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Date Constructed: 1929 & 1936
Address: 2815 Taylorsville Road
Current Building Name: Bowman Field
Earlier Building Names: None
Architect: W.S. Arrasmith as an associate of Hermann Wischmeyer
Builder: Unknown at this time
Current Status: Occupied - Commercial Use
Designation (if applicable): National Register of Historic Places
The Bowman Field Airport building is located at 2815 Taylorsville Road at its intersection with Pee Wee Reese Blvd (across from the old Air Devils Inn). It is Kentucky's oldest continuously operated public airport.
In 1919, aviation enthusiast Abram H. Bowman leased 50 acres of a 600-acre tract, built a wooden hanger and established an airfield. In 1922 the Army Air Corps leased the field for $1 per year for five years. In August 1923 the field was officially dedicated and named Bowman Field. 1924 saw passenger service begin with Yellow Taxi Airline Co. Continental Airlines (later American Airlines) started airmail service between Cleveland and Louisville in 1928 and in began carrying passengers in 1931. Eastern Airlines began service to Miami and Chicago from Bowman Field beginning in 1934. Finally in 1938 the airport poured concrete runways. On November 15, 1947 all commercial airline operations were transferred to the newer and larger Standiford Field airport. The airport is still used for smaller commercial and pleasure aircraft.
The Administration Building was opened on August 1, 1929 (see pic at bottom of page). In 1936 it was expanded by the Works Progress Administration to its existing structure/design. In 1988, two original hangars and the Administration Building were entered in the National Register of Historic Places as the Bowman Field Historic District.
Part of the building houses the Le Relais restaurant. I've dined there a few times. It's a nice Art Deco adorned restaurant with lots of vintage style aviation posters on the walls, deco light fixtures and woodwork.
All interior photos taken February 2008.
Photos by Jim L. Patterson - copyright 2005, 2008.
Click on the thumbnail photo to view a larger image.
Some creative Photoshop work by Aaron Patterson - © 2005, 2009
Exterior photos (taken 2008 & 2005).....
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 Front of building |
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 WPA plaque. |
 Rear of building |
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 National Register of Historic Places plaque |
 Le Relais restaurant wing |
 Comment card graphic |
 Le Relais entrance light - looks original to the building. |
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 Note the railing |
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 Le Relais wing from the rear of the building. |
 Rear door of office wing - used to have letters above it: "ADMINISTRATION" (weathering still faintly visible). |
Interior photos.....
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 Room just below the tower |
 Stairs up to tower |
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Some of the many vintage photos framed throughout the lobby.....
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 1938 photo of lobby (note the Robert Gast tribute statue) |
 Charles Lindberg at Bowman Field in 1927 |
Bronze memorial to Robert H. Gast .....
Enraved around the base of the globe: "Robert H. Gast Born 1896. Lost in China Seas 1934. Pioneer Louisville Pilot, Night Bomber, Royal Flying Corps, World War"
 Sikorsky S-38, which he died in the South China Sea |
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Vintage Lockheed on the property (18 Lodestar or Electra 14?) + Misc.....
I thought this plane was a Lockheed 14 Electra, but have been told by a viewer (Brian White) that it's actually a Lockheed 18 Lodestar. Thanks Brian, for bringing this to my attention! I've tried to determine exactly what the visual differences are between the two Lockheed models, but have yet to make that determination. In all photos I've found, both models appear to have the same number of windows. The Lodestar is longer, but short of taking a physical measurement, is there some visual cue that indicates the difference? If someone can shed definitive light on this, please contact me at jim at louisvilleartdeco dot com. Thanks!
 Lockheed 18 Lodestar or 14 Electra? |
 Lockheed 18 Lodestar or 14 Electra? |
 Lockheed 18 Lodestar or 14 Electra? |
 Howard Hughes' World Record flight in a Lockheed 14 Super Electra - 1938 |
 Howard Hughes' World Record flight in a Lockheed 14 Super Electra - 1938 |
 Old Postcard. |
 Old Postcard |
 Prior to 1936 expansion |
Bowman Field Links
- Bowman Field, Bluffton College page: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/kentucky/louisville/bowman/bowman.html
- Bowman Field, National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/bow.htm
- Le Relais Restaurant: http://www.lerelaisrestaurant.com
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