County Open Space Program Helps Aviation Museum With Major Door Restoration Project

WILDWOOD – The restoration efforts at the Naval Air Station Wildwood (NASW) Aviation Museum are constant and costly. Thanks to the Cape May County Open Space Historic Preservation Program, museum staff will be able to undertake a large project that has been on the list of recommended repairs since the museum’s inception in 1997; restoring the bottom sections of the telescopic hangar doors on the east and west sides.
The museum is housed inside an original 1940’s, all wood aircraft hangar that was built under orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt by the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1943, the hangar was one of only six dive bomber squadron training facilities used to ready the troops for active duty in World War II.
Following the war the hangar and several auxiliary buildings were given to the county to be used as they deemed appropriate. Several businesses have occupied Hangar #1 throughout the years but eventually time would take its toll on the hangar making it less appealing and eventually Hangar #1 sat abandoned, crumbling and taking a lot of abuse from Mother Nature; that is until a local history advocate came up with a plan.
Dr. Joseph Salvatore, a Wildwood local, remembered the hangar from his childhood and knew that it was an important part of the county’s history and needed to be saved. With the help of many generous supporters and granting agencies, a plan was devised to bring the hangar back to its former glory.
Over the past 20 years the entire structure has been stabilized and slowly but surely is looking more and more like it was originally intended. One of the remaining major projects is the doors on the east and west side, which were designed to slide neatly behind one another leaving either side wide open for easy movement of aircraft. Years of deterioration aided by the whipping winds and occasional harsh weather, has taken a toll on the steel structure of the doors.
With the funds provided by the Cape May County Open Space Program, the museum will be able to replace the old steel and wood structures with the same material but in new condition. This repair will help keep the elements away from the precious displays and aircraft that the museum staff has so carefully preserved for the public to enjoy.
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is located in Historic Hangar #1 at the Cape May Airport. The airport was once Naval Air Station Wildwood, which served as a World War II dive-bomber training center. The museum is dedicated to the 42 airmen who perished while training at Naval Air Station Wildwood between 1943 and 1945. The museum is currently open daily 9-5.