New Orleans' lakefront airport

About half of New Orleans is below sea level, so it should come as no surprise that without some human intervention in the 1930s, its premier GA airport would have been, too. It took the Orleans Levee Board pumping in six million yards of hydraulic fill and adding 10,000 feet of seawall to raise the field to acceptable levels above Lake Pontchartrain. That engineering feat, and the jaw-dropping Art Deco terminal building, drew 10,000 people to the airport’s opening dedication in 1934.

It was an airport ahead of its time. The largest and most modern air terminal in the United States, the facility encompassed a post office, hospital, outdoor swimming pool, dining room, and commercial kitchen. Private sleeping quarters and baths provided convenient respites for Immigration and Customs officers. Amelia Earhart was a frequent patron, spending a night in the airport’s hotel en route to her final flight.

But it was the interior and exterior finishes that earned accolades from the flying and general public alike. The Art Deco façade elements, like the “Spirit of Aviation” figure over the entrance, teased guests to what they would discover inside. The extravagant interior incorporated five types of Spanish marble, multicolored terrazzo, and an inlaid brass compass in the main lobby floors. Travertine stair treads and aluminum Art Deco railings led visitors to the mezzanine balcony for a closer look at the painted tile coffered ceilings and massive molded glass custom light fixtures. The Levee District commissioned renowned artist Xavier Gonzalez to paint eight murals to encircle the second-floor atrium, each depicting a historic flight corresponding to the compass rose in the floor below.

All that was almost lost in the 1960s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the terminal became a bomb shelter, and its stunning Art Deco exterior was covered by thick concrete panels. Inside, the dramatic balcony was covered by a false floor, offices replaced the atrium, and many of Gonzalez’ murals were covered. Were it not for another crisis, this one the destruction and flooding left behind by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, this story might still be one in the past tense.

It was when FEMA officials came in to assess the damage from Katrina that the Art Deco features were discovered beneath the flooded terminal’s concrete walls. It took a few years, and the work of more than 80 architects and restorationists, to bring the airport back to its former glory. They worked from original drawings and benefitted from architect T. Sellers Meric’s thoughtful preservation of the art beneath the cement encasement decades earlier.

Today, the destination may be New Orleans for the pilots and passengers of the 200 or so aircraft using Lakefront daily. But it doesn’t take long to realize that this rejuvenated jewel of an airport is as much a destination as the city itself.

Not many general aviation reliever airports can boast the walnut paneling, marble wainscoting, coffered ceilings, or plaster motifs that greet visitors to Lakefront. A guest book in the terminal’s lobby is testament to Lakefront Airport’s draw as a tourist attraction; recent guests hail from as far away as Italy, Germany, and Hawaii. Even locals make this a go-to spot, choosing Lakefront to host high school proms, wedding receptions, birthdays, and more.

Meander up the curved travertine staircase to view the historic murals like “Flight Over Egypt” and “Flight Over Rio.” Head back downstairs and grab a table at Messina’s at the Terminal, where you can nosh on New Orleans fare in a vintage setting while watching the comings and goings on the ramp just outside. The walls of airport aviation director Bruce Martin’s office are lined with posters from at least a dozen Hollywood productions filmed here. Among them: the James Bond film Live and Let Die, the Green Lantern, Capone, and Reminiscence.

Sue Durio is a travel writer and aviation enthusiast who flies with her husband in their Cessna 310.