taking off near a
Grumman Albatross prototype at Floyd Bennett Field (1948)
Planning Need for an airport Floyd Bennett Field was New York City's first municipal airport, built largely in response to the growth of commercial aviation after
World War I. The
New York City Board of Estimate submitted a recommendation for a New York City municipal airport in 1925, but it was denied. Two years later, the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced a similar recommendation, which was largely ignored. By this time, the city urgently needed an airport. This was underscored by the construction of the
Newark Metropolitan Airport in 1928, as well as several transatlantic flights from the New York area that were piloted by such figures as
Charles Lindbergh,
Clarence D. Chamberlin, and
Charles A. Levine. Most of the nation's air traffic around this time was from
airmail operations, and the
United States Postal Service designated Newark Airport as the airmail terminal for the New York City area, since Newark was the region's best-equipped airport for airmail traffic. New York City officials decided that an airport in the city itself was necessary, because placing the airmail terminal in Newark represented a missed opportunity to put New York City on the aviation map. In mid-1927,
Herbert Hoover, the
United States Secretary of Commerce, approved the creation of a "Fact-Finding Committee on Suitable Airport Facilities for the New York Metropolitan District". The Hoover committee, composed of representatives from New York and New Jersey, identified six general locations in the metropolitan area where an airport could be built. The committee recommended
Middle Village, in Central
Queens, as the first location for an airfield. Its second choice was an existing airstrip on
Barren Island in southeastern
Brooklyn. Another site in the eastern part of the bay, near the present-day
JFK Airport, was also recommended. At the time, the report listed three "Federal or State Fields", three "Commercial Fields", and seventeen "Intermediate Fields" in the New York metropolitan area. Chamberlin was appointed as the city's aeronautical engineer to make the final decision on the airport's location. There was much debate over where the airport should be located. U.S. Representative and future New York City mayor
Fiorello La Guardia, himself a former military airman, advocated for a commercial airport to be placed in
Governors Island, as it was closer to
Manhattan and located in the middle of
New York Harbor. He left open the possibility that the outer boroughs could also build their own local airports. La Guardia, along with Representative
William W. Cohen, introduced a motion in the
70th United States Congress to establish the airport on Governors Island, but it was voted down.
Site chosen Chamberlin chose Barren Island as the site for the new municipal airport. An isolated settlement on the island had been developed in the late 19th century, and at its peak, had been home to "several thousand" people. A
garbage incinerator and a
glue factory had been located on the island. By the 1920s, Barren Island's industrial presence had dwindled, and only a small percentage of residents remained on the island. In 1927, a pilot named
Paul Rizzo had opened the Barren Island Airport, a private airstrip, on the island. Chamberlin chose the Barren Island location over Middle Village for several reasons. First, city officials had already spent $100 million between 1900 and 1927 toward constructing a
seaport in Jamaica Bay, having dredged land for the proposed shipping channels. Chamberlin also favored the Barren Island location because of the lack of obstructions nearby, as well as the presence of Jamaica Bay, which would allow
seaplanes to also use the airport. Finally, the site was city-owned, while the land in Middle Village was not. After the plan was approved, two airmail companies announced that they would not move their operations from New Jersey to Barren Island, because the airmail facilities at Newark International Airport were closer to Manhattan than the proposed Barren Island Airport was. By fall 1928, the Department of Docks had published a more detailed plan that would theoretically allow the Barren Island Airport to get an "A1A" rating, the highest rating for an airport awarded by the
United States Department of Commerce. This new plan called for two perpendicular concrete runways in a "T" shape, with one being long and the other being long. An administration building, fourteen
