For more than 80 years, the Civil Aeronautics Authority Building stood at the south entrance of King County International Airport at Boeing Field. In 1938, when Seattle replaced Portland as the Northwest regional office of the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA), it triggered the need for dedicated office and warehouse space. The resulting red-brick building with its simplified Art Deco design opened on March 3, 1939, at 7300 Perimeter Road S. Two years later, with war preparations underway, a brick addition was added to accommodate more workers. In 1953, the CAA regional office was moved to Los Angeles. The agency was abolished in 1958 and its functions transferred to the newly created Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In the mid-1950s, King County began leasing the building to a variety of aircraft-related businesses and government agencies; two remodels were completed in the 1960s and the 1980s. In 1996, United Parcel Service, an international package delivery company founded in Seattle in 1907, leased the building from the county. In July 2024, as part of a multi-year expansion effort called the UPS BFI Gateway Project, the CAA Building was demolished to make room for 82 new employee parking spaces.
Boeing Field Gets its Start
In 1902, what would become present-day Boeing Field had been cleared as farmland and developed as the Meadows Race Track, with seating for 10,000 spectators and stables to accommodate 1,000 horses. The track welcomed Seattle's first auto race in 1905 and was used in 1910 for the first powered airplane flight demonstration in Seattle. By the 1920s, it served as an informal airstrip.
The 1920s were an era of great growth and opportunity in airplane manufacturing. One of the key players was timber baron William E. Boeing (1881-1956), who founded the Pacific Aero Products Company in 1916, renaming it the Boeing Airplane Company the following year. Bill Boeing got a taste for aviation in 1910 when he attended the country's first international air meet in Southern California. He returned to Seattle enthusiastic about the future of flight, seeing unlimited prospects in this new mode of travel. In 1915, he started building seaplanes in a hangar on Lake Union and then moved production to a shipyard on the Duwamish River, which he had purchased in 1910. Here he established his first aircraft factory, called Plant 1, also known as the Red Barn. Boeing hoped that the country's involvement in World War I would provide him with lucrative military contracts so he could continue to make aircraft.
It did, but when the war ended in 1918, government contracts were cut in half or worse. Boeing put his men to work making furniture and flat-bottomed boats to keep the business afloat. In the 1920s, Congress passed legislation that allowed private companies to deliver the U.S. mail, and Boeing had the pieces in place to capitalize on it. According to a report issued in 2024:
"The catalyst for a King County airport was the successful landing of the first flight of the Pacific Air Transport mail service by Boeing in September 1926. The plane landed at a sandy landing strip on the west side of the Duwamish Waterway near the Red Barn. The anticipated growth of the air-based mail service necessitated an established airfield and accessory buildings" (Stantec Consulting Services report, 10-11).
Although Sand Point Airfield on Lake Washington could have sufficed, the field had been transferred to the U.S. Navy. After scouting alternate locations, a plot of land south of Georgetown on the east side of the Duwamish River was chosen. This was close to the existing Boeing plant and large enough to allow for future growth. Highway 99, streetcars, and railroad lines were nearby and it was close to the water for seaplanes to use.
In 1928, King County voters agreed to purchase the airfield as part of a $500,000 bond issue, and the low-lying land was leveled with fill from the Duwamish River. Construction began in March 1928, and Seattle's first municipal airport was dedicated on July 26, 1928. The site was named Boeing Field because of its proximity to the Boeing Airplane Company, which had been using it for airmail services as part of its newly acquired subsidiary, Pacific Air Transport (later United Airlines).
Civil Aviation in Seattle Takes Off
In the mid-1930s, King County hoped to take advantage of Federal grants available through the Public Works Administration, a program authorized under President Franklin D. Roosevelt to get the country moving again after the Great Depression. In February 1935, the county applied for $26 million in funds with about $500,000 earmarked for airport development.
In 1938, King County Commissioner Jack Taylor (1906-1996) announced that Seattle was being considered as the site of the district office of the Federal Bureau of Air Commerce (FBAC) – later known as the Civil Aeronautics Authority – replacing the existing regional headquarters in Portland. A report published in 2024 explained: "The rapid increase in air traffic through the 1930s and Boeing's engineering and aeronautical program advancements caught the attention of the FBAC in 1938. In May of that year, the FBAC proposed establishment of an office in Seattle, with the stipulation that King County provide the funds for construction at the county-owned Boeing Field" (Stantec Consulting Services report, 14). As a regional office, the Seattle facility would oversee activities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and the territory of Alaska.
