View source for Lowry Air Force Base

{{Short description|Former US Air Force base in Denver, Colorado}}
{{Redirect|Lowry Field|the "Lowry Field" baseball facility renamed Jackie Robinson Field|Lowry, Denver{{!}}Lowry Sports Complex|the former James A. Lowry Municipal Airport|Northport, Washington|the airfield at the nearby 1942 [[Continental Airlines#Early history|Continental-Denver Modification Center]]<!-- for [[Boeing]] aircraft flown from Seattle-->|Stapleton International Airport#History{{!}}Denver Municipal Airport}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name       = Lowry Air Force Base
|partof     = [[File:Air Training Command Emblem.png|20px]] [[Air Training Command]] (ATC)
|location   =Located in [[Aurora, Colorado|Aurora]] and [[Denver]], Colorado
|coordinates={{Coord|39|43|23|N|104|53|31|W|display=top, inline|name=Lowry AFB |notes={{r|gnis}} }}
|image      = Lowry Air Force Base-March-1987.jpg
|image_size = 300px
|caption     = Lowry Air Force Base and nearby residential areas in March 1987
|type        = [[:Category:Bases of the United States Air Force|USAF base]]
|code        = GNIS: 2089348<ref name=gnis>{{Cite gnis|2089348|Lowry Air Force Base (2089348)|access-date=2013-09-21}}  (The GNIS has a 2nd set of coordinates at [[McMullin Park]], and it also lists the Lowry Elementary School – 2695987 at 394246N 1045347W.)</ref><br />FFID: CO857002413000{{r|DENIX}}
USAF: 08007F{{r|USAF_BF_ID}}
|built       = 1937–1941
|builder=
|materials=
|height=
|used        = 12 Dec 1938 – 30 Sep 1994 (base) <br /> 1938 – 1966 (airfield)
|demolished  = numerous buildings
|condition   = [[Lowry, Denver|Denver neighborhood]]
|ownership   = City & County of Denver
|controlledby=[[United States Air Force]]
|garrison    =Lowry Technical Training Center<!--, <br /> [[3415th Technical Training Wing|3415th TTW]] (1951–1994),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/lowry.htm|title=Lowry AFB|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org}}</ref> <br /> [[451st Strategic Missile Wing|451st SMW]] [[Titan (rocket family)|Titan]] I (1961–1965),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0451mw.htm|title=451st Strategic Missile Wing – ICBM –&nbsp; Titan I missile –&nbsp; Strategic Air Command|website=strategic-air-command.com}}</ref> <br /> [[703d Strategic Missile Wing|703rd SMW]] Titan I (1958–1961)<ref>[http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0703mw.htm SAC 703d SMW]</ref-->
|commanders=
|occupants=
|battles=
|events=
}}

'''Lowry [[Air Force Base]]''' ('''Lowry Field''' from 1938–1948) is a former [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) training base during [[World War II]] and a [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) training base during the [[Cold War]]. From 1955-1958, it served as the initial site of the [[U.S. Air Force Academy]]. It is a U.S. [[Formerly Used Defense Site]] (B08CO0505).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gao.gov/gao-01-1012sp/CO.html|title=U.S. General Accounting Office|website=gao.gov|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030160419/https://www.gao.gov/gao-01-1012sp/CO.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Location map+|Colorado|width=300|float=right
 |marksize=6|mark=Red_pog.svg
 |caption=Lowry AFB shown with 2 Titan I [[launch complex]]es and [[Air Force Plant Peter J. Kiewit and Sons|missile plant PJKS]]<!--, as well as Denver-area WWII military installations: [[Fort Logan]], [[Denver Federal Center|Denver Ordnance Plant]], [[Rocky Mountain Arsenal]], and [[Buckley Field]].  The 1942 "Continental-Denver Modification Center" (underneath aircraft symbol) was at the [[Stapleton International Airport#World War II|Denver Municipal Airport]], a 1943 "Modification Center Number 13" (not shown) was also operated by [[Continental]], and [[:File:Denver Medical Depot.JPG|the Denver Medical Depot]] (not shown) was also near Lowry.  The 1977 [[Bennett Army National Guard facility]] (green) built at "Former Titan Missile Complex 2A" was the last [[Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range]] property transferred from the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] (2006).-->
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  {{Location map~|Colorado|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=39|lat_min=43|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=104|lon_min=54|position=top |label=Lowry  |mark=Airplane silhouette.svg |marksize=10}}
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  {{Location map~|Colorado|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=39|lat_min=40|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=104|lon_min=02|position=right |label=725-B      |mark=Blue pog.svg}}
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  {{Location map~|Colorado|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=39|lat_min=29|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=105|lon_min=33|position=left  |label=PJKS                      |mark=Blue pog.svg }}
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}}