hangars, and other maintenance facilities would be constructed on the west side of the airport, parallel to Flatbush Avenue. The rest of the airport would be a grass field. The Department of Docks was in charge of constructing the Barren Island Airport. The first contract for construction was awarded in May 1928. The $583,000 contract entailed filling in or leveling of soil across a parcel. Sand from Jamaica Bay was used to connect the islands and raise the site to above the high–tide mark. This contract was completed by May 1929. A subsequent contract for $75,000 involved filling in an extra of land, and was finished by the end of 1929. In order to secure an "A1A" rating, the planners built runways, twice the minimum runway width mandated by the Department of Commerce. These runways were designed for planes taking off. The planners also constructed grass fields with several layers of soil, which would allow for smooth plane landings. They conducted studies on other infrastructure, such as the power, sewage, and water systems, to determine what materials should be used to allow the airport to get an "AAA" rating, which was the same as an "A1A" rating. Barren Island Airport was renamed after the aviator
Floyd Bennett in October 1928. Floyd's wife, Cora, recalled that they had once toured Barren Island when Floyd said, "Some day, Cora, there will be an airport here." Bennett and
Richard E. Byrd claimed to have been the first to travel to the
North Pole by airplane, having made the flight in May 1926, for which they both received the
Medal of Honor. They were preparing to fly to the
South Pole in 1927 when Bennett placed these plans on hold in order to rescue the crew of the
Bremen. Bennett died of
pneumonia in April 1928, during the
Bremen rescue mission, and he was subsequently buried with honors at
Arlington National Cemetery. Many things were named after Bennett, including the aircraft Byrd and three others flew to the South Pole in 1929 and the Barren Island Airport. After the field was completely filled and leveled, the two concrete runways were built. The shorter runway was numbered 15–33 while the longer runway was numbered 6–24. At the time, Runway 6–24 was the longest concrete runway in the U.S. The layer of reinforced concrete, gravel drainage strips, and extra width contributed to the airport's "AAA" rating. However, the airport was not finished at that time. The administration building and parking areas had yet to be completed. The costs of the proposed airport were increasing even as its completion was being delayed. A few days after the dedication,
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that the airport would not be complete until 1932 and would cost $4.5 million. Floyd Bennett Field was formally dedicated again on May 23, 1931, upon its official completion. At the time, the Administration Building was almost finished, and the United States Navy was to occupy part of the airfield. The dedication was attended by 25,000 people, including Chamberlain; Byrd; Captain
John H. Towers, who flew the first
transatlantic flight;
F. Trubee Davison, the assistant
United States Secretary of the Army for Aviation; and Colonel
Charles Lindbergh, who flew the first solo transatlantic flight. Many of the attendees were also there to view the largest aircraft demonstration to date in the United States' history: that day, 597 aircraft flew over the metropolitan area.
The New York Times stated that if the aircraft demonstration had not been visible around the city, Floyd Bennett Field's dedication might have attracted more spectators.
Commercial use at Floyd Bennett Field From May 23, 1931, through the end of the year, the airport recorded 1,153 commercial aircraft and 605 military craft, which made a combined 25,000 landings. According to the 1932 Annual Report from the Department of Docks, Floyd Bennett Field had become "the most desirable American Field as an ocean hop terminal": at least four transatlantic flights had occurred there that year, and at least four more flights had been scheduled for 1933. By 1933, Floyd Bennett Field accommodated more flights than Newark Airport: there were 51,828 arrivals and departures at Floyd Bennett Field in 1933, compared to 19,232 at Newark the same year. By number of flights, Floyd Bennett Field was the second-busiest airport in the U.S. that year, behind only
Oakland International Airport in California. Floyd Bennett Field was never a commercial success due to its distance from the rest of New York City. Through 1934, there were no commercial passenger airlines that made regular scheduled arrivals or departures at Floyd Bennett Field. This was partly because Floyd Bennett Field was never able to secure a lucrative stream of airmail traffic, which went to Newark Airport instead. According to the 1933 annual report, Newark Airport carried 120,000 airline passengers, of mail, and of
