San Francisco : [s.n.]., 1939. United States. 

Work Projects Administration (Calif.) Report on Progress of the Works Program in San Francisco. January, 1938. Works Progress Administration / William Mooser, Jr., branch manager. [San Francisco? 1938]

The Architect and Engineer. September 1937. 

Information about waiting room submitted by James Clifford.

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Location Info

San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco, CA 94128

Location notes: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=san+francisco+airport
Lat/lon are center of the main parking structure. It is not clear whether the project description is for SFO or for the airport on Treasure Island.

Coordinates: 37.616500, -122.386000

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