==Background==
The [[City of Denver, Auraria, and Highland]] was chartered as the 1859 [[Jefferson Territory|territorial capital]] after the start of the 1858 [[Pike's Peak gold rush]]. In 1887, [[Fort Logan]] was established in the modern [[Denver Metropolitan Area]].  East of the state capital, military training at [[Montclair, Denver|Montclair, Colorado]], began at the future airfield when the 1887 [[Jarvis Hall (Colorado)|Jarvis Hall Military School]] opened.  Montclair was incorporated into [[Denver]] in 1903 and Jarvis Hall burned down in 1904.  At the military school site the '''Agnes Phipps Memorial Sanatorium'''{{r|Gove}} was established as a tuberculosis hospital in 1904 at 520 Rampart Way<ref name=Gove>{{Cite web |url=http://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/Guides/Architects_gove.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728192310/http://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/Guides/Architects_gove.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ([[cf.]] "East 6th Avenue and Quebec Street") by Lawrence C. Phipps Sr., and in the 1930s the sanatorium included 17 buildings designed by the <!--1894-1924{{r|Gove}} -->[[Aaron Gove|Gove]] and [[Thomas Walsh (Colorado architect)|Walsh]] firm.{{r|NPS}}

"After several fires at [[Chanute Field]] and deterioration of the buildings" in Illinois,{{r|Shaw}} a 1934 Air Corps announcement solicited a replacement training location and Denver submitted a bid.{{r|NPS}}  The City of Denver purchased the sanatorium for an airfield after a 1935 municipal bond vote.{{r|NPS}}  On 27 August 1937, the '''Denver Branch, [[Air Corps Technical School]]''', was formed with Departments of Photography and [[Armament]]{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} ("photography training moved from Chanute Field"),{{r|Manning}}<!--{{rp|7}} [image (with snow) has caption: "This photo taken in 1940 shows students using 8-by-10 inch view cameras"]--> and the [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] converted the sanatorium grounds into a [[Colorado World War II Army Airfields|Colorado military airfield]].{{r|NPS}}  In February 1938 the [[military installation|airfield being installed]] adjacent to [[Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)|Fairmont Cemetery]] was assigned to the [[Air Corps Technical School]] headquartered at Chanute,{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} and "the Denver branch of the Army Air Corps became an Army post of 880 acres."<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.31stmms.us/HistoryLowryAFB.html |title=History Lowry AFB |access-date=2013-09-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817224223/http://31stmms.us/HistoryLowryAFB.html |archive-date=17 August 2013 }} </ref>

==Original Lowry Field==
The name '''Lowry Field''' was originally assigned to an airfield consisting of property taken over by the Colorado National Guard, having a southern border along East 38th Avenue between Dahlia & Holly Streets.<ref name="lowryfoundation">{{cite web |title=Buildings 363 and 364 |url=https://lowryfoundation.org/lowry-legacy/buildings/buildings-index/buildings-363-and-364/ |website=Lowry Foundation}}</ref> It was named for [[91st Aero Squadron|Second Lieutenant Francis Lowry, the only Colorado pilot killed in combat in World War I  ]]<!-- plane was shot down by German antiaircraft fire in [[World War I]] in which he flew as a forward [[artillery observer]] on 26 September 1918.{{r|Mueller}} Despite bad weather Lieutenant Lowry and his pilot in their [[Salmson 2]]A2 had attempted a photo-reconnaissance mission important to the [[Meuse-Argonne Offensive]] over [[Moirey-Flabas-Crépion|Crepion]], France.{{r|Mueller}} Lowry, who came from a prominent Denver family, was the first Denver aviator killed in wartime. He is buried in Fairmont Cemetery adjacent to the former Air Force Base.-->. The airfield was used by the [[120th Fighter Squadron#Interwar period|120th Observation Squadron]], [[45th Infantry Division (United States)|45th Division]] Aviation. In 1924, the 120th began flying [[Curtiss JN-4 Jenny|Curtiss JN-4Es]] (better known as Jennies) at the new airfield.