express mail, as opposed to Floyd Bennett Field's 52 airline passengers, 98 bags of mail, and of express. According to Tony Wrenn, most of the passenger aircraft and mail planes that landed at Floyd Bennett Field likely only did so because the planes could not land at Newark Airport. In 1937,
American Airlines became the only commercial airline that regularly operated at Floyd Bennett Field, and for one specific flight: an
air shuttle from New York to
Boston. Seaplane taxi routes running from Floyd Bennett Field to piers on the East River at
Wall Street and
31st Street were established, but they failed to attract airlines. As a
general aviation airfield, Floyd Bennett Field attracted the record-breaking pilots of the
interwar period because of its superior modern facilities, lack of nearby obstacles, and convenient location near the
Atlantic Ocean (see ). The airport hosted dozens of "firsts" and time records as well as a number of
air races in its heyday, such as the
Bendix Cup. Civilians were also allowed to take flying lessons at Floyd Bennett Field. Various improvements were made to the airport throughout its entire commercial existence: first as a seaplane hangar, then by the
Works Progress Administration (WPA), and finally by the
United States Navy. However, Floyd Bennett Field's lack of commercial tenants, a byproduct of its isolation from the rest of the city, caused the city to begin developing
LaGuardia Field in northern
Queens. The new airfield was much closer to Manhattan. Commercial aviation activity at Floyd Bennett Field ceased in 1939, when LaGuardia Field (now Airport) was opened. The Navy gained ownership of the field in 1941 after leasing space there for several years. However, this had more to do with the expansion of Marine Park and
Jacob Riis Park. The same year, a bus route to the subway, the
Q35 route to the
Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College station, was established in order to create a faster connection to Manhattan. However, the Q35 bus only started making stops at Floyd Bennett Field in 1940. Floyd Bennett Field's poor location in outer Brooklyn inhibited its usefulness. However, the representatives failed to note that the Postal Service had chosen Newark Airport because it was built first. In 1935, La Guardia succeeded in convincing the Post Office Department to review the benefits and drawbacks of Floyd Bennett Field. The department's review of the airport consisted mainly of drawbacks: there was no direct highway or train route from Floyd Bennett Field to Manhattan, but there were such links between Newark and Manhattan. La Guardia suggested that the
New York City Subway be extended to Floyd Bennett Field in order to resolve this problem. After learning of this evidence, La Guardia then petitioned to make Floyd Bennett Field a suitable alternative to the Newark airmail terminal. To support his argument, La Guardia cited several flights that had been diverted to Floyd Bennett Field. In December 1935, a meeting was held at the Post Office Department headquarters in
Washington, D.C., concerning Floyd Bennett Field's suitability as an airmail terminal.
Grover Whalen, chairman of La Guardia's Committee on Airport Development, argued that the city had an "inalienable right" to appear on maps of the United States' airspace, and that Floyd Bennett Field was ready for use as an alternate airmail terminal. In March 1936, Farley announced that he had rejected the bid to move airmail operations to Floyd Bennett Field because all evidence showed that doing so would cause a decline in traffic and profits. Ultimately, La Guardia was never able to convince the Postal Service to move its New York City operations from Newark to Floyd Bennett Field. Because airmail traffic did not move to Floyd Bennett Field, neither did most of the commercial lines, save for American Airlines flights to Boston. Instead, he decided to allow the city to construct
LaGuardia Airport in Queens. The new airport was much closer to Manhattan, and it took advantage of the then-new
Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Moreover, the federal government created a new airmail contract in which it divided airmail traffic between Newark Airport and LaGuardia Airport once the latter was completed. This confirmed that Floyd Bennett Field was denied an airmail contract not in spite of being located in New York City, but because it was too far from Manhattan.
