Building 800-Austin Hall

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name = Building 800-Austin Hall

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location = Montgomery, Alabama
lat_degrees =
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lat_direction = N
long_degrees =
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long_direction = W
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built = 1930-31
architect = Algernon Blaircite web|url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/AL/Montgomery/state.html|title=National Register of Historical Places - Alabama (AL), Montgomery County|date=2007-05-17|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
architecture = Renaissance Revival
added = March 2, 1988
refnum = 87002178
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governing_body = Federal

Building 800 - Austin Hall is located in Montgomery, Alabama on the grounds of Maxwell Air Force Base.

Maxwell Field during World War I

In Montgomery, Alabama the land that the Aviation Repair Depot (locally called Wright Field since 1910) was leased by the U.S. Army during World War I, and later purchased on January 11, 1920 for $34,327. Diminished postwar activity caused the U.S. War Department in 1919 to announce that it planned to close thirty-two facilities around the country, including the Aviation Repair Depot in Montgomery, Ala. In 1919 the Aviation Repair Depot had a $27,000 monthly civilian payroll in 1919, and was a vital part of the city's economy. The loss of the field would have been a serious blow to the local Montgomery, Ala economy. The field remained open into the early 1920s only because the War Department was slow in closing facilities. After this initial reprieve, the War Department announced in 1922 that facilities on the original closure list would indeed close in the very near future. City officials were not surprised to hear that Aviation Repair Depot remained on the list, because 350 civilian employees had been laid off in June 1921. In 1923 now named Maxwell Field (in honor of Atmore, Ala. native Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell) was one of three Army aviation depots. Maxwell Field repaired aircraft engines in support of flying training missions such as those at Taylor Field Montgomery, Ala.

Maxwell Field as was most Army air stations and depots developed during World War I, were on leased properties with temporary buildings being the mainstay of construction. These temporary buildings/shacks were built to last two to five years. By the mid-1920s, these dilapidated wartime buildings had become a national disgrace. Congressional investigations also showed that the manning strength of the U.S. Army air arm was deficient. These critical situations eventually led to the Air Corps Act of 1926 and the two major programs that dramatically transformed Army airfields. The Air Corps Act changed the name and status of the Army Air Service to the Army Air Corps, and authorized a five-year expansion program. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, this program and its companion, the 1926 Army Housing Program, produced well-designed, substantial, permanent buildings and infrastructure at all Army airfields retained after World War I.

The fight to help Maxwell Field grow

Taking up the cause of Maxwell Field was freshman Congressman Joseph Lister Hill. Born in 1896, Lister Hill was the son of Dr. Luther Leonidas Hill a distinguished physician in Montgomery, Alabama. Hill was also a WWI veteran who served with the 17th and 71st U.S. Infantry Regiments. Hill was elected on August 14, 1923, as a Democrat to the Sixty-eighth Congress which filled the vacancy caused by the death of Rep. John R. Tyson. Hill as well as other Montgomery, Ala leaders recognized the historical significance of the Wright Brother’s first military flying school (previously located at Maxwell Field) and the potential of Maxwell Field to the local economy. In 1925, Hill a member of the House Military Affairs Committee affixed an amendment to a military appropriations bill providing $200,000 for the construction of permanent buildings at Maxwell Field. This amendment did not have the approval of the War Department nor the Army Air Corps. As a result of this massive spending on Maxwell Field, the War Department kept it open. Hill recognized that to keep Maxwell Field open, it needed to be fiscally or militarily valuable to the War Department. In September 1927 Hill met with Major General Mason M. Patrick, chief of the Army Air Corps, and his assistant, Brigadier General James E. Fechet, to discuss the placement of an attack group at Maxwell Field. Both made it clear that Maxwell Field was too close to Montgomery and was not a suitable location for an attack group. In fact, they asked Hill as “a friend of the Air Corps” not to “embarrass” the Corps by asking that the group be placed there. They warned that if he persisted, they would “very much oppose” the effort. However, General Patrick not wanting to alienate the new and up and coming Congressman (who was also a member of the House Military Affairs Committee) sought to appease Hill by offering to create an observation squadron at Maxwell Field. Hill welcomed the gesture; however, the creation of an observation squadron fell short of the long term on-going mission sought by Hill for Maxwell Field.

