Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base and Memorial Airport (1941-1994)

First established in 1941 as Grandview Airport, this location has a long history of military and commercial aviation. Starting in 1944, the airport's capacity was expanded to support the needs of the United States Army Air Corps. The city continued to own the property through 1952, but in the early years of the Cold War, the Air Force took control of the area and opened Grandview Air Force Base, which began flying missions in 1954. The base was named in honor of two Kansas City war heroes in 1957, and was home to a large fighter squadron in the 1950s and 1960s. The base reduced operations in later decades and closed in 1994. Kansas City also maintained a municipal airport at this location between 1983 and 1997. Today, the area is home to intermodal facilities, Kansas City Southern Railroad cargo facilities, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and numerous commercial facilities.

Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base was named after two Kansas City residents who lost their lives during their military service. 1st Lt. John Francisco Richards II was born in 1884 to a prominent family known for their hardware business. After graduating from Yale in 1917, Richards enlisted in the US Army, eager to find aerial work to support the efforts in World War I. After enlisting, Richards attended ground school at San Marcos, Texas, and later flight school at Chanute Air Force Base. Once he completed his initial training, Richards was off to France, where he became a first lieutenant on November 20th, 1917. During his deployment, Richards fought in air battles at the Marne in Saint Mihiel as well as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On September 26, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1st Lt. Richards entered over German lines for a surveillance mission in his Salmson 2A2 biplane, where he was shot down and killed. He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in WWI. 

The second soldier whom the memorial is named after is Arthur William Gebaur Jr. Born in 1919. Before his military service, Gebaur graduated from Kansas City’s Northeast High School in 1936. During this time, he was active in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Gebaur later enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as an instructor pilot during the Second World War and eventually becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. After his role as an instructor pilot, Gebaur was deployed to Korea with the 7th Fighter-Bombing Squadron, 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing, shortly after the United States declared war. On August 29th, 1952, Gebaur led a series of of attacks when his aircraft was hit. He continued towards his targets and then attacked several anti-aircraft stations to protect other pilots before his plane crashed. Gebaur’s body was never recovered and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for his acts of heroism. 

The former Air Force Base was located at the site of Grandview Airport, which was constructed by Kansas City and opened in 1941. The Grandview Airport was acquired by the United States Air Force in January 1952 during a period of military expansion owing to the Cold War. On October 1st, 1952, the United States Air Force renamed the Grandview Airport to the Grandview Air Force Base and changed the name to honor the two Kansas City veterans in 1957. During the next 37 years, the United States Air Force employed more than 5,000 people at the base, a fact that caused the surrounding population to grow rapidly. 

The United States Army Air Forces used the base for a variety of purposes such as training and maintenance. Its proximity to Whiteman Air Force Base increased its utility, leading to its use for overflow traffic of planes and personnel. The United States Navy also used the Grandview AFB as an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) for the Naval Air Station in Olathe, Kansas.

The military reduced operations in the 1970s, and the airport was turned back over to the City of Kansas City. Between 1983 and 1997, the city lost $18 million operating the airport, a reflection of consolidation in the civilian airport industry and the growth of Kansas City International Airport. The airport closed in 1998 and a variety of companies began operating at the facility. Today, Kansas City SmartPort uses part of the area to ship cargo to and from Mexico for the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The area also serves as warehousing and transport services for companies like Sioux Chief, Amazon, and Universal Forest Products, and others that have distribution and fulfillment operations where former military hangars, dormitories, mess halls, and recreation facilities were located. The area is also home to a U.S. Army Reserve center and used to store military equipment

The Air Force in facts and figures - Air Force Magazine. (n.d.). https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/1996/May%201996/0596facts_figures.pdf 

Quick links. Richards-Gebaur. (n.d.). https://www.afcec.af.mil/Home/BRAC/Richards-Gebaur.aspx 

Richards-Gebaur sage direction center DC-08. Richards-Gebaur SAGE Direction Center DC-08 - FortWiki Historic U.S. and Canadian Forts. (n.d.). http://www.fortwiki.com/Richards-Gebaur_SAGE_Direction_Center_DC-08 

Richards-Gebaur. Port KC. (2023, November 28). https://portkc.com/commerce/richards-gebaur/ 

Ziegler, L. (2019, April 23). A former Air Force Base still inspires pride for generations in Belton. KCUR. https://www.kcur.org/community/2019-04-22/a-former-air-force-base-still-inspires-pride-for-generations-in-belton