Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale

Constructed from 1929 to 1930, Glendale's Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) served what was once the largest airport in the Los Angeles area and its first commercial airport. The U.S. Army used GCAT to train pilots and mechanics during World War II. Later, noise complaints from neighbors resulted in the runway being shortened, and as a result, most flights moved to LAX airport. The GCAT continued as a private airport until 1959, after which the structure was repurposed as an office park. Owned by the Walt Disney Company since 1997, the passenger station building was renovated from 2012 to 2015, and part of the structure has been converted into an aviation museum. In 2017, GCAT was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its Art Deco/Spanish Mission Revival style and its place in aviation history. The remainder of the building holds Disney offices.

Henry L. Gogerty designed the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) building that was constructed in Glendale from 1929 to 1930. The two-story building was attached to a five-story air traffic control tower. The terminal was built in steel framing with concrete masonry infill and an exterior surface of stucco, ceramic tile, and cast stone. The main side faced west and featured an arcade on the first floor with a wall of colored concrete tiles, with steps leading to a loggia on the second story; reproduction metal lanterns modeled on historic photos hung from the arcade and loggia ceilings. The low-pitched gable and shed roofs were covered in clay Mission tiles. Cast stone angels looked out from the four upper corners of the main body of the tower. West of the terminal, a circular drive was used for dropping off and picking up passengers. In the center of the circle was a vault that once housed the terminal's electrical equipment but now contains other mechanical equipment; the walls and ventilation grills were meant to resemble waves and airplanes, respectively.

Although still unfinished, the terminal building began being used in 1929. The GCAT was then the major airport in the Los Angeles area and its first commercial airport. American Airlines was established here, and it was the home airport of Howard Hughes. The terminal also held a coffee shop. a lounge, and offices. A 1934 movie, Bright Eyes, starring Shirley Temple was partly filmed here. The U.S. Army used the GCAT during World War II for training pilots and mechanics at the Grand Central Flying School and the Cal-Aero Technical Institute; the exterior was painted to camouflage the structure from enemy aircraft. Later, noise complaints from neighbors resulted in the runway being shortened, and most flights moved to LAX airport. The GCAT continued as a private airport until 1959, with Ford Motor Company's Aeronautics as a tenant until 1957, and then became part of an office/light industrial park.

The building was designated a Glendale Historical Landmark in 1977. Another of the tenants in the former air terminal was WED Enterprises, an engineering firm that developed Disneyland (renamed Walt Disney Imagineering in 1986). In the 1990s, some of the exterior finishes and interior were demolished. The Walt Disney Company purchased GCAT and the office park in 1997 and restored the terminal to its historic appearance from 2012 to 2015. Parts of the GCAT (mainly the lobby and the event space/former passenger waiting area) have become a museum on Disney's Grand Central Creative Campus. Other buildings on the campus hold Disney Interactive and Walt Disney Imagineering.

During renovations, workers found old flight logbooks stashed in the tower; the books were scanned, and the results were displayed in the museum as a hardcover book. Another display showed how the trip from New York City to Glendale would have taken 48 hours using a combination of airplanes and trains. In 2017, the GCAT was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its Art Deco/Spanish Mission Revival style and its place in aviation history.

Bricker, Tom. Grand Central Air Terminal Tour, Disney Tourist Blog. January 1st, 2016. Accessed July 25th, 2023. https://www.disneytouristblog.com/grand-central-air-terminal-tour/.

Kover, Katie. Disney Tour Through So Cal - Beyond the Parks! Diskover. May 15th, 2021. Accessed July 26th, 2023. https://www.diskoverblog.com/post/disney-tour-through-so-cal-beyond-the-parks.

LoCascio, John. NRHP nomination of Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale, California. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 2016.

Los Angeles Conservancy. Grand Central Air Terminal, Explore L. A.: Historic Places. January 1st, 2020. Accessed July 26th, 2023. https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/grand-central-air-terminal.

Ostashay, Janet. Olmos, Tavos. HABS documentation of Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale, California. Volume CA-2728. Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, DC. National Park Service, circa 2010.

Outlook Newspapers staff. "Local Resident Writes, Directs World War II Film." Glendale News-Press (Glendale) January 23rd, 2021.