A 28 October 1926 photo shows the [[Fokker F.VIIa/3m|Fokker BA-1 trimotor]] Josephine Ford of the [[Richard E. Byrd#1926 North Pole flight|Byrd Arctic Expedition]] being refueled at the original Lowry Field.<ref name=freemanairfield>{{cite web |url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/CO/Airfields_CO_Denver_NE.htm#lowry1st |title = Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Colorado: Northeastern Denver area}}</ref> [[Charles Lindbergh]] and his [[Spirit of St. Louis]] made a scheduled stop at Lowry on 1 September 1927<ref name=freemanairfield /> during his 48 state sponsored tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/lindbergh-goodwill-tour-route |title = Lindbergh Goodwill Tour Route {{!}} Pioneers of Flight}}</ref> Jack Taylor died on the maiden voyage of the Cheyenne-Pueblo-Denver [[Air Mail Act of 1925|contract airmail route]] from Lowry to Cheyenne when his aircraft exploded on 10 December 1927.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/347784293/?terms=lowry%20field&match=1 |title=Airplane Explodes, Flier Meets Death |newspaper=Casper Star-Tribune |location=Casper, Wyoming |date=11 December 1927 |page=1 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> He was flying a large [[Douglas mailplanes|Douglas mail plane]] for [[Western Airlines#Western Air Express|Western Air Express Inc.]] near Lowry.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/58096275/?terms=jack%20taylor%20air%20mail%20crash&match=1 |title=Air Mail Flier Loses Life in Denver Crash |newspaper=The Lincoln Star |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |date=11 December 1927 |page=1 \via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aerodacious.com/ccCAM012.HTM |title = CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/airmail_routes/route_11_20/12/cam_12.html |title = Contract Air Mail Route 12}}</ref>

During the latter part of 1937 the name "Lowry Field" was transferred from the Colorado National Guard facility to the new Denver Branch, Air Corps Technical School. In early 1938, after about a year of overlapping operations, the 120th Observation Squadron moved to their new quarters at the [[Stapleton International Airport#Prewar and wartime years (1929–1945)|Denver Municipal Airport]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ngef.org/index.asp?bid=74#selection-353.0-353.316 |title=Colorado Air National Guard |access-date=1 January 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415112142/http://www.ngef.org/index.asp?bid=74#selection-353.0-353.316 |archive-date=15 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> remaining there until mobilization for World War II took place on 6 January 1941. The 19 officers and 116 enlisted members of the squadron then moved to [[Biggs Army Airfield]], Texas.<ref>[[120th Fighter Squadron#Interwar period]]</ref>

In 1938, the former Lowry Field was renamed Combs Field when [[Harry B. Combs]] began leasing the airfield. He and a partner opened Mountain State Aviation, a [[fixed-base operation]] and [[Flight instruction|flight training]] facility. Mountain State would go on to train over 9,000 pilots for [[World War II]] through the [[Civilian Pilot Training Program]] at the location. In 1936, Combs had joined the 120th Observation Squadron, flying the [https://thejivebombers.com/2018/02/05/1572/ 0-19] [[Thomas-Morse O-19#Variants|E variant]] and gaining enough flying time to earn his instructor’s rating.<ref name=ajcombs>{{Cite web |url=http://airportjournals.com/harry-combs-spoiled-for-anything-else/|title=Airport Journals – Harry Combs: Spoiled for Anything Else. Born 1913 "Flown West" 2003|date=February 2004 }}</ref><ref name=Ahof>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/combs-harry/|title=The National Aviation Hall of Fame – Combs, Harry Benjamin|access-date=2 January 2022|archive-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208122441/http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/combs-harry/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Lowry Field==
[[File:Army Air Forces - Postcard - Lowry Field Colorado.jpg|thumb|World War II Postcard of Lowry Field]]

