"Grand Central Air Terminal"
By Larry Grossman - RetroVisions

Built in 1928 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style (with art deco flourishes), the Grand Central Air Terminal and Airport was located in Glendale California. It was home base for many famous pilots, including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post, Jack Northrop, and Howard Hughes (who filmed his epic "Hell's Angels" there), among many others. Lindbergh made history when he flew the first regularly scheduled coast to coast flight from GCAT for a company that would soon become TWA. The scene depicted in this picture is set in 1937, as an air show is underway. The planes parked around the terminal are (from left to right): a Douglas DC-3, a Gee Bee "Model Z" racer, a Douglas DC-2, and a Waco biplane. Amelia Earhart stands besides her 1937 Cord 812 Sportsman, which is parked between the Gee Bee and the DC-2, and Howard Hughes can be seen up on the tower. The airport was converted to military use during World War II, and became a base for the famous Lockheed P-38 fighter, which was built right nearby at Lockheed's facility in Burbank. Unfortunately, the Grand Central Air Terminal was closed permanently in 1959, and is now owned by the Walt Disney Company. All that remains are the tower and terminal, both of which are boarded up. -- L.G.