Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport: The Monument of Progress

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport: The Monument of Progress

Ronald Reagan Washington Airport was built in 1941 and while it was built after the depression era, it still had its roots in the New Deal and its goals. It served as the first "real" airport in Washington D.C. and was used extensively by F.D.R and his cabinet. There are parts of the airport specifically made for F.D.R and other high ranking officials. Today there is a very large main part which holds terminals B and C. However, when it was constructed its terminals were all in the now Northern part which today only holds Terminal A. Over time the usage of the airport began to include the public as well.

Daniel Martinez

https://livingnewdeal.org/map/

1941

Creative Common

English

October 10, 2019

Image (jpg), Video (mp4), Audio (mp3)

Reagan National Airport represents something very significant when it comes to the effects of the New Deal; it shows the lasting impact of past projects. While Reagan is not the only lasting project it may certainly be the one that grew the most. It has grown from the very earliest eras of aviation to the multi national industry we see today. This could be its story, it has not only been able to adapt to every historical point in the history of air travel but has also evolved and grown along with it. This airport has seen the first super sonic airplane to the events of 9/11. There is little this airport cannot handle and it is by design. Many of the projects done by the New Deal were meant to last far into the future, its public works meant to connect people, the many art projects meant to inspire can all come together in Reagan National Airport. It holds many exhibits displaying its roots in the new deal as well as art work from around the U.S.

When creating the images and sound for this project I choose to use a simple iPhone camera. There really is no need for anything else to capture the theme of the airport. It is quite a lot calmer than the main terminals and the audio as well as the video will show this. The main area of the airport is definitely its southern, more modern wing. This part of the airport is where most of offices and security is. This of course is to be expected, there is no need for a nearly 80 year old airport to handle something it was not designed to do. The calmness of the area shows a shift from the old to the new and I think F.D.R would have celebrated that. This also, ties into what F.D.R stood for on numerous occasions; radical change for the better. Throughout F.D.R's tenure, he instituted many changes that may have been seen as too much at the time but we now know as necessary. Many of his executives as well as parts of congress disagreed with his support of air travel and such would somewhat appose him in its construction. F.D.R's continues urge for the construction is captured in the video and audio.

Overall the the the technology has dramatically changed for the better ever sense its first construction. This is obvious of course but its real roots still stands. Reagan National Airport is still the main airport of Washington D.C. as it was meant to be. It still and will always improve and adapt to the new ages of technology and its aviation sector.

Side note regarding video:
Dear Professor Jess,

While we did talk about playing my video in class if it was good, I would highly recommend not to. It honestly is not my best work but if you find it antiquate for class viewing I welcome you to use it. This is why I also uploaded the short video, audio and the lengthy text; the video (due to its poor quality) is really only meant to serve as an extra. Finally, I apologize for my microphone quality as I did not have access to my main mic and thus could not use it.

Thank you for understanding,
Daniel Martinez

youtube video link: https://youtu.be/TZH20Y64yCY