Hill Field, Equipment Repair Building, 5909 Southgate Avenue, Layton

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Building 214 housed repair facilities for various aircraft components, including navigational instruments, communication systems, and reconnaisance equipment during and after World War n. This building provides particularly vivid images of the processes involved in the repair and maintenance of aircraft, Hill Field's overall mission to support Pacific and European theaters of military operation during World War II. In addition, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the early development of the U.S. Army Air Corps, a branch of the Army which eventually became the U.S. Air Force. Hill Field was one of only two air depots established in the United States during the tumultuous years immediately preceding World War II.

History: Building 214 housed navigational, communications, and recconnaisance instrument repair activities. Auto-pilot and bombing units were manufactured and repaired in Building These instruments were installed onto World War II era and Bombers and then tested over the Great Salt Lake. Old railroad tracks served as bombing targets. During flight, mechanics from Building 214 tested the planes for drift, wind, and other factors that would affect the stabilization and targeting abilities of bombing equipment. HILL FIELD, EQUIPMENT REPAIR BUILDING HAER No. UT-85-N Page 2 Building 214 also contained a telegraph and cryptograph, and was designed for maximum security. Glass block windows and heavy concrete doors kept unauthorized persons from seeing inside the building.

It was surrounded by a high fence with a remote-controlled gate that was operated by a guard who was on duty at all times. Anyone entering Building 214 had to be recognized by the guard, who looked through a peephole cut into the fence. Sensitive pieces of equipment that were serviced in Building 214 were brought into and out of the building in sealed containers that did not reveal the size or shape of their contents. Building 214 was one of the first buildings on the Base which was air-conditioned. In addiiton to preventing unauthorized access, all openings were designed to keep out dirt and other foreign matter that could damage delicate navigational and communication equipment. Immobile glass block windows and secured doors were all specially sealed against sand and dust.

One project that was repaired and tested in Building the "Nordon Bomb Site," was a highly classified navigational instrument that sited targets visually for airplane bombing runs. Aircraft equipped with the Nordon aparatus used automatic pilot and stabilization devices that aided in the accurate siting and aiming of targets. This flight control equipment was manufactured by Honeywell, and was used successfully by American pilots in Germany during World War n. The outbreak of the Korean War in the early brought a demand for high-speed, low-altitude photographic airplanes capable of night photography.

New photographic equipment that had been in experimental stages for several years was developed further by technicians in Building This recconnaisance equipment was installed in the right front bomb bays of small fighter planes and tested on the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks near the Great Salt Lake. A control system was designed that integrated various control units under a single master control switch. Cameras were arranged in a split vertical manner, each fitted with an image motion calibration magazine. A cartridge containing a high intensity photo flash charge was ejected from the aircraft; when it bursted at a low altitude, it spread enough light to enable a successful photograph to be made.

Classified equipment was installed on aircraft in Buildings 217 and 219 (wooden hangars now demolished). After flight tests, the equipment was unloaded and placed in sealed containers that were covered with canvas. These sealed containers were immediately brought back to Building where they were stored. If the equipment was left in the plane, an armed guard had to be present at all times. HILL FIELD, EQUIPMENT REPAIR BUILDING HAER No. UT-85-N Page 3 General Description: Building 214 has received several additions since its inception in A contemporary addition was built on the north and east sides of the original building. Loading and service spaces have been added to the south and east sides. Also, the interior has been altered to meet the changing needs of the Air Force.

The original repair shop was built out of beige brick, laid in a six course American bond. The new additions match the color and detail of the original building. The original portion, consisting of an "L"-shaped plan, was constructed with brick and glass block in order to meet the security requirements of the type of work completed inside the building. The exterior banding effect is created through the recessing and projection of brick coursing. There are no windows in the original building; glass blocks were used to let light in but keep prying eyes out. i