{"nrhp_refnum":"80000362","name":"Miller Army Air Field Historic District","other_names":["Miller Field"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"New Dorp Lane","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Staten Island","state":"NY","lat":40.564280057000076,"lon":-74.09521866599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-04-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former Army air base on New Dorp Lane, Staten Island, established 1919-1921 and now part of Gateway National Recreation Area. The nominated area is limited to a 1920 double seaplane hangar (No. 38) and the Elm Tree Light, covering 3.05 acres.","why_significant":"The seaplane hangar is tied to early military aviation and the aerial coast defenses of New York, and appears to be an unusual hangar design, closely resembling one at Crissy Field in San Francisco. The field also hosted early aircraft testing and visits by well-known pilots. The Elm Tree Light adds to the historic setting and reflects a long record of navigational use at the site.","narrative":"Miller Field on Staten Island began as an Army air base in 1919-1921 and once held 38 structures on about 180 acres. After the National Park Service took it over in 1973, much of the airfield became playing fields, and the runway system could no longer be traced. The nominated area shrank to 3.05 acres around two survivors. One is Seaplane Hangar No. 38, a 1920 steel-frame, stucco-walled double hangar with a gambrel roof and a monitor at the peak; WPA wings were added in 1935-1939. It appears to be an unusual design, most similar to a hangar at Crissy Field in San Francisco. The other is the Elm Tree Light, an octagonal concrete beacon tower built by the Coast Guard in 1939 to replace a wooden one. The field hosted aircraft tests in the 1920s, pilot training for a Pan-American flight, and Floyd Bennett's 1928 rescue flight preparations. It also formed part of New York's aerial coast defenses.","period_of_significance":"1919-1921","architect_builder":"U.S. Army; hangar built by Smith, Hansen and MacIsaac and Rangely Construction Company, both of New York","architectural_style":"Double seaplane hangar (Monitor Type)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Buildings were deteriorated when the National Park Service acquired the field in 1973; the hangar is in general deterioration with sound structural steel, and the Elm Tree Light is not in use. The landplane hangar was demolished in 1976.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:43.571568-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80000362.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000362/0090614de1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000362/0090614de1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jim.henderson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miller_Field_SI_jeh.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim.henderson</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miller_Field_SI_jeh.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321369","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_Field_(Staten_Island)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6859123"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/staten-island/miller-army-air-field-historic-district-80000362/"}