'''Lowry Field''' was assigned to the new Army Air Field on 11 March 1938. Photographic courses began prior to the field's completion and runway paving.<ref name="lfPhotoSchool">{{cite web |title=History – Photo School |url=https://lowryfoundation.org/lowry-legacy/schools/photo-school/ |website=Lowry Foundation |access-date=1 January 2022}}</ref> The paved runway opened on 4 April{{r|Mueller}} (first used by a [[B-18 Bolo]]).  The sanatorium's main building became the Army post's headquarters, and the largest single barracks (3,200 men) was completed in mid-1940.{{r|Mueller}}  The "Northeast-Southwest runway was completed in 1941"<ref>{{Cite report |author=CH2M Hill |author-link=CH2M Hill |date=February 2004 |title=Final RCRA Facility Assessment Work Plan |url=http://airforcebrac2005.org/Buckley/RFA%20Work%20Plan.pdf |access-date=2012-07-19 |quote=1941 – Northeast-Southwest runway completed; Fort Logan accepts relocation of Clerical School from Lowry; Army Air Corps Technical Training Command formed and given responsibility for Lowry Field. … 1941 –…Fort Logan accepts relocation of Clerical School from Lowry }}{{dead link|date=July 2018|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and on 1 March 1941,<!--{{r|DP1944}}--> the [[Air Corps Technical School]] moved an "[[Army Air Forces Clerical School|A.A.F. Clerical School]]"<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wingsofhonor.org/Pages/ww2_lawrence_bairdhl.aspx |title=About Us |access-date=23 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223410/http://www.wingsofhonor.org/Pages/ww2_lawrence_bairdhl.aspx |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> for Air Corps Clerks (384 hours)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=os8aAAAAIBAJ&pg=1790,5512087 |via=Google news archive |title=Sports Stew – Served Hot |last=Kurtz |first=Paul |newspaper= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=25 August 1943 |access-date=2013-02-11 }}</ref> to Fort Logan from Lowry.<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=Craven |editor-first=Wesley Frank |editor2-first=James Lea |editor2-last=Cate  |year=1983|location=Washington |orig-year=1949|chapter=Chapter 4: THE DEVELOPMENT OF BASE FACILITIES |chapter-url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/VI/AAF-VI-4.html |title=The Army Air Forces in World War II |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=1-4289-1587-7 |oclc=9828710 |access-date=2012-06-04 |quote=To clear Lowry for armament and photographic training expansion, the Air Corps secured Fort Logan, Colorado, and moved its clerical course there in March 1941.|title-link=The Army Air Forces in World War II }} (Craven and Cate cite the "Hist. AC Tech. Tng., 1917 to 7 Dec. 1941, I, 94, 97.")</ref> Beginning 16 July 1940,<ref name=Arnold>{{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Henry H. |author-link=Henry H. Arnold |date=June 1944|orig-year=May 1944 |title=AAF: The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces |location=New York |publisher=Pocket Books |page=356}}</ref> the 1st class of the [[Army Air Forces Bombardier Schools|AAF bombardier schools]] was at Lowry and used [[Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range|the nearby bombing and gunnery range]] through 14 March 1941,<ref name=freepages>{{Cite web|title=Bombardier Training: …Overview |url=http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hfhm/Training/Map.htm |format=transcribed text from various sources, including St. John |publisher=Ancestry.com |access-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614225102/http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hfhm/Training/Map.htm |archive-date=14 June 2012 }}</ref> graduating three classes of instructors who opened the [[Barksdale Air Force Base|Barksdale Field]] bombardier school.<ref name=StJohn>{{Cite book|last=St. John |first=Philip A |date=15 April 1998 |title=Bombardiers in WWII |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9c6Lc3CA0wUC&q=midland&pg=PA13 |volume=II |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |access-date=2012-07-10 |quote=''Fifty instructors arrived ''[at Barksdale]'' from the first three classes at Lowry Field, in February 1941.'' |isbn=9781563113383 }} (from Volume I{{snd}}[http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hfhm/Training/barksdale.htm cited by ancestry.com)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419160255/http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hfhm/Training/barksdale.htm |date=19 April 2012 }}</ref>

==Fourth Technical Training District==
Lowry training for [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] pilot qualification and for B-29 operational crew readiness began in 1943, and the base had a July 1943–Jan 1944 clerical school.{{Dubious|reason=The clerical school moved to Ft Logan in 1941{{snd}}was it moved back in 1943?|date=September 2013}}  In 1944 expansion of Lowry's airfield was planned{{r|Futrell}} and Lowry gained B-29 Flight Engineer training.