Taylor, along with Boeing Field manager Frank Yates (1904-1994), understood the political importance and economic benefits of relocating the FBAC office to Seattle, and the men worked diligently to finalize a deal. On May 9, 1938, a tentative agreement was signed. Although county officials initially proposed simply remodeling an existing building to save money, that option was deemed unsuitable. King County leaders then agreed to erect a new building, supplementing county funds with funding from the Public Works Administration. A budget of $35,000 was set. In return, the FBAC agreed to lease the space for 10 years (later reduced to five years) at a cost of $300 a month.
By July 1938, King County commissioners had approved $22,059 for the project but the PWA had tentatively assured only $18,000. To help free the funds, State Representative Warren G. Magnuson (1905-1989) contacted the PWA in August to ask that the funds be released. His intercession worked: The additional funding was received within a few months and the project got back on track.
Constructing the CAA Building
While these negotiations were ongoing, on June 23, 1938, Congress established the Civil Aeronautics Authority as part of the Civil Aeronautics Act. According to the Federal Aviation Administration: "The legislation established the independent Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA), with a three-member Air Safety Board that would conduct accident investigations and recommend ways of preventing accidents. The legislation also expanded the government's role in civil aviation by giving CAA power to regulate airline fares and determine the routes individual carriers served" ("A Brief History of the FAA").
The new building would be the first one in the nation where all local CAA employees – in this case, 45 workers – would be housed in the same location. By Taylor's reckoning, Seattle's selection as a CAA regional center brought 100 new workers to the city and added $189,000 annually to the city payroll.
Seventeen contractors bid on the job, with the Washington Construction Company handing in the low bid of $27,762, although the final cost came closer to $37,000. About half of that amount, or $18,000, was covered by the PWA grant. Building permits were approved in December 1938 and completion of the two-and-one-half story brick building was set for March 1939. The building site was just south of the entrance to the field.
Fireworks, Speeches, and Dancing until Midnight
On Friday, March 3, 1939, the CAA Building was dedicated with an evening celebration that included fireworks, an open house, music, and dancing in the warehouse. Represented on the speakers' podium were Maj. Robert D. Bedinger, regional supervisor for the Civil Aeronautics Authority; King County Commissioner Jack Taylor; W. Walter Williams (1894-1983), president, Seattle Chamber of Commerce; former Seattle mayor Charles L. Smith (1892-1982); and Frank Yates, manager, Boeing Field, among others. The Seattle Times described the event: "In a blaze of lights, the sound of music, and the grateful 'thank yous' of Civil Aeronautics Authority officials, the new C. A. A. building south of the entrance of Boeing Field was dedicated last night in a ceremony which began with a speaking program at 8 o'clock and concluded with dancing until midnight. Almost three thousand persons attended the 'open house'" ("C. A. A. Building at Boeing Field").
The new building, measuring 62 feet by 243 feet, used a post-and-beam structure with masonry walls. Its wood frame was overlaid with metal sheeting to improve fire resistance and the exterior façade was faced with dark-red brick. A shaped parapet added some architectural interest, showcasing simple cast-stone features. The first floor had cement flooring and was used for warehouse storage for such items as spare airplane parts and supplies. The second story, constructed with fir plank flooring, was divided into offices. There were 24 rooms in all. Large, evenly-spaced industrial steel sash windows let in plenty of natural light.
The building's designer remains unknown. Plans submitted for the structure's heating, plumbing, and electrical carry the name of Albert Sydney Leeper (1876–1951), a civil engineer and architect based in Kent, but whether he was also the project architect was not recorded.
The new CAA Building joined a complex of several other red-brick buildings in close proximity at Boeing Field. In 1930, the Terminal Building, originally called the Administration Building, opened nearby at 7277 Perimeter Road S. Designed by the Austin Company, the building housed the main offices of the new airport, from passenger lounge to offices for the airport manager. A glowing review in The Seattle Times described the new Terminal Building as follows:
"Boeing Field began to look like a real place of business yesterday when Manager David G. Logg installed himself and his staff in the new administration building recently completed … A restaurant with a seating capacity of approximately thirty persons occupies one corner of the building, and a ticket office is being installed in the main lobby. Quarters for the United States Immigration Department branch are ready for occupancy. The Weather Bureau's Boeing Field branch, first to move to the new building, has adequate quarters on the second floor. The waiting room is large and comfortable, and passengers now have a place where they may spend their time in pleasurable surroundings before taking off on the transport lines. The administration building is said to be one of the most modern of any in the West" ("All Countries Keeping Pace …").
