First Municpal Airport Lowe Field Historical

First Municpal Airport Lowe Field Historical (HM1WOT)

Location: Sarasota, FL 34232 Sarasota County
Buy Florida State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 27° 20.884', W 82° 29.846'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 437 views
Inscription
(side 1)
On January 12, 1929, Sarasota dedicated its first municipal airport located on 160 acres jsut west of Oriente Avenue, now Beneva Road, and north of Fruitville Rd. Pilots performed aerial maneuvers and stunts for the crowd, many of whom felt an airport was critical to future growth of the city. An earlier airfield located on the fairgrounds east of Oriente Avenue closed when the Fair Association deeded its holdings to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for winter quarters.

During the economic depression of the 1930's, business leaders and aviators promoted Sarasota's growing air industry. in 1931, a hangr to house five planes was added alongside Oriente Avenue. The Chamber of Commerce sponsored air tours and other flying exhibitions. Various flying schools operated out of the airfield in the winter months when the sod runways were dry.

National Airlines began daily passenger and mail service at the municipal airport in the early summer of 1937. Wet grounds, however, forced cancellation of many stops. Later in the year, National discontinued service when financially-strapped Sarasota was unable to provide concrete runways.

(side 2)
The lack of air mail service prompted county officials to acquire land in 1940 for the future Sarasota-Bradenton Airport. Shortly after
construction began at the new airport. It was leased to the U.S. Army for World War II pilot training.

Civilian flying continued at the old municipal airport. In 1943, former circus roustabout Johnny Lowe purchased the airfield which became known as Lowe Field. Lowe acquired the uniquely-roofed Pagoda Sandwich Shop on Main Street, moved it to his airfield, and renamed it the Airport Tavern. It served both pilots and Ringling circus performers.

During the war, the Civil Air Patrol used Lowe Field as a base for its coastal patrol operations. The CAP monitored German U-Boat activity and escorted ships coming into Tampa Bay from Key West.

After the Army vacated the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport at the end of the war, most civilian air operations moved there from Lowe Field. Student pilots, crop dusters and mosquito control planes continued to fly out of Lowe Field until 1961, when Lowe sold the land. The post-war economic boom resulted in commercial development of the former airport site.
Details
HM NumberHM1WOT
Tags
Year Placed1998
Placed BySarasota County Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, January 30th, 2017 at 9:02am PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 351882 N 3025877
Decimal Degrees27.34806667, -82.49743333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 27° 20.884', W 82° 29.846'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds27° 20' 53.04" N, 82° 29' 50.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)941, 305
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1155-1187 N Beneva Rd, Sarasota FL 34232, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?