Lowry transferred under [[Technical Training Command]] in mid-October 1945 ([[Air Training Command]] on 1 July 1946) and by the end of 1945, Lowry's separation center was processing an average of 300 discharges a day.  The nearby bombing range was transferred from Buckley Field, by authority of [[Technical Division, Air Training Command]], to Lowry A.F.B. on 20 September 1946.<ref>{{Cite report |title=Inventory Project Report: Findings of Fact (Lowry AFB, A. F. Facility 5-1, Complex 1A |url=http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~jimkirk/Lowry1A.doc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205013329/http://asuwlink.uwyo.edu/~jimkirk/Lowry1A.doc |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 December 2013 }} (The webpage's 'Site Survey Summary Sheet' cites the ''Summary of LAFB Activities since 1937, Lowry Area History 29 September 1958 to 16 December 1961''.)</ref> In July 1947, formal courses in Intelligence Training were established at Lowry for combat reporting, photographic intelligence, prisoner of war interrogation, and briefing and interrogation of combat crews.

==USAF base==
'''Lowry Air Force Base''' was designated on 24 June 1948 and on 26 August 1948 established all Lowry training organizations under the [[3415th Technical Training Wing]] (redesignated "Lowry Technical Training Center" on 1 Jan 1959).  Lowry provided [[Operation Hayride]] emergency response for people and livestock threatened by eighteen December 1948{{snd}}January 1949 snowstorms from Utah to Kansas (e.g., a [[C-47]] of the [[2151st Air Rescue Unit]] delivered 115 blankets and 30 cases of C rations on 4 January to 482 people at [[Rockport, Colorado]].)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100126-106.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722183406/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100126-106.pdf|url-status=dead|title=AFHRA: ''The USAF and Humanitarian Airlift Operations 1947–1994''|archivedate=22 July 2011}}</ref> By 25 August 1949, the [[3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron]] had a unit based at Lowry which operated a Strategic Air Command radar station<ref>{{Citation |last=Schlupp |first=Capt John A. |date=25 August 1949 |title=[memorandum<nowiki>]</nowiki> for Project Blue Book |url=http://www.fold3.com/image/#6312774 |quote=Two (2) cys Itr, Det A 39030[sic] Radar Bomb Scoring Sq, Lowry AF Base, 25 Aug 49}}</ref> ([[Genesee Mountain Park Training Annex|Lowry's radar annex]] was at [[Genesee Park (Colorado)|Genesee Mountain Park]].)

In 1951, plans called for the headquarters of [[Technical Training Air Force]] to be at Lowry{{r|Manning}}<!--{{rp|70}}--> and after expansion at the beginning of the [[Korean War]], Lowry courses included photography, armament, [[rocket propulsion]], [[electronics]], radar-operated fire-control systems, computer specialties, gun and rocket sights, and electronically operated turret systems.  The 3415th Wing formed a Guided Missiles Department on 7 June 1951{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} and from 1952 – 1955, Lowry functioned as President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s [[Summer White House]].  Beginning in September 1954, the 3415th TTW moved intelligence, comptroller, and transportation training programs to [[Sheppard AFB]].  On 11 July 1955, the first class of 306 USAF Academy cadets was sworn in at Lowry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8NInAAAAIBAJ&pg=3383%2C4006619|title=The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search}}</ref>

