Remembering Those Who Have Gone Before

 

MIAMI, FLORIDA – January 2, 2026 — The National Park Service has approved the creation of a Pan Am Historic District at Miami International Airport for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing historic buildings that once served as the mother base of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). 

 

Spanning more than five decades of aviation history, from the dawn of commercial aviation to the Jet Age, the unique concentration of aviation resources illustrates Pan Am’s transformation from a pioneering airline into a global carrier significantly impacting modern international travel, diplomacy, and commerce.  It further documents the importance of Pan Am’s NW 36th Street Airport, which fostered Miami’s emergence as a global aviation hub.  

 

Pan Am first privately built and owned the airport in 1928 and was wholly responsible for its operation until January 1, 1946, when the airport was acquired by the Dade County Port Authority. The airport was subsequently greatly expanded to become MIA as we know it today.    

 

The nomination for this historic designation was submitted by the Hangar 5 Foundation, Inc., a Miami based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of the history of aviation in Greater Miami and the Sunshine State.   

 

“This Federal designation recognizes that Pan Am’s legacy is about far more than a single airline—it is about how the United States first connected to the world through commercial aviation,” said Deborah Stander, president of the Hangar 5 Foundation. “Preserving these buildings ensures that future generations can understand Pan Am’s role–and Miami’s role–in shaping global travel, international relations, and Miami’s emergence as a gateway city. Together, these sites now stand as a cornerstone of American aviation history.”

 

The newly designated Pan Am Historic District includes five contributing Pan American World Airways historic buildings at Miami International Airport’s North Field, each representing a distinct chapter in the city’s aviation legacy:

 

• Pan Am Hangar 5 (built in 1929), the last and largest of the airline’s original hangars at the former NW 36th Street Airport, is today the oldest surviving building at Miami International Airport.  Still in use and in remarkable condition, Pan Am Hangar 5 continues to occupy the same spot on which it was built 97 years ago, providing a living link to the birth of international commercial aviation.

• Pan American’s double-hangar, shop, and office complex (built in 1943) was constructed after improvements in aircraft technology signaled a return to land-based operations, succeeding the famous 1930’s era of Pan Am flying boats operated by the airline from Dinner Key.  Immediately upon its completion, the huge new 36th Street double hangar was put into use as a major maintenance base for Pan Am’s significant World War II collaboration with the U.S. Army Air Transport Command.

• The Pan Am Latin American Division Headquarters and Stewardess College (built in 1964), was locally designated as historic in 2014.  This architecturally stunning building, once popularly known as the “Taj Mahal,” is currently being meticulously and respectfully renovated and repurposed as a VIP passenger terminal, slated to open later in the year.

• Pan Am’s system-wide jet maintenance and overhaul base (built in 1964), a seven-acres-under-one-roof facility described as a “city within a city,” was the most technologically advanced jet overhaul facility in the world upon its completion and supported the airline’s global jet operations at their peak.

• The Pan Am International Flight Academy (built in 1980) remains in active use today as a premier international training center and retains a lobby featuring historic Pan Am artifacts and photographs

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The historic district designation also reflects decades of work by organizations committed to preserving and interpreting Pan Am’s legacy. The Pan Am Historical Foundation has focused on research, archival preservation, and the safeguarding of historic Pan Am materials, including ongoing efforts to preserve and digitize rare film and audiovisual footage documenting the airline’s operations and its role in global aviation history. 

 

The Pan Am Museum Foundation, based in Garden City, N.Y., operates the Pan Am Museum and works to make Pan Am’s history accessible to the public through exhibitions, educational programming, and digital outreach, including a history and humanities podcast, The Pan Am Podcast, and a YouTube channel that feature firsthand accounts, historical analysis, and archival material. 

 

Together, the organizations have helped ensure that Pan Am’s contributions to aviation, international travel, and world cultural history remain part of the public record.