Miller Army Air Field Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
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.
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) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1919-1921 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Double seaplane hangar (Monitor Type) |
| Areas of significance | Military, Transportation |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Miller Army Air Field Historic District (property record) |
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.