Military and police activity After the 1930 closure of
Naval Air Station Rockaway across Rockaway Inlet, a hangar at Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated as
Naval Air Reserve Base New York within the larger civilian facility. The Naval Reserve Aviation Unit started using Floyd Bennett Field in April 1931, when it moved from Long Island's
Curtiss Field to Hangar 1 in Floyd Bennett Field, leasing the hangar for $1 per year. The Department of Docks allowed the Navy to use the airport's other facilities as needed, but left the Navy to pay for any additional expenses on its own. The unit soon moved to Hangar 5 because they required more space. Starting in 1934, the NYPD also occupied a hangar for the world's first police aviation unit. The NYPD Aviation Unit occupied Hangar 4. In 1935, the
United States Coast Guard wrote a letter to the city requesting that part of Floyd Bennett Field be set aside for Coast Guard use. In 1936, a square parcel of Floyd Bennett Field along Jamaica Bay, covering an approximately area, was leased to the Coast Guard for the creation of
Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn (CGAS Brooklyn). In February 1937, the Graves-Quinn Corporation was hired to create a hangar, barracks building, garages, and "other support facilities" for the new Coast Guard station. The $1 million facility opened in June 1938. At the time, the Coast Guard was only paying $1 per year in rent, which was insufficient in light of Floyd Bennett Field's commercial troubles. The Navy expanded in 1937 and again in 1939 (see ). The Navy wished to further expand its presence in Floyd Bennett Field, and in June 1940, the government started a third, $1 million expansion of the naval facilities there. It built barracks for 125 Naval Reserve cadets, expanded Hangar 2, The city valued Floyd Bennett Field at $15 million, but was at first uncertain about whether to sell the airport. The city wanted to retain control of the airport because the NYPD base was housed there. La Guardia also felt that the federal government might buy the airport for less than the assessed price of $15 million because it had already paid for improvements. Throughout this time, World War II's
European theater was growing in intensity. In December 1940, while the Navy and the city were in negotiations about the proposed sale of Floyd Bennett Field, the Navy pilot
Eddie August Schneider died in a training crash on the tarmac, together with another pilot whom he was training. A security survey, conducted in spring 1941, weighed the benefits and drawbacks of Floyd Bennett Field. The benefit was that the Navy already had a base there, but the drawback was that it was going to be too hard to manage both military and civilian traffic at the same airport. The solution was to close the airport to all civilian uses (see ). The federal government ultimately contributed $4.7 million toward Floyd Bennett Field's expansion, while the city spent only slightly more than $339,000. The WPA constructed two extra runways; expanded hangars and
airport aprons; erected extra maintenance buildings; added a passenger tunnel under the administration building; and placed utility wires and pipes underground. The WPA also planted a landscaped lawn in front of the administration building. The work involved the demolition of a brick chimney at the south end of Barren Island, which lay in the way of one of the new runways. There were plans to add four more hangars and two more ramps to the existing seaplane base, but they were not acted upon due to low passenger traffic volumes. The expanded seaplane base was also in the path of Runway 12–30, which was added as part of the WPA renovations. Because the base was not going to be expanded, the Coast Guard started using the unfinished seaplane base for their own purposes. The Coast Guard added a new hangar, a taxiway, and three radio towers. The Navy, which already occupied part of Floyd Bennett Field, unveiled plans to expand its facilities there in 1938. The next year, the timeline was moved up due to World War II in Europe. In 1939, the Navy started constructing a base for 24 seaplanes at Floyd Bennett Field, in preparation for expanding its "neutrality patrol" activities during
World War II. After its 1939 expansion, the Navy occupied Hangars 1 and 2; the new Building A in between Hangars 1 and 2; and half of the field's "Dope Shop". In January 1940, Congress approved the Navy's request to take over ownership of in Floyd Bennett Field so it could construct a new base. Like the Coast Guard, the Navy would lease the land for $1 per year, but if the Navy stopped using their facilities at Floyd Bennett Field, the Navy base's ownership would revert to the New York City government.
Naval Air Station New York Acquisition Changes to the Navy's expansion plan were announced on May 25, 1941. As part of the plan, all private airlines were ordered to leave, and all remaining residents on Barren Island would be evicted to make way for a larger facility. On May 26, 1941, the airport was closed to all commercial and general aviation uses. A week later, on June 2, the Navy opened
Naval Air Station New York (NAS New York) with an air show that attracted 30,000 The audience included Navy undersecretary
James Forrestal; Admiral
Harold R. Stark; Rear Admiral
Clark H. Woodward, commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard; Rear Admiral
Chester W. Nimitz; Rear Admiral
John H. Towers; New York City mayor La Guardia, and Brooklyn borough president
John Cashmore. By fall 1941, the Navy decided that Floyd Bennett Field was the best place to put its air station in New York. After the
attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Navy sought to acquire the property, as well as surrounding land, as soon as possible.
