On this day in Arlington history: November 21, 1938: the first ceremonial shovelful of dirt started construction of National Airport.
Between 1926 and 1938, Congress produced reams of debate transcripts and 37 committee reports on the need for a new airport, but no action was taken. In the fall of 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced at a press conference that he was “tired of waiting for Congress” to select a site and he named the mudflats on a bend of the Potomac River at Gravelly Point, 4 and a half miles south of D.C. Two months later, on November 21, 1938, the first ceremonial shovelful of dirt was moved to signal the start of construction.
Before this, airport facilities in the D.C. area were seriously inadequate. Hoover Field, located near the present site of the Pentagon, was the first major terminal to be developed in the National Capital area, opening its doors in 1926. The following year, Washington Airport, another privately operated field, began service next door. In 1930, the Depression forced the two airports to merge to form Washington-Hoover Airport. This airport was bordered on the east by Highway One and it had high-tension electric wires. One approach was obstructed by a high smokestack and the runway was intersected by a busy Military Road, which had guards posted to stop traffic during takeoffs and landings.
Two years after the shovel ceremony, President Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the terminal building at the dedication ceremony. National Airport opened for business in June 1941. President Roosevelt again attended a ceremony and observed the first official landing. The airlines drew straws to determine who could land at National Airport first, and American Airlines won.
