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NASA Glenn’s Arrival in Cleveland

Image Gallery for the NASA Glenn's Arrival in Cleveland website: www.nasa.gov/nasa-glenns-arrival-in-cleveland/. In 1940, the NACA sought a location for its new engine research laboratory (today NASA Glenn Research Center). Cleveland, Ohio’s aviation industry and renowned airport made it a leading contender for the site, but it was the steadfast effort of a small cadre of local officials that secured the agreement. The endeavor has generated over 75 years of technical and economic impact for Cleveland.

Aerial of the Air Races Parking Lot, Circa 1938. This land later became the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory on January...
Aerial of the Air Races Parking Lot,
Construction of the Glenn Martin Company factory in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood (3/25/1918).
Exterior view of building construction.
Clevelanders view the 1935 National Air Races. These grandstands would be removed for the new NACA engine lab.
Crowd seated in grandstand.
The thousands of automobiles that brought more than 60,000 spectators to the National Air Races are parked beside the Cleveland...
1930s automobiles lined up in parking lot.
Postcard depicting the Cleveland Municipal Airport as it appeared in 1940.
Illustration of blimp floating over airport.
General Henry Arnold, head of the Army Air Corps, is greeted by the NACA’s Director of Research, George Lewis, during...
Two men shaking hands.
The NACA Executive Committee meets in December 1942.
Group of men sitting at conference table.
Publicity image for the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory (1943).
Collage with wind tunnel aircraft and researcher.
The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine was typical of the reciprocating engines that needed improvement for World War...
Aircraft engine.
The Senate opens the 76th U.S. Congress in January 1939. This body approved funding for the NACA’s engine lab in...
Senators in chamber.
Russell G. Robinson was the key NACA figure in rating the proposed sites for the engine laboratory (1950).
Man seated at desk.
John Victory, Cliff Gildersleeve, and Ray Sharp (left to right) reconvene in 1955.
Three men standing on steps
Surveyors exmaine the site of the NACA’s new engine research lab (1941).
Black and white image of surveyors on an open field.
Northward view of the Air Race grandstands with the future site of the NACA lab behind (1929).
Observation tower for air races at Cleveland's air port.
View of the NACA lab in 1946 shows the Metropolitan Park (right) along its north and west borders.
Aerial view of research laboratory.
A section of the grandstand for the Air Races can be seen at the left before its demolition. The NACA’s...
Road beside hangar.
The CEI Plant on the Lake Erie shore supplied power to the NACA laboratory (1954).
Aerial view of electrical plant.
NACA Executive Secretary John Victory examines model of the new Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in 1944.
Man viewing model of NACA campus.
Cleveland Press article featuring key members of negotiating team and aerial view of the site (11/25/1940).
Newspaper article.
John Victory swears Fred Crawford into the NACA Executive Committee in 1955, as Ray Sharp observes.
Three men standing by flag.
Aerial view of the proposed engine lab site and the Cleveland Municipal Airport in the 1930s. The lines in the...
Aerial view of Cleveland airport.
Cleveland Law Director Henry Brainard (left) and Mayor Harold Burton sign the property deed over to the NACA (11/27/1940).
Two men reviewing document at desk.
George Lewis, NACA Chief of Research, speaks at the Dedication of the NACA's Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory (AERL). Front row...
Man out outdoor podium.
The Altitude Wind Tunnel was run at night so that its massive power loads were met when regional electric demands...
Wind tunnel building at night.
The Cleveland Press ran this editorial cartoon on November 26, 1940 as Cleveland formally transferred the site to the NACA.
Editorial cartoon.
January 23, 1941 groundbreaking ceremony at the NACA Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory: left to right (does not include two individuals...
Several men in 1941 stand in an empty field. Two have shovels full of soil for a groundbreaking ceremony
The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce held a civic luncheon at the the Rainbow Room of the Hotel Carter to mark...
Table with pick and shovel and photographs displayed.
The pick and shovel from the groundbreaking were rediscovered in 2007 and incorporated into this exhibit in the Employee Center.
Display case with portrait, pick, and shovel.
The NACA’s new Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory as construction winds down in June 1943.
Aerial view NACA campus.
The Glenn Research Center as it appeared in 2016, 75 years after ground was broken for the new laboratory.
Aerial Photo of Glenn Research Center