Also nearby was the North Annex Building at 7211-7233 Perimeter Road S, constructed in 1929. The building housed shops and offices. In 1938, the Sorensen-Green Electrical Company was based there, and in the 1950s it housed the staff of Pan American World Airways. It was later home to the airport's administrative offices.
World War II Years
As the U. S. anxiously watched the buildup of World War II, the CAA decided to expand both its staffing and building footprint at Boeing Field. In 1941, a 60-foot-by-120-foot brick addition on the south side of the CAA Building provided more warehouse space at a cost of around $10,000. At this point, the CAA had more than 300 workers at Boeing Field, and the agency began to look elsewhere for office space. It eventually relocated its regional headquarters to the Smith Tower Annex at 102 Occidental Way, although some workers continued to be housed at Boeing Field.
After the war, on May 13, 1946, President Harry Truman signed the Federal Airport Act, establishing the Federal Aid Airport Program to finance and promote development of the nation's airports. In August 1946, a regional office was set up in the CAA Building to handle processing applications and overseeing the work of state offices in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Under this program, more than $28 million was set aside for airport development in the four Northwest states. Washington's share was $6.3 million to be spent over the next seven years.
Aviation Tenants and a Building Remodel
In 1953, the western regional headquarters of the CAA was transferred to Los Angeles, and King County began to lease out the CAA Building. During the next decade, tenants included Northwest Propeller Repair (1953-1955), Dascomp Aircraft Supplies (1963), and Northwest Propeller Inc. (1963-1964). In 1958, the CAA was abolished and its duties transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration. Around this time, the building became known as the FAA Building.
In 1962, the architectural firm of Bassetti & Morse, founded 15 years earlier by Fred Bassetti (1919-2013) and John M. Morse (1911-2000), was hired to undertake a building remodel. When the partners split up in April 1962, the project was taken over by Morse's new firm, John M. Morse and Associates. Morse improved the heating and ventilation systems and upgraded the bathrooms on the second-floor; he also added a new central stairway. In the warehouse, the work consisted primarily of repairing and adding new brick masonry, including a brick chimney. Outside, landscaping was enhanced, and sun protection and noise control features were added:
"Correspondence between King County Airport and Bassetti & Morse indicates the scope of the planned renovation also included installation of landscaping for sun and noise control, a temporary wood trellis on the east and west facades until shrubbery was large enough, sun screens on the north and south facades, metal sunshades on south and west sides of the second floor for sun control, and canopies at the north and west entries" (Stantec Consulting Services report, 23-24).
Building Renovations: Round Two
In 1971, Boeing Field ended scheduled air-passenger service. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was officially dedicated on July 9, 1949, and it handled passenger service for the region. King County converted Boeing Field for private, commercial, and industrial operations such as cargo carriers, helicopters, corporate jets, and military planes. There were several non-airport-owned properties nearby: "These include Seattle City Light's historic and non-operating Georgetown Steam Plant and the Air National Guard facilities northwest of the main runway, the Museum of Flight and Boeing Company Apron near the southwest corner, and the Boeing Hangar near the northern end of the airfield's west side" (BOLA Architecture Final Report, 11).
The CAA Building was used continuously by the FAA until 1973. At various times between 1976 and 1980, the building housed the Washington State Highway Department, Boeing's Electronic Division, and the State Department of Transportation. In 1985, a second remodel was begun and divided into two phases, each with its own architect.
Phase I, completed around June 1986, included removing the existing steam hot-water boiler and installing an electric heat pump. Single-pane glass windows with steel frames and sashes were replaced by insulated double-glazed units. New insulation, roof, gutters, electrical system, and lighting were added. The architect for this work was Seton, Johnson & Odell; the general contractor was Sunset Pacific General Contractors, Inc.
Phase II was completed in November 1987. Workers extended the HVAC system, installed an elevator and carpeting, and renovated the accessible restroom facilities. A steel-and-concrete stairway was added to connect to a new entrance on the second floor. Contractors removed an interior wall, relocated existing screens and constructed new ones, and repaired some interior finishes. Phase II architect was Harthorne Hagen, with Forgie Construction serving as general contractors.
