HOUSTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
1940 AIR TERMINAL MUSEUM
The principal artifact of the museum is the building in which it is housed: a spectacular Art Deco structure designed by noted local architect Joseph Finger. The terminal, which also housed airport administrative functions and the airport control tower, opened on September 28, 1940 and served the airlines and their passengers until Spring of 1955.
NORTH WING
The museum’s permanent exhibition is located in the North Wing of the building. It tells the story of Houston and the surrounding area’s aviation history, beginning with the first recorded flight in Houston in 1910. The story moves through World War I, the 1920s and 1930s, World War II, post-war aviation, the 1950s, and the 1960s and beyond. The displays include airplane models, memorabilia, uniforms, and advertisements that tell the history of the various airlines that served Houston.
SOUTH WING
Explore the South Wing exhibitions that spotlight early aviation and beyond. Specially curated collections include items from the first flight in Texas to the Women AirForce Service Pilots (WASP) who flew military airplanes for training and ferry flights. Our Business Aviation displays provide a glimpse of planes used by oil companies to fly their employees to locations not served by the airlines.
INTERNATIONAL WING
After World War II, the Houston Municipal Airport experienced an increase of flights to international destinations. The International Wing was built to accommodate flights to many destinations in Mexico, Central America and Cuba. The International Wing of the terminal was demolished in the mid 1990s. Today, the Hawker 125 business jet, on permanent display, is located on the former site of that building. In 2019, the Hawker was painted in its current colorful scheme by the noted muralist GONZO247. It was turned into a public art project due to a grant through the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and other individual donors.