YANKTON, S.D. (AP) - One of the oldest structures on the grounds of an airport in the southeastern part of South Dakota is slated to be demolished in the next year to help make way for tarmac improvements.
The Chan Gurney Municipal Airport’s oldest hangar is beyond repair, the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (https://bit.ly/2tu7DmF) reported.
Yankton Regional Aviation Association Secretary Steve Hamilton said the maintenance hangar was built as part of the city’s contribution to the war effort during World War II. It helped support Yankton College’s naval aviation program, housed German prisoners of war during World War II and supported the airport’s ongoing operations after the war.
“This hangar, and the big barrel hangar (to the west), were built in 1943 as part of the Navy cadet training program,” Hamilton said. “Yankton College was one of the training facilities. The Navy brought in aircraft and trained pilots here during World War II.”
He added the two facilities were heavily utilized at the time.
“The big round hangar was basically to store airplanes and the tile hangar was to maintain those airplanes,” he said. “They had 15 to 20 airplanes at a time because they were doing big groups of cadets every 6 to 8 weeks.”
The facility was badly damaged when a fire broke out in 1972. Repairs were made and operations continued until the building’s structure was deemed unsafe about three years ago.
“The writing was pretty much on the wall several years ago,” Hamilton said. “As you can see from the deterioration of the tile, it’s structurally becoming very unsound and it won’t be many more years before it’ll actually collapse of its own accord. There’s just no way to save a building of this type, except in the memory, through photographs and other documentation.”
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Information from: Yankton Press and Dakotan, https://www.yankton.net/
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