Naval Air Station Glenview Museum collection to be preserved

October 3, 2025 – The Glenview History Center and Glenview Hangar One Foundation finalized an agreement Wednesday, October 1 to formally transfer stewardship of the Naval Air Station Museum Collection to the Glenview History Center, marking an important milestone in the preservation of Glenview’s proud military and aviation legacy.
The Glenview Hangar One collection includes more than 2,000 photographs, posters and prints; 1,200 digital images; 10 linear feet of papers and publications; a Sikorsky helicopter, a WWII TBM Avenger aircraft piston engine raised from Lake Michigan, a 1960s Link trainer/simulator, a carrier plane tail-hook and WWII LSO paddles, service member uniforms and more.
“This is a legacy-defining moment for our organization,” said Thomas FitzGibbon, President of the Glenview Hangar One Foundation. “The Glenview Hangar One Foundation was started more than 30 years ago to honor the stories, history and heroes of Naval Air Station Glenview. By passing the collection to the Glenview History Center, we are confident that this history will be shared with generations to come in a way that is accessible, meaningful and enduring.”
As part of the agreement, the Glenview History Center has committed to including Glenview Hangar One Foundation representatives in planning efforts and governance, including a seat on the GHC Board. As part of the transfer of the collection, the Foundation will also transfer all the remaining funds to Glenview History Center for expenses related to the preservation of the collection.
Additionally, the Glenview History Center will work with the Village of Glenview and Glenview Public Library on the development of a plan to evaluate locations for a permanent museum space honoring the Hangar One collection.
“This is a collection of artifacts that tell the story of Glenview’s role in local and national history,” said Susan Johns, President of the Glenview History Center. “We are honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and look forward to collaborating with the Glenview Hangar One Foundation to preserve and share this story.”
Naval Air Station Glenview was originally built as Curtiss-Reynolds Airfield in 1929. Following the stock market crash and Great Depression, the Navy began leasing space at the property in 1937.
In the years leading up to and during World War II, Naval Air Station Glenview was the largest primary training facility of the U.S. Navy. Nearly 9,000 aviation cadets received primary flight training at this site, and an additional 17,000 pilots were qualified for carrier landings through the Carrier Qualification Training Units.
Former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush served or trained at NAS Glenview, as did astronaut Neil Armstrong.
The site remained in operation until 1995, when it was redeveloped into The Glen, a mixed-use development that brought 5,500 new residents, thousands of new jobs and nearly 1.9 million square feet of retail, restaurant, hotel and office space into the Village of Glenview.