Hill continued to argue for the attack group to be placed at Maxwell Field. He argued that because of the permanent buildings scheduled to be built, it would be fiscally advantageous for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. Hill’s arguments were an extension of ones that had been presented to him by Major Roy S. Brown, former commandant of Maxwell Field from 1922-1925. In 1927 Major Brown was the commander of the Air Corps Tactical School located at Langley Field, Va. Major Brown urged Hill to keep his name out of it because of the easily traceable insider information. Hill frustrated with the lack of positive response from Generals Patrick and Fechet, moved up the chain of command and passed on the correspondence he had with General Fechet to: Secretary of War Dwight Davis, Assistant Secretary of War for Air F. Trubee Davidson and Army Chief of Staff Charles P. Summerall. His request to them was given the answer: that they would give the matter “full consideration.”

A close call

By early 1928 the decision of the attack group had come down to Shreveport, La. and Montgomery, Ala. Both cities vied for the federal money to be spent in their respective local areas. Shreveport the more economically developed city than its counter part Montgomery won the day. In April 1928 Hill via his contacts in the War Department found out that Montgomery would not be getting the attack group. Hill flexing his congressional muscle, persuaded Assistant Secretary Davidson and now chief of the Air Corps Major General Fechet to hold off the official announcement until Montgomery had a second look by the War Department. During the interim Montgomery leaders had set forth actions to acquire over 600 acres (2.4 km²) for Maxwell Field’s expansion in hopes of wooing the War Department into placing the attack group in Montgomery.

In May 1928 General Benjamin Foulois, General Fechet's assistant, during an inspection visit with Third Army commander General Frank Parker to Maxwell Field mentioned that the Air Corps Tactical School at Langley Field, Va would be moving to a still undecided location. During his stay General Foulois met with local Chamber of Commerce chairman Jesse Hearin and Maxwell Field Post commandant Major Walter R. Weaver. Hearin and Weaver touted the feasibility of Maxwell Field and the Montgomery area for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. However, General Foulois guided the conversation towards the impending movement of the Air Corps Tactical School and he favored Maxwell Field for the new home. Hearin immediately worked up an option on another one thousand acres (4 km²) for the Air Corps Tactical School should Montgomery not be favored with the attack group.

In July 1928, word “via rumor” of the decision for the establishment of an attack group came out that Shreveport was indeed the victor of the final decision. In December 1928, after much debate and political maneuvering it was announced officially by the Assistant Secretary of War that Shreveport would be getting the attack group and that the Army Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) would be coming to Maxwell Field. The move to Maxwell Field from Langley Field was initially expected to increase Maxwell Field’s population by eighty officers and 300 enlisted. In 1928 it was expected that the ACTS would be to the Army Air Corps what Fort Benning, Ga was to the infantry.

The establishment of ACTS at Maxwell

January 15, 1929 it was announced that the ACTS would be twice as large as originally planned. On February 11, 1929 it was announced that $1,644,298 had been allowed for ACTS construction. This was not including an additional $324,000 the Secretary of War had approved previously for non-commissioned officer barracks and a school building on January 16, 1929 after a conference with Congressman Lister Hill. March 12, 1929 a conference between a Major Kennedy chief of Buildings and Grounds of the Army Air Corps and commandant of the ACTS, and Congressman Lister Hill to determine the locations of the buildings and types of construction.

July 9, 1929 Captain Walter J. Reed U.S. Army Air Corps and a battery of attorneys checked titles for the land. The War Department also announced the same day that the plan had changed to where the ACTS would be four times as large as originally planned with 200 officers and 1,000 enlisted men. At the time this made Maxwell Field the largest (as far as personnel) Army Air Corps installation in the southeast. Approximately 300 signatures to the deed of the land occupied by the Air Corps Tactical School were signed, of which, one was signed by a minor. Chairman of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce James Hearin said “several cases had to be taken to court.” Despite the obvious rush for signatures by October 5, 1929, deeds to the land were signed and mailed to the War Department.

Expansion of Maxwell Field begins

December 17, 1929 Congressman Lister Hill introduced a bill to appropriate $320,000 for the acquiring of 1,075 acres (4.4 km²) of land in Montgomery County as apart of an expansion program for Maxwell Field. This was a particularly bold move at the time by Hill because “Black Tuesday” October 29, 1929 was the date of the stock market crash. Effects of the crash had yet to take place; however, the panic caused by the crash had certainly captured Montgomery’s attention.

