Contractor finishes first phase at Tuskegee Airmen site

By Dana Crisson

NationView/Bhate LLC of Birmingham, Ala., has completed construction services on the first phase of a multiphase construction project at the newly established Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee, Ala.

The $4.9 million project included preservation and restoration of the main hangar and a number of buildings surrounding the perimeter.

“Our goal in working on this project was to both capture a historically accurate account of the site as well as provide a structure where visitors can learn about its past,” says NationView President David Martin. “The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site will not only serve as a way for future generations to understand the historical significance of the training facility, it will also serve as a tribute for the sacrifice that the Tuskegee Airmen made for our country.”

The rehabilitation of the interior and exterior of Hangar One and the control tower included structural and frame work, installation of new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and extensive site paving and grading.

“In addition to installing new building systems, NationView performed exacting masonry restoration and preservation, which included rebuilding the mezzanine, restoring existing metal hangar doors, tracks and rollers, and fabricating and installed period appropriate wood and metal doors and windows,” Martin says.

Architectural landscaping included restoration of many of the original site structures, such as historical curbs, gutters and cisterns.

The grand opening of the main museum housed in Hangar One is slated for Oct. 10-12. The museum houses two aircraft, a parachute folding table, hanging parachutes, oral history stations, a Link Trainer and various exhibits.

Construction continues on Phase II of the project, which involves the reconstruction of a second hangar that burned in the late 1970s. A footprint of the second hangar was all that remained on the site.

Martin says construction on the second hangar, which will house a theater and additional exhibits, will be completed by February. 

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