Naval Air Station Wildwood was a
United States Navy airport located in
Lower Township,
Cape May County,
New Jersey,
United States,
[ - The zoning map shows the airport in the township boundaries.] about northwest of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Wildwood, a city in the same county.
[, effective 2008-06-05] Former Hangar #1 now contains the
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at the Cape May Airport in Lower Township, New Jersey, Lower Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States.
History
The Cape May A ...
, whose collection focuses on
World War II.
History
The airport started in 1941 as NAS Rio Grande, named for its location near
Rio Grande, New Jersey. Due to confusion with
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
,
Texas, the name was changed to NAS Wildwood in 1943, in relation to
Wildwood, New Jersey. Following the end of World War II, Naval Air Station Wildwood was deemed excess to U.S. Navy requirements. It was subsequently deeded to the local government for transition to a civilian airport which is still in operation today as
Cape May Airport. The surviving portions of the historic airfield, including its runways and taxiways, were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Historic district
The Naval Air Station Wildwood Historic District is an
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
encompassing the airfield, bounded by Forrestal and Monterre Roads, and the runways and taxiways to the north and east. The district includes two
contributing buildings
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
and one
contributing structure
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
. It was added for its significance in military history from 1942 to 1945.
[ With accompanying 15 photos.]
See also
*
References
{{Authority control
Lower Township, New Jersey
United States Naval Air Stations
Military installations closed in the 1940s
Airports in New Jersey
1941 establishments in New Jersey
1945 disestablishments in New Jersey
Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Closed installations of the United States Navy