January 25, 1930 President Herbert Hoover asked Congress to re-appropriate an additional $100,000 for the main school building at Maxwell Field. President Hoover’s policy was to speed public works to offset unemployment. February 1930 Congressman Hill’s resolution was passed in the House of Representatives, 80 acres were to be added to Maxwell Field for expansion purposes. The bill carried an item for $100,000 for construction of a tactical school building with a total sum available of $136,000. The actual cost of the building ended up being $132,034.14. Funds appropriated for Maxwell Field total construction was $689,000 not including the $136,000 available for the school house.

The construction of Austin Hall

George B. Ford and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., designed the overall layout of Maxwell. They were hired by the Army Quartermaster Corps. Ford used an approach that clustered similar functions together. This technique provided plenty of open space and gave each cluster a distinct appearance. Construction plans were approved by General Feche and Congressman Hill for a school house of approximately 29,500 square feet (2,740 m²) constructed of hollow tile and stucco, tile roof and walls with a white stucco finish. The expected operational date of the building was July 1931.

On September 15, 1930 Congressman Lister Hill broke ground for the project. Rain forced abandonment of the outdoor ceremonies that were intended to mark the start of the project. Congressman Hill along with other national and local area dignitaries and Major Weaver post commander hurriedly transferred the ceremonies to the Maxwell Field officer’s club Congressman Hill the principal speaker, announced at the ceremony that the project was to be completed in 300 days at an approximate cost of $119,273. Hill also announced that for the tactical school program there was $1,903,400 available of which $1,703,400 was to be spent on buildings. The remaining $200,000 was to be used for the appropriation of additional land. Hill added that he expected an additional $375,000 more for buildings with another $1,300,200 to be added soon afterwards.

Blair Algernon is credited for being the architect and A.C. Samford was the contractor for the construction project. There were complaints about using imported labor, on April 4, 1931 Captain M.A. McFadden who was in charge of construction said at a local Rotary Club meeting that ninety percent of the labor employed in the construction was local labor. Montgomery area residents were understandably protective of all employment opportunities during this time period; the payroll of workers at Maxwell Field exceeded $2,000 daily.

Austin Hall opens

By August 28, 1931 sixty-four officers with spouses and other family members started to arrive at Maxwell Field in preparation of the grand opening of the school house. The school house was built in the Renaissance Revival style of architecture. Elements of this style were borrowed from fifteenth century Italian Renaissance merchant palaces and public buildings. The school house’s hipped roof, corner quoins, and classical entrance gave the feeling of both formality and elegance.

On September 4, 1931 the school house (Building 800) was formally dedicated in honor of 1st, U.S. Army Air Corps. First Lieutenant Austin was an instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School when the school was at Langley Field. Lieutenant Austin was born in Vermillion Grove, Illinois on January 7, 1891. Austin had graduated from DePauw University in 1913. He was scholastically outstanding to the point where he was selected for a membership in Phi Beta Kappa. On October 11, 1917 he enlisted as a flying cadet and attended ground school as a cadet at the University of Illinois. He received his flight training at Rich and Ellington Fields in Houston, Texas. On March 30, 1918 Austin received his commission in the aviation section of the Signal Officers Reserve Corps and was promoted to first lieutenant in the regular army July 1, 1920. Austin served England, Mitchel Field, New York, France Field, Canal Zone (now the Republic of Panama) and Langley Field, Virginia. First Lieutenant Austin served with distinction at Langley Field as an instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School and received a letter of commendation for his efforts. On July 27, 1928 Lieutenant Austin died following illness and a subsequent operation. Major John F. Curry, commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School thought all personnel associated with the school would profit by the example Austin set.

Austin Hall as a critical training and education hub

On September 17, 1931 the first ACTS training occurred at Maxwell Field, Ala. Forty-one students met at 8:40 a.m. in the operations office conference room for general instruction. Classes were divided into sections, with some pilots sent on check flights; while others were sent out to become familiar with the surrounding countryside to become familiar with emergency landing field locations.

The morning of September 22, 1931 opening exercises of the Air Corps Tactical School were held. On September 24, 1931 the Air Corps Tactical School was officially launched. The address was made by Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps also attending were Congressman Lister Hill and commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School Major John F. Curry. General Fechet along with announcing his impending retirement, declared that the forty one student officers could be future generals of the Air Corps. At a later luncheon General Fechet also lauded Montgomery’s attitude toward the Air Corps.

