Sacramento Air Depot Historic District
Also known as: McClellan Air Force Base; Sacramento Air Logistics Center
Why it's listed
Poured-concrete buildings from the late 1930s form the original core of the Sacramento Air Depot, later McClellan Air Force Base, in North Highlands, California. Groundbreaking took place on September 8, 1936, and the exteriors were finished by June 1938. Designs came from the Quartermaster General's Office in Washington D.C. Walls are board-form concrete with cast concrete trim, combining Art Deco, International and Pueblo details. The Headquarters has a terrazzo lobby and zig-zag ornament, and the housing units vary in size by military rank. A botany professor from the University of California, Davis designed the landscaping, which Works Progress Administration crews planted. The depot's maintenance building and warehouse were among the largest structures in the country when built, and the project cost $7,000,000. The base was dedicated in April 1939 before more than 50,000 visitors. During World War II it repaired aircraft for the whole Pacific region. Most original buildings still look much as they did in photographs from 1937 to 1939.
Significance in brief: The district is the intact core of the original air depot, built to Quartermaster General's Office designs prepared in Washington D.C. It is an unusual example of reinforced board-form concrete military architecture mixing Art Deco, International and Pueblo details. It also records the depot's founding in 1936-1939 and its wartime role maintaining aircraft for the Pacific region.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91001969, listed January 21, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | McClellan Air Force Base, North Highlands |
|---|---|
| County | Sacramento County |
| Listed | January 21, 1992 |
| Reference number | 91001969 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Designed by the Quartermaster General's Office, Washington D.C., under chief architect Leisenring; built by contractors from San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and New Jersey, with WPA crews for landscaping |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement: Art Deco, International, Pueblo Elements |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most original buildings retain their basic integrity. Restoration of original features and removal of wartime additions were planned. Some buildings have changed use, such as the fire house now used as offices. |
| Acreage | 108 |
| Coordinates | 38.65914, -121.38807 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91001969.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141641849
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.