The Houston Municipal Airport Terminal is a beautiful and rare example of classic art deco airport architecture from the golden age of flight. The Terminal served Houston during the years when air travelers dressed in their finest and embarked for exotic destinations aboard roaring propliners like the Douglas DC-3 and the Lockheed Constellation.

The Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society is restoring the long-vacant Houston Municipal Airport Terminal for the City of Houston. As the restoration is completed in phases, the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society is outfitting and operating the Terminal as the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, an interactive museum showcasing the role and importance of civil aviation since the dawn of manned flight.

While most major cities have razed the beautiful art deco airport terminals of the 1930s and 1940s, the Houston Municipal Airport Terminal stands on William P. Hobby Airport as a quiet monument to the rich and varied history of aviation in the region.

The Museum is operated by a diverse organization of volunteer teams, including docents, gift shop managers and curator's assistants. One common element of really great museums of all sizes and types is a dedicated corps of friendly and helpful volunteers. Contact us today about volunteer opportunities.

In the future, the 1940 Air Terminal Museum will serve as the centerpiece for an aggressive, creative educational outreach program which sends trained volunteers into neighborhood schools and uses aviation heritage to inspire young people. Currently the museum hosts monthly classes for home-schooled children in the Houston area.

The first phase of the project, including a complete exterior restoration of the Terminal, construction of new utility service for the entire Terminal, and initial restoration of the North wing of the Terminal was completed in 2003. The Museum is now open to the public in the North wing, and will continue to grow while work progresses on the next phase of the Terminal's restoration.

Phase II began in January 2008 and includes the abatement of the rest of the terminal building, the complete re-plastering of the ground and second floors and the restoration of the atrium to the former glory of 1940.