The 1931-1932 faculty included Army Air Corps (AC), Army Infantry (Inf), Army Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) and Army Field Artillery (FA) instructors. Initially, the school's curriculum reflected the dominating influence of General William "Billy" Mitchell. Mitchell was a strong believer in the importance of gaining and maintaining air superiority during a conflict. He argued strongly for pursuit aircraft in combination with bombers. Mitchell regarded enemy pursuit forces as the most serious threat to successful bombing operations and felt that the task of American pursuit was not necessarily to escort bombers but to seek out and attack enemy fighters. During the first five years of the school's operation, Mitchell's beliefs formed the basis for instruction at the tactical school. However, by the mid-1920s the school's emphasis had shifted from pursuit to bombardment aviation.

1931-1932 ACTS Faculty

Lt. Col. John F. Curry, AC, CommandantMaj. Hume Peabody, AC, Assistant Commandant1st Lt. John D. Barker, AC, SecretaryMaj. Vernon G. Olsmith, Inf, InstructorMaj. Harry A. Flint, Cav, InstructorMaj. Vernon E. Prichard, FA, InstructorMaj. Robert C. Candee, AC, InstructorMaj. Donald Wilson, AC, InstructorCapt. George H. Weems, Inf, InstructorCapt. Charles W. Walton, CWS, InstructorCapt. David S. Seaton, AC, InstructorCapt. Edmund W. Hill, AC, InstructorCapt. Claire L. Chennault, AC, InstructorCapt. James T. Curry, Jr., AC, InstructorCapt. Charles McK. Robinson, AC, Instructor1st Lt. Kenneth N. Walker, AC, Instructor

Maxwell's continuous growth

On July 16, 1933 Congressman Lister Hill secured approval from the War Department for $1,650,075 for immediate spending at Maxwell Field. Hill’s request was justified by increased enrollment at the Air Corps Tactical School and the desperate need for employment for the local Montgomery population. At the start of October 1933 bids opened for four construction projects that were to start immediately (1933-1934 construction at Maxwell Field, Ala employed an average of 500 plus workers). The contract for the addition to Austin Hall was the last to be resolved. Bidding opened for the contract to construct Austin Hall on January 16, 1934. On January 18, 1934 it was announced that the Algernon Blair Company of Montgomery had received the contract. Construction started on the project after the Air Corps Tactical School 1933-34 session closed in June. Algernon Blair made of all his company assets available to insure the project was finished by the fall. On September 5, 1934 Austin Hall was officially turned over to the Army Air Corps by the Algernon Blair Company; even though some areas of the building had been in use since August 31, 1934. The addition made Austin Hall more than double the size of the original building to 60640 square feet. The final cost for the construction for the additions to the south and front ends of the original structure was $107,627. Because of the additions to Austin Hall it would not only include classrooms it would also be the new staff headquarters for the ACTS. The additions to Austin Hall included executive offices, classrooms and assembly halls; a library was located in the extreme southern tip of the building.

Modern-day Austin Hall

As of July 8, 1940 Austin Hall was home for the Head Quarters of the Southeast Air Corps Training Center. The Southeast Air Corps Training Center was responsible for all pilot, navigator and bombardier training in the southeast. At one time during World War II the headquarters in Austin Hall controlled 30 plus major installations and 23 war service training organizations. Command jurisdiction for the Southeast Air Corps Training Center extended from Maine to Florida and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi river valley. By the end of the war more than 100,000 aviation cadets had received training from the Southeast Air Corps Training Center. On November 29, 1945 the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics moved to Maxwell Field, (utilizing Austin Hall as its headquarters) from Orlando AAF Station. On November 29, 1945 the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics also became a major command with Lieutenant General David Schlatter as the commander. On March 12, 1946 the Army Air Forces re-designated the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics as Air University (AU). The re-designated Air University was commanded by former ACTS instructor Lieutenant General Muir S. Fairchild with Lieutenant General David Schlatter as the vice commander. It was hoped that the re-designated Air University would help correct the numerous problems and deficiencies that had plagued pre-war military educational system.

Historical status

On April 2, 1988 Austin Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The period of significance for the placement of Austin Hall on the register was 1925–1949. The historical significance of Austin Hall’s placement on the register was the movement of the ACTS as well as Austin Hall’s rich history through 1949. Moreover, the Algernon Blair Company and Samford Brother’s Inc. involvement for Architecture/Engineering are noted for their significant effort.

Many great leaders have walked the halls of Austin Hall, and many more have been led by those same leaders. Austin Hall continues on, as has it had in the past, as the headquarters of the intellectual center of the United State Air Force; and Air University continues on making a difference one student at a time.

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