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"Burbank: Union
Air Terminal in 1934"
by Michael Boss
This delightful painting depicts the Union Air Terminal and its Spanish-Colonial Revival/Art Deco airport terminal located near Los Angeles, California. It was the first multi-million dollar airport in America. Aircraft shown include Roscoe Turner's Lockheed Air Express, a visiting American Airlines Curtiss Condor, Allan Hancock's Waco UIC and a Goodyear Blimp.
In the early days they used Los Angeles when they really should have said Burbank. You'll find it in the advertising, in books and photos and in the lists of records set from here or to here...Burbank, that is.
A United Airlines Boeing 247D loads passengers in front of the Air Union Terminal
The land on which United Airport was built in northwest Burbank was originally purchased by United Aircraft and Transport Corp., a subsidiary of the Boeing Company. They began construction on 240 acres in 1929. The runways of this first million dollar airport in the United States were hardened by disking the sandy soil and working in heavy oil several times. The 3-inch thick surface was dust free and still forgiving enough for the early aircraft which had no shock absorbers. Tail draggers landed in the wheat planted between the runways as they needed that drag to slow them down and to prevent ground looping.
Vintage postcard showing the Terminal in the late 1930s
First tenants at the airport included Hamilton Aero Mfg. (moved from Grand Central Airport in Glendale) and the Northrop Aircraft Corporation, which owned the southwest corner of the area. Pacific Air Transport was the first commercial airline to use the field. The original terminal building was designed and built by the Austin Company. Hangar number one was to the south side of the terminal (the Bendix racers were sometimes staged in this hangar) and hangar number two was to the east (this is where Paul Mantz had his collection of aircraft). These hangars still exist at the airport but they have been moved and have lost their original masonry parts. The BGP Airport Authority is currently preparing to demolish them also. There was also the Hamilton Aero hangar located at the northeast corner of the field on Winona St. and Hollywood Way. This hangar, which was built as part of the original airport in 1930, existed until 1994 completely untouched and in it's original location. It was named a California 'Point of Historical Interest' in February of 1994, after being slightly damaged in an earthquake the month before. Within weeks it was declared 'not historical' and torn down without any historical review or a chance to try to develop public interest; what a waste of our cultural heritage and historical equity.
Local chapter of the Ninety-Nines standing in front of the Terminal Building
Shipping label showing the Burbank Airport Logo
The Hamilton Aero building, the last intact building from the original Burbank airport and from the Golden Age of Aviation (except perhaps Grand Central Airport Terminal) was demolished in 1995.
The Aircraft in the Painting:
Lockheed Air Express Curtiss T-32 Condor Goodyear Blimp Waco UIC
2002 Wings Publishing
