Joliet Municipal Airport
Also known as: Joliet Park District Airport Hangar Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1930, this hangar and administration building at the Joliet airport is a rectangular brick structure of roughly 100 by 156 feet, framed in steel. Its central hangar is clear-spanned by steel Pratt trusses and can hold a DC-3. Overhead doors at both ends allowed passengers to disembark inside the hangar and walk straight to the waiting area, an unusual feature for a small community airport. A three-story section once held a waiting room, dining room, kitchen and rooftop restaurant terraces. Chicago architects Youngberg, Brown and Youngberg drew the plans in June 1930. The Park Board built the airport after other governing bodies said they lacked the means, making it the first Park District-operated airport in Illinois. About 12,000 people attended the September 1930 opening. The interiors have been remodeled into offices, but the exterior is largely unchanged, and the building remains in use.
Significance in brief: It is presented as the first Park District-operated airport in Illinois and a forerunner of public airports in the state. The Park Board built it when other governmental bodies said they could not. The original 1930 hangar and administration building survives, which the nomination notes is uncommon among comparable late-1920s airports.
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 80001419, listed December 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4000 W. Jefferson St., Joliet |
|---|---|
| County | Will County |
| Listed | December 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001419 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific date 1930) |
| Architect / builder | Youngberg, Brown, and Youngberg |
| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use; the Park District administrative offices returned in 1979, the FAA keeps a transmitter there, and the Civil Air Patrol meets in the hangar building. Condition is given as good and altered, with the exterior largely unchanged. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.52324, -88.17941 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 80001419.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2901208
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.