Tom Wharton, Salt Lake Tribune, December 31, 2008
Wendover » The remains of the venerable Wendover Airfield are barely visible to passengers of thousands of cars that cross the Utah-Nevada border on Interstate 80 each day.
Some might even dismiss the sight as a mirage in the desert, where everything appears somewhat surreal. 
Only a few history buffs know the role this desolate base -- once made up of 668 buildings housing 20,000 soldiers -- played in the saga that ended World War II with America's atomic bombing of Japan.
This is where Col. Paul Tibbetts organized a squadron trained on B-29 bombers including the Enola Gay and the Bockscar, the planes that dropped the devastating bombs. Wendover's remote geography helped keep the top-secret mission under wraps.
Now Tooele County and the nonprofit Historic Wendover Airfield organization are trying to match a $450,000 federal Save America's Treasures grant to restore the rusting hulk of a hangar that once housed the two planes that bombed Japan.
"Our vision for this place is to preserve as many of the World War II buildings as possible," so visitors can get a feeling of what the airfield was like, said Jim Petersen, Wendover Airport director. "This is the most original remaining Army Air Corps base ... If we had unlimited money, this would be the Williamsburg, Va., of the Army Air Corps."
Just fewer than 100 of the original buildings remain, and many are in disrepair.
Work is under way to turn the old officer's club into a community center, expanded museum and perhaps a cafe. About $300,000 is needed to complete that project, said Jack Peake, director of the airfield's nonprofit group, adding he expects about half of the restoration to be completed by the annual Wendover Air Show next September.
In addition, a new terminal, designed to look like the older World War II vintage buildings on the flight lines, is scheduled to open in March.
The key to the project, though, is restoring the Enola Gay hangar completed in February 1945.
The old building these days serves as a quasi storage area. Though the structure is sound, many of the windows are broken and the wooden sides of the massive hangar that served as offices or housed equipment are in bad shape. A dead raven hangs from a piece of netting.
"The foundation and girders are in good shape but the sides of the building need support," Petersen said. "The metal roof leaks."
The Save America's Treasure grant will be used to "work on the exterior of the building so there is no further deterioration," he said.
While preservation work proceeds, there is still plenty to see at the base.
A small museum in the base's old operations center enables visitors to view a video, see a replica of the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima and view memorabilia on the role the base played in the Manhattan Project.
Visitors can pick up a driving tour brochure of the base that includes a map explaining the role each building played in the mission. Those who want more details can sign up with the Intermountain Guide Service for a $25 one- to two-hour tour of the base, which includes interpretation and a chance to get to hard-to-find areas such as the cement pits where the 155 prototype nuclear bombs (they had everything but the nuclear material in them) were assembled for training.
They also can climb to the top of the control tower for a better view of the base or tour "The Jailbird," a C-123 cargo plane used as a prop in the movie "Con Air," much of which was filmed at the base. Other movies filmed in Wendover or nearby include "Independence Day," the Ang Lee version of "The Hulk" and "The Core."
The driving tour includes a stop at the old base swimming pool where Steve Buscemi's character in "Con Air" enjoyed a tea party with a young girl. Wooden hangars that housed the B-17s and B-24s are also well-preserved.
One of the newest additions to the base is a F-86L Korean War vintage fighter plane recently moved from Battle Mountain, Nev., with help from Young Electric Sign and the Nevada National Guard.
Petersen and Peake would eventually like to have many World War II vintage planes including a B-29 like the one displayed, though restorations and acquisitions of the vintage planes can be expensive and difficult.
The Enola Gay is on display at a Smithsonian museum near Washington Dulles International Airport, while the Bockscar plane is housed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Trailer houses used by Russian inspectors to make certain Americans were complying with the SALT treaties and decommissioning nuclear weapons have even been moved to the airfield, making it possible to see where the atomic age started and, in some cases, ended, in a single place.
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ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION AROUND THE GLOBE
SAVE THESE DATES FOR UHF EVENTS
NEW FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Utah's National Register is ONLINE!
Utah's National Register of Historic Places nominations have been digitized and are now online.
LOCAL ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION
New sounds in an old Murray theater - Brian Maffly, Salt Lake Tribune, December 31, 2008
HISTORIC BUILDINGS FOR SALE OR LEASE
(Inquire here for more information about listing in this section.)
A Victorian / Queen Anne home for sale
3rd Avenue, Salt Lake City
The house has been in the family for four generations and has never been sold.
Original formal rooms including parlor, library (with original pocket doors) and dining room.
Original fire places, woodwork and pantry. Three bedroom and three bathrooms. Two car garage.
Some decor may be available for purchase with the home.
Contact: Margaret 801-467-9222
ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION AROUND THE GLOBE
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April 30 - May 2
Utah Preservation Conference
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Traditional Building Skills Institute Workshops - Ephraim, UT
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NEW FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Story of the Week - Best & Worst 2008: This Year's Outstanding Wins, Great Saves, and Sad Losses
Magazine Editors, Online Only, December 26, 2008
Public Policy Weekly Bulletin - December 31, 2008, Vol. 3, Issue 27 - Read about the National Trust's proposed preservation stimulus package to Congress and the incoming Obama administration that would benefit a wide array of historic and cultural resources.
Teardown Tools on the Web - An Online Guide for Planners, Homeowners, and Advocates.
Highlights approximately 30 tools that are being used by communities around the country in response to teardowns with direct web links to more than 300 examples in 32 states. Teardown Tools on the Web is part of the Teardowns Initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and intended as an easy-to-share, user-friendly, one-stop-shop for people looking for tools to better manage teardowns.
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Seeking funds for planning your preservation project or to hire a consultant to get that project off the ground? Apply for a grant from the Utah Preservation Initiatives Fund (UPIF) by contacting Amy Cole at the National Trust for Historic Preservation at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (303) 623-1504. Grants are available in three rounds per year - February 1, June 1 and October 1 - and awarded on a competitive basis!
