Vintage photos: Sea-Tac Airport celebrates 75 years
Jul 4, 2024, 10:00 AM | Updated: Jul 5, 2024, 3:20 pm
While its origins as an airfield date back to the early months of World War II, the Port of Seattle is marking the 75th birthday of the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport – more recently rebranded as “SEA” – by celebrating the July 1949 dedication of the main terminal building. That long-ago festive occasion arguably marks the beginning of the airport’s modern era.
More airport history: When Sea-Tac Airport disappeared for six months
That original 1949 building still stands, Port of Seattle spokesperson Perry Cooper told KIRO Newsradio, but it’s surrounded by more recent additions to the nation’s 11th busiest air travel facility.
At least one exterior wall of the upper floor of that structure, with windows and distinctive architectural details from 1949 clearly still in place, was visible from the rooftop of a more modern part of the airport where Cooper spoke live with KIRO Newsradio Wednesday morning.
Cooper also said the public will have multiple ways to mark the 75th birthday over the coming weeks. The airport’s website has a downloadable 75th birthday scavenger hunt map and the Port has partnered up with local organizations including the Museum of Flight and the Highline Heritage Museum to offer a series of commemorative events in the community.
You can hear Feliks Banel every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien. Read more from Feliks here and subscribe to The Resident Historian Podcast here. If you have a story idea or a question about Northwest history, please email Feliks. You can also follow Feliks on X.