In a less extensive renovation in the 1990s, windows were replaced and some hardware was updated. At some point, the sunscreens on the building's exterior, added during the 1960s remodel, were removed.
United Parcel Service Moves In
In 1996, United Parcel Service (UPS), an international package-delivery service that grew out of a two-man messenger service founded in the early 1900s, leased the FAA Building from King County. From time to time, agencies were housed there as well, including the King County Enhanced 911 Program, which used parts of the FAA Building from 2007 to 2017 before moving to Kent.
For UPS, the airfield offered several tempting benefits. Michael Colmant, the assistant airport director, explained the location's appeal:
"Firstly, its proximity to Seattle city center and surrounding cities provide for an efficient ground-air cargo interface. Secondly, as an airport with few passenger operations, Boeing Field affords cargo businesses relative ease of access. A low level of passenger activity means less traffic congestion, with fewer vehicles traveling to/from the airport, which assists on-time performance" ("KCIA/Boeing Field: Air Cargo Connects …").
Like Boeing, the history of UPS was deeply steeped in Seattle. The company was founded in 1907 by two young entrepreneurs, 19-year-old James Casey (1888-1983) and his friend Claude Ryan, who borrowed $100 from Ryan's uncle to start a bicycle delivery service called American Messenger Service. Working from a tiny office in the basement of a Pioneer Square saloon, they laid the foundation for what would become a multibillion-dollar corporation that transported goods around the world.
Although UPS first used air service in 1929 for package delivery, the Great Depression and a lack of customers ended the service after just two years. In 1953, the company reintroduced air delivery to major East and West Coast cities, using regular commercial flights. According to historian James R. Warren, at the same time, UPS "began seeking common carrier rights to deliver packages between all customers, both private and commercial, throughout the United States – a decision that put UPS in direct competition with the U.S. Postal Service and led to a series of legal battles that continued, off and on, for about 30 years. The company eventually moved its headquarters to California, then to New York, then to Atlanta" ("United Parcel Service"). In 1988, UPS received permission to start its own air service, launching UPS Airlines.
The Gateway Project
In 2004, UPS along with two other national cargo airlines and several smaller regional carriers generated about 500 air-cargo flights weekly at King County International Airport. By 2019, UPS was processing "more than 15 million packages destined for communities throughout the Pacific Northwest through the facility annually" ("UPS BFI Gateway Project"). Business was good and UPS signed a 30-year lease with King County.
In 2013, an on-site hangar used by UPS as a support facility was demolished by King County, requiring UPS to spread its operations to nearby buildings. Now with a long-term lease in hand, UPS proposed expanding and consolidating its sorting and transshipment facility, which would improve and streamline its package handling, security, and logistics operations. The company's proposal would result in the demolition of multiple structures including the former CAA Building.
Called the UPS BFI Gateway Project, the multi-year project targeted five parcels owned by King County International Airport spanning approximately 14 acres. The permit application, submitted on November 1, 2019, noted:
"New facilities on site will include a 50,636 GSF [Gross Square Footage] Main Sort & Administration PEMB building, an adjoining engineered 3,383 GSF Flight Control Building for control and safety monitoring of ramp operations, a 38,038 GSF open-sided Caster Deck Canopy sheltering most of the 'caster deck' air container distribution system, a 13,317 GSF Maintenance Building, housing a ground service equipment maintenance shop and storage for large and small aircraft maintenance parts, and a 1,255 GSF Security Building where all employees, visitors and vehicles will be screened to TSA standards before entering the restricted Airport Operations Area" (UPS BFI Gateway Project").
Before undertaking the Gateway Project, in 2019 King County International Airport requested a cultural resources assessment to determine eligibility for "listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as an individual historic property and a contributing element to a potentially eligible Historic District … After examination of the building and consultation with the King County Historic Preservation Program (KCHPP), it was found that the potential Historic District no longer meets the criteria for the NRHP" (Cameron Satterfield email).
In July 2024, the final stage of the Gateway Project got underway with the demolition of the 85-year-old former Civil Aeronautics Authority Building and Warehouse, and the Gateway Project was completed in December 2024 with the creation of 82 vehicle parking stalls.
