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Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport is a former airport that operated alongside Richards-Gebaur Air Reserve Station (also Richards-Gebaur Air Force Station) until the base's closure in 1994, and until it was closed in 1999. Formerly, it was operated as Grandview Airport from 1941 until it was leased by the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in 1944. In April 1957, the base was renamed in honor of Kansas City, Missouri-born aviators John Francisco Richards II and Arthur William Gebaur Jr.


History


World War II

The City of Kansas City built Grandview Airport (IATA code GVW) in 1941. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
I Troop Carrier Command The I Troop Carrier Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, at Stout Field, Indiana, where it was disbanded in November 1945, and its resources transferred to IX Troop Carrier C ...
built a facility on part of the airfield in 1944 which was used as a sub-base for Sedalia AAF (later
Whiteman Air Force Base Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located just south of Knob Noster, Missouri, Knob Noster, Missouri, United States. The base is the current home of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, B-2 Spirit bomber. It is named for Geor ...
) for overflow traffic and training uses. The United States Navy also used the airport as an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) to
Naval Air Station Olathe Naval Air Station Olathe is a former United States Navy base located in Gardner, Kansas. On its grounds at one point was Olathe Air Force Station. After it was closed, it was redeveloped into New Century AirCenter. History Navy use The base ...
, Kansas where aviators were trained for carrier operations. The airport remained the property of Kansas City, Missouri.


During the 1950s

As a result of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
military buildup, Grandview Airport was leased by the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
on 1 January 1952 and title was transferred to the Federal Government in November 1952. After some construction and upgrading of facilities, Grandview Air Force Base was opened on 1 October 1952, with the 4610th Air Base Squadron being the base operating unit (operating from
Fairfax Field Fairfax Field was a wartime (WWII) facility of the United States Army Air Forces and later, the United States Air Force. The installation was north of Kansas City, Kansas. Used as a pre-war Naval Air Station, the United States Army Air Force ...
in Kansas City, Kansas). No military personnel were assigned prior to 1954 while major construction took place on runways, taxiways, aprons and support facilities. Beneficial occupancy of Grandview AFB began on 16 February 1954 when the 4676th Air Defense Group (ADG) was moved by Air Defense Command to the new base from Fairfax Field. The 4676th ADG's mission included the management of the station facilities, commanding the Air Base squadron, Material and Supply squadrons, Infirmary and other support units. Shortly afterwards, in March 1954 the first operational flying unit, the
326th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 326th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 328th Fighter Wing at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, where it was inactivated on 2 January 1967. History World Wa ...
(FIS), was activated and assigned to the
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
. The squadron was equipped with
F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog") is an American transonic jet interceptor. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor deriva ...
interceptors. The 326th FIS upgraded to the
F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger is an interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Convair. A member of the Century Series, the F-102 was the first operational supersonic interceptor and delta-wing fighter op ...
in 1957, and inactivated on 2 January 1967. Also in March 1954, the ADC Central Air Defense Force (CADF), a command and control organization established its headquarters at Grandview AFB, and the
20th Air Division The 20th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida where it was inactivated on 1 March 1983. During most of the division's history it ...
activated its headquarters on 8 October. Early in 1955, additional units were stationed at Grandview. The 326th FIS came under the command of the 328th Fighter Group, (later the 328th Fighter Wing) which replaced the 4676th as host organization and controlled the interceptor squadrons at the base until inactivating in July 1968. The 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron arrived January 1967 from Selfridge AFB, Michigan with the
F-106 Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart is an all-weather interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Convair. The F-106 was designed in response to the 1954 interceptor program. Envisioned as an imagined "Ultimate In ...
, also inactivating in July 1968. After a
Federal Aviation Agency The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
(FAA) memo in the early 1950s declared that the city's
Kansas City Downtown Airport Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport serving Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Located in Clay County, this facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it a ...
was the most unsafe major airport in the country, the city government built terminals and runways. north of the city at the new Mid-Continent Airport, which opened in 1956 and was later renamed
Kansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri, located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective May 15, 2025. The airport was ...
(retaining its original aviation code MCI). The airfield and other facilities at Richards-Gebaur were returned to the City of Kansas City, Missouri, in 1985. Between 1983 and 1997 the city of Kansas City lost $18 million operating Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport and in 1998, the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
approved a plan to close the airport. In 2001 the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision to close the airport in a suit brought by Friends of Richards-Gebaur Airport of
Grandview, Missouri Grandview is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 26,209 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History A post office called Grandview has been in operation since 1889. The city w ...
.


Post-airport history


Civil

The former airport is now used as the International Freight Gateway (IFG) for
CPKC Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, doing business as CPKC (known as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited until 2023), is a Canadian railway holding company. Through its primary operating railroad subsidiaries, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and ...
Rail to ship cargo to and from
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. Several businesses, in major agreement with the City of Kansas City and the State of Missouri, are removing the old runway and facilities and building a large truck-to-rail freight center, with above-ground and underground storage. The CenterPoint-Kansas City Southern Intermodal Center will cover of rail and industrial space. Phase I of the project will include of covered industrial warehouses and distribution centers. Developer CenterPoint Properties of Chicago bought the property from the Port Authority of Kansas City, which still owns and with Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc., will mine limestone and create underground storage spaces. Major transportation companies include Kansas City Southern railway and Schneider National, Inc., a truck line. Kansas City Southern's main line runs from the intermodal center at Richards-Gebaur all the way to a deep-sea Pacific port at
Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico Lázaro is a Spanish or Portuguese-based given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Lazaro (footballer) (born 1977), Lazaro Paulo de Sousa, Brazilian football striker *Lázaro (footballer, born 1990), full name Lázaro ...
. The first phase is expected to cost $250M and when complete will be able to handle up to 250,000
shipping container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated box design, corrugated b ...
s per year.


Military

The former military buildings and flightline facilities at Richards-Gebaur are now essentially abandoned, left in a deteriorating state. Most of the former buildings, including the Officers' and NCOs' Clubs, the base hospital, theater, and commissary, the Wing Headquarters buildings, and some of the base housing have been demolished. Around 2010, the former alert hangars and pads were demolished, along with the east–west runway, to provide space for roadworks providing access to the intermodal facility and the new
National Nuclear Security Administration The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and ef ...
facility that was under construction to the north of the former base. Many of the previous Air Defense Command structures remain intact, including the SAGE block-house, the control tower, and some hangars. Some buildings that had been used by the 442nd Civil Engineering Squadron buildings were reconstructed for civilian use, while others, including the base gymnasium, library, bowling alley, personnel office and law enforcement buildings, and some other offices and dorms that were acquired for use by the
Calvary Bible College Calvary University is a private Christian university in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. In 2019, total enrollment was 430, with undergraduate enrollment of 348 and graduate enrollment of 82. History The university originally opened in 1 ...
. The base's original swimming pool has been filled in and is now an open field.


References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri Defunct airports in Missouri Unused buildings in Missouri