Artemus Gates, the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air, wrote a letter to La Guardia stating that the Navy was willing to take over control of Floyd Bennett Field for a price of $9.75 million. This offer was substantially less than La Guardia's asking price of $15 million,
World War II The Navy awarded the first contract for upgrades to Floyd Bennett Field on December 17, 1941. Demolition of the future barracks site on the western side of the field started in spring 1941. Most of the new structures were designed to be removable because of the possibility that Floyd Bennett Field might become a civilian airfield again after the war. In accordance with military conventions, all the buildings at Floyd Bennett Field were given numbers. During the war, NAS New York hosted several
naval aviation units of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, including three land-based antisubmarine patrol squadrons, a scout observation service unit, and two
Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) squadrons (processing the majority of the aircraft destined for the
Pacific Theater). NAS New York served as a training facility, as well as a base where Navy boats could load supplies and officers. NAS New York aircraft also patrolled the Atlantic coastline and engaged German
U-boats. In addition, Navy
WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) took up several positions, including those of air traffic controllers, parachute riggers, and aviation machinist's mates. The
Military Air Transport Service opened an East Coast terminal at Floyd Bennett Field in December 1943. More than 20,000 new aircraft were delivered to NAS New York during the war, and more than 46,000 aircraft movements were recorded from December 1943 to November 1945. CGAS Brooklyn worked in conjunction with NAS New York, patrolling
New York Harbor as well as testing equipment, training soldiers, and delivering supplies. Starting in 1944, CGAS Brooklyn tested Navy craft and trained the pilots.
Korean to Vietnam Wars In 1946, after the conclusion of World War II, many naval stations were decommissioned or downgraded. As part of these cutbacks, Floyd Bennett Field became a
Naval Air Reserve station. At the time, it was the largest Naval Air Reserve base in the U.S. The Navy demolished many of the temporary structures, including the barracks, as well as the outdated Sperry floodlights. The Navy renovated the recreation field on the southern side of Floyd Bennett Field. The NYPD Aviation Unit resumed its operations at the Naval Air Reserve base. The Port Authority hoped to spend $1.5 million to improve facilities for airlines with
foreign registrations. However, the partial conversion of Floyd Bennett Field commercial use was delayed over concerns of cost: the Navy estimated that it would cost $1.2 million to move its facilities, but the Port Authority would not spend more than $750,000 for the Navy to do this. The Navy mostly operated on the southern and eastern parts of the airport during this time. By September 1947, the Port Authority and the Navy were deadlocked, unable to reach an agreement. Commercial traffic at Floyd Bennett Field ultimately never materialized, as the airspace congestion near LaGuardia Airport was resolved. The Navy allowed
New York Air National Guard and the
U.S. Army Air Reserve to use the hangars on the condition that their activities did not interfere with the Navy's. The Coast Guard regained control of CGAS Brooklyn, and it also began leasing nearly of the Navy base adjoining CGAS Brooklyn's southern border. By 1950,
Cold War and
Korean War preparations were underway, Simultaneously, Governor
Nelson Rockefeller proposed a $1.4 billion development on the site. If built, Rockefeller's development would contain a
shopping mall, an
industrial park, 46,100 housing units, and the potential for 180,000 residents. On April 4, 1970, the Navy conducted its last daily formal inspections, an act that started the process of decommissioning NAS New York / Floyd Bennett Field. NAS New York's tenant squadrons and units and personnel were transferred to other naval air stations. A Naval Air Reserve Detachment, which supported non-flying units, remained as Naval Air Reserve New York / Naval Reserve Center New York. The Navy itself continued to own the land for two more years. The next month, Lindsay's administration wrote to the federal government, advocating for Floyd Bennett Field to be converted to commercial use. U.S. President
Richard Nixon supported a third proposal: turning the entirety of Floyd Bennett Field into a
national park. In May, the president started the process of getting Congressional approval for this move. The state government objected, since the neighboring
Marine Park was not used. In the meantime, Floyd Bennett Field was only sparsely used by Coast Guard and NYPD helicopters.
