Although Grenada was spared by the remnants of Hurricane Ida last month, the Airfield Hangar caught the worst of the storm as a majority of the roof has collapsed.
The 78-year-old structure located at the Grenada Municipal Airport shows pieces of the old wood beginning to fall near the rear and airport officials have placed barriers in front of the building to prevent anyone from entering it.
In a special-called meeting over the summer, City Manager Stan Amos informed the Grenada City Council that the building was beginning to fall in places. Earlier this week, Amos said the cost to repair the building would take millions.
“It’s something that has been expected,” he said. “The damage to the hangar has been so extensive, so we’re starting to see some of the inevitability.”
Amos said the city’s historical society will likely do an assessment and reach out to other agencies for possible assistance.
“This is a historic structure in a historic location, so I hope there is something we can do to preserve it,” Amos said. “There was going to have to be significant work done to save it.”
The hangar is one of three World War II era structures of its kind known to still be standing in Mississippi. The hangar was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 2012 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Built on the Grenada Army Airfield in 1942 by civilian labor, the hangar served the 443rd Air Support Command, 63rd Troop Carrier Group, 877th Airborne Engineering Battalion, 10th Troop Carrier Group and the 809th Air Force Unit.
Following the war, the airfield and hangar were transferred to the City of Grenada for civilian use.
