GREAT NEWS! On October 14, 2026, the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) officially announced that our application for listing had been accepted. Thus, the Iowa City Municipal Airport Terminal now becomes the 96th iconic building in Johnson County, Iowa to be honored with a NRHP listing! Kudos to Friends of Historic Preservation (FHP) – who sponsored this project, Keiran Reynolds – our FHP student intern who spent hours researching for us, and to the architectural historian and preservationist, Paula Mohr – who helped guide us through this project over a lengthy application process!
Fact is that over one million people fly in and out of the Eastern Iowa Airport – located in Cedar Rapids – each year. Yet, did you know, when the original plans for a regional airport were created back in the early-to-mid 1950’s – Iowa City was to be the location for that busy airport?
Designed by Iowa City’s famed architect – Henry L. Fisk – the Iowa City Municipal Airport’s Administration Building & Terminal opened to the public in June 1953.
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I remember flying into and out of the Iowa City Airport on both Ozark and United. At that time, the Cedar Rapids Airport was basically nothing. If the Iowa City Airport had been on the north side of the city, it would have had a much greater chance of remaining the major regional airport.
Yup. The City managers had an opportunity to expand the airport in the late 1950’s but chose not to and within the next 5 years, United left for Cedar Rapids and the US Postal Service soon followed, moving their main “Iowa” air stop to CR as well.