Architectural Building and Inventory Survey, Hanscom Air Force Base, Volume I

Summary

PAL, under an on-call services contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), New England District (NED), completed a historic inventory survey and National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility evaluation of properties at Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) in Bedford, Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln, Massachusetts, and at four off-base facilities in Hamilton, Ipswich, Stow, Sudbury, and Waltham, Massachusetts. Hanscom AFB occupies approximately 1,100 acres of land, approximately 400 acres of which is federally owned (United States Air Force [USAF]) and approximately 700 acres of which is leased by the USAF from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The project area includes all federally owned land at Hanscom AFB and the off-base facilities listed above. This work is to satisfy partial compliance under Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and implementing regulations 36 CFR 800. The project report is also intended to be a scholarly document that fulfills mandated legal requirements, and that will also serve as a scientific reference for future professional studies.

The documentation involved background research, field investigations, and 35 mm black-and-white photography. The research was used to develop a series of historical context statements and to prepare inventory forms. These contexts include the historic land use of Hanscom AFB prior to its construction; the history and development of Hanscom AFB; the research and development mission history at Hanscom AFB, including its Cold War-era achievements (1946-1989).

PAL recommends two of the 14 areas identified at Hanscom Air Force Base as eligible for listing in the National Register. AFRL Phillips Labs and AFRL Katahdin Hill are significant for their association with Hanscom’s research and development mission during the Cold War and possess integrity.PAL recommends two of the four Hanscom Off-Base Facilities as eligible for listing in the NRHP. The Weather Radar Field Station, in Stow and Sudbury, is eligible for its association with the Cold War-era weather radar research program of the U.S. Air Force and the development of the Doppler radar system. The Electromagnetics Measurement Facility, Ipswich is eligible for its association with Cold War-era research and contributions to major technological advances in the development of height-finding radars, ground vehicle identification, radar interference source identification, airborne detection of ground targets, satellite communications antennas, and radar deflection technology used in the design of stealth-type radar defeating aircraft.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Hanscom Air Force Base Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management Archive

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Hanscom Air Force Base

Prepared By(s): PAL

Submitted To(s): U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District

Record Identifiers

Contract No.(s): DACW33-97-D-0003

File Information