The original terminal at Port Columbus is turning 85 this month.
On July 8, 1929, a group of travelers from New York City boarded a Ford Trimotor airplane to make history as the first to fly from the terminal. The group had travelled from NYC on train the day before.
Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and Amelia Earhart were all on hand to witness the inaugural flight.
The flight was part of the Transcontinental Air Transport which became known as the “Lindbergh Line” which was the easiest way to travel coast-to-coast at the time. TAT merged with Western Air Express in 1930 and became the predecessor of Trans World Airlines.
The terminal itself was designed by Allied Architects Association, best known for their work in creating a civic center in Columbus after the 1913 flood.
The original terminal has been empty for several years after being turned to office space when newer terminals were built.
Because its future is uncertain and its condition deteriorating, the terminal has been placed on the 2014 Most Endangered list of Columbus Landmarks Foundation.