National Park Service stewardship Creation and early years The
United States House of Representatives approved the creation of
Gateway National Recreation Area in September 1972, and most of the land was transferred to the
National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion in Gateway National Recreation Area. In the same vote, the House denied the state's provision to create a housing development at Floyd Bennett Field. The recreation area was officially created on October 27, 1972. The National Park Service acquired most of the Navy-owned portion of the field, as well as some city-owned land to the west and north that had not been owned by the Navy. Floyd Bennett Field became the headquarters for the Gateway Area's Jamaica Bay unit. The Coast Guard was able to gain ownership of CGAS Brooklyn, which it then proceeded to expand. In circa 1973, new concrete barracks were erected on the site of the former World War II-era barracks. The remainder of Floyd Bennett Field was owned separately by the Naval Air Reserve Detachment, as well as the
United States Department of the Interior (the NPS' parent agency) and the
United States Department of Transportation (the Coast Guard's parent agency). The NYPD's aviation unit continued to lease space in hangar 3, and later also started leasing hangar 4. The park opened in 1974. Most of the National Park Service's early actions regarding Floyd Bennett Field focused on promoting recreational activities. Due to a lack of funds, the NPS let much of the physical field revert to its natural state. The NPS added tents in two areas of Floyd Bennett Field, which it then designated as campgrounds. Around 1974, the NPS also planted pine trees near the field's southern boundary, forming the "Ecology Village". By 1979, the NPS had developed a "General Management Plan" for the entire Gateway Area. The plan allowed for Floyd Bennett Field to be divided into three management zones: the "Natural Area", the "Developed Area", and the "Administrative Area". It also created the new William Fitts Ryan Visitor Center within the former administration building. In 1980, many of the airport's structures were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
1990s In 1988, the NPS started seeking plans for private developments at Floyd Bennett Field. Many of these plans, including those for
condominium housing and an
amusement park, were dismissed. By the 1990s, the NPS began looking for commercial tenants to occupy the deteriorating hangars. The NYPD moved their aviation operation from a hangar to the former Coast Guard Air Station facilities shortly afterward, under agreement with the NPS. The
New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) also moved into Floyd Bennett Field by the late 1990s, using the runways as a location for truck-driving practice. The $6 million tower was controversial, as residents protested that the tower was visually unattractive. In September 1999, the Department of the Interior granted the FAA permission to erect the radar at Floyd Bennett Field on the condition that the radar be torn down in 20 years. If a less disruptive radar was developed before then, the tower at Floyd Bennett Field had to be torn down. but were delayed because Long Island residents and U.S. Senator
Al D'Amato opposed it.
21st century The NPS issued a
request for proposals for the hangars in 2001 and received two bids, both of which contained an
ice skating rink. A company named Aviator submitted the winning bid. By the early 2000s, Ryan Center was being rehabilitated to its original state. In 2010, work started on the restoration of the building. During the 21st century, Floyd Bennett Field has been used for dealing with the aftermath of disasters. After the crash of
American Airlines Flight 587 into
Belle Harbor in the nearby
Rockaway Peninsula on November 12, 2001, one of Floyd Bennett Field's hangars was used as a makeshift
morgue for the crash victims. In the
immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in October and November 2012, a portion of one runway was used as a staging area by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, for relief workers who were conducting rescues and evacuations in the Rockaways. In July 2011, U.S. Representative
Michael G. Grimm introduced H.R. 2606 – New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act, which would convert one of Floyd Bennett Field's hangars to a
gas meter station for a proposed natural gas pipeline through New York City. The
Williams Company was to restore that hangar for pipeline use. In 2015, U.S. Senators
Chuck Schumer and
Kirsten Gillibrand announced that a bill with a $2.4 million upgrade for the New York State Marine Corps Reserve complex in Brooklyn had passed in the U.S. Congress. The next year, Gillibrand obtained $15.1 million in funding to renovate two Marine Corps Reserve facilities, including the 6th Communications Battalion, which needed $1.9 million to replace electrical duct banks. Nonprofit organization Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy presented plans to the
Brooklyn Community Board 18 in April 2023 for the restoration of three structures at Floyd Bennett Field. The same year, a charter school in Brooklyn announced plans to construct a
sustainability-themed school at Floyd Bennett Field for $60 million. In August 2023, state and federal officials reached an agreement to build a large shelter for migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, amid a
citywide migrant housing crisis caused by a sharp increase in the number of
asylum seekers traveling to the city. The shelter opened that November, but its remote location deterred many migrants. City officials announced plans in December 2024 to close the shelter. ==Description==