Rockwell Field
Why it's listed
Rockwell Field District occupies the southeastern part of Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego. It preserves the industrial and residential core of the first permanent Army airfield in the United States, which operated on North Island between 1912 and 1935, when the Navy took over. Of 63 buildings, 56 contribute to the district. Most are Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival structures built in concrete, terra cotta and stucco. They follow a 1917 site plan by Detroit industrial architect Albert Kahn, along with housing added after the Emergency Relief Bill of 1932. The listing was revised because an earlier nomination described a landing site tied to the 1924 round-the-world flight, in an area that was actually Navy land, and described none of the real Army buildings. The revised nomination ties significance to the early history of military aviation and to the district's architecture. Despite some alterations, the buildings still convey the character of the field during its Army years.
Significance in brief: The revised nomination argues the district preserves the surviving core of the first permanent Army airfield in the United States, active 1912-1935, which played a major role in early military aviation. It also argues the Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival buildings are architecturally significant, including the 1917 site plan by Detroit industrial architect Albert Kahn. An earlier 1974 nomination had wrongly described a 5-acre site tied to the 1924 round-the-world flight.
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 75002185, listed May 21, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | North Island, San Diego |
|---|---|
| County | San Diego County |
| Listed | May 21, 1991 |
| Reference number | 75002185 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Albert Kahn (1917 site plan); Quartermaster General's Office (residential quarters added after the Emergency Relief Bill of 1932) |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in military use by the U.S. Navy as an air facility; individual buildings have varying degrees of alteration, and 7 of 63 buildings are non-contributing. |
| Acreage | 43.5 |
| Coordinates | 32.69796, -117.19768 (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 75002185.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7355667
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.