In 1956 Lowry's bombing range support ended when the bombing range mission was terminated<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.flbgr.org/pdfs/Five_Yr_Review_Plan_FLBGR_Final_rev0_reduced.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=23 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206081247/http://www.flbgr.org/pdfs/Five_Yr_Review_Plan_FLBGR_Final_rev0_reduced.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Lowry's first general courses for missiles were developed.{{r|Manning}}  Courses were for Falcon, Rascal, Snark, and Navajo missiles and in 1958, Nuclear Weapons Training.  Also early in 1958, the USAF concluded that the new NORAD headquarters (different from the planned [[Cheyenne Mountain Complex|Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunkers for NORAD]] and the [[Denver Air Defense Sector|Denver ADS]]) should be relocated from [[Ent AFB]] to Lowry AFB<!--, but NORAD recommended either the Air Force Academy or [[Fort Carson]]--> (CO Springs' [[Chidlaw Building]] became the new NORAD HQ).<ref>{{Cite NORAD Historical Summary |version=1958 |access-date=2013-04-10}} p. 110 ("Location of NORAD" chapter) "USAF concluded that the best location tor NORAD was Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado (which would have quarters vacant because of the move of the Air Force Academy from Lowry to its permanent campus near Colorado Springs). … NORAD made a preliminary reply to the JCS on 31 July. NORAD recommended that the headquarters complex be located in the Colorado Springs area, with either the Air Force Academy site or Fort Carson preferred as the location." ([[cf.]] the nuclear bunker candidates for the command post at the nearby [[Blodgett Peak]] or [[Cheyenne Mountain]].)</ref> In 1960, Lowry was the 3rd ranked technical training base of ATC.<ref name=Shaw>{{Cite book |editor=Shaw, Frederick J. |year=2004 |title=Locating Air Force Base Sites: History's Legacy |publisher=Air Force History and Museums Program |location=Washington DC |quote=<!--Iola M. Sayers, "-->History of the Site Activation Task Force (Lowry)<!--," 6, AFHRA K243.0121–11, Mar 1958–Dec 1960--> … In 1960, ATC's ranking of technical training bases was as follows: 1) Keesler, 2) Sheppard, 3) Lowry, 4) Chanute, 5) Amarillo, 6) Richards-Gebaur (base under ADC command jurisdiction), and 7) Greenville (closed in 1965).)}}</ref>

==ICBM headquarters and training==
The [[Air Force Ballistic Committee]], formed in 1955, approved the former bombing range on 13 March 1958 for the first [[Titan I]] [[ICBM]] [[launch complex]] (the [[Air Force Plant Peter J. Kiewit and Sons|Titan missile plant]] was built at [[Waterton Canyon]].) The [[703d Strategic Missile Wing]] was activated on 25 September 1958 and redesignated the 451 SMW on 1 July 1961, at the same time the 848th and the 849 SMS were redesignated the 724th and 725 SMS.  Construction on all nine silos at the three launch complexes for the 724 was completed by 4 August 1961. On 18 April 1962, Headquarters SAC declared the 724th SMS operational, and 2 days later the first Titan Is went on alert status. A month later, the sister 725th SMS (initially designated the 849th SMS) declared it had placed all nine of its Titan Is on alert status, which marked a SAC first. Both the 724th and 725th Strategic Missile Squadrons formed components of the Lowry-headquartered [[451st Strategic Missile Wing]].<ref>703/451 SMW operational history USAFHRA September 1958 – June 1965</ref> The "original class of instructors" for the [[MGM-13 Mace|Mace missile]] course at Lowry graduated from the "[[Glenn L. Martin State Airport|G.L. Martin factory]] training course in Baltimore MD in 1960"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mace-b.com/38TMW/Lowry/ATC.htm|title=Mace and Matador Missile Instructors|website=mace-b.com}}</ref> and by early 1961, Lowry's personnel course moved to [[Greenville AFB]].{{r|Shaw}}<!--{{rp|129}}-->

By 1962, Lowry's Department of Missile Training was graduating over 1,000 trained missile specialists per year,{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} and the "Tactical Missile School at Lowry" (e.g., for Matador missile training) in January 1962 "was located in the Black Hangar."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tacmissileers.org/guestbook/|title=Matador and Mace Tactical Missile Veterans|date=14 June 2010|format=military newsgroup|access-date=2013-03-18|quote=Dennis Schneider Wed, 8 February 2012 2:01 PM I was assigned to the Tactical Missile School at Lowry AFB…in Jan 1962. Upon graduation in June…I received orders assigning us to instructor duty in that very school, which was located in the Black Hangar … at Lowry…from Jan 1962 – Dec 1963…I tought [sic]…in the TAC Missile Maintenance training program.}} (message 1060)</ref> On 25 June 1965, the 724th and 725th [[Strategic Missile Squadron]]s were inactivated,<ref>http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/8AX5TKRbNhUkEZZ8uNiBC2tSnd9tZKfJXWw0p7E1tYc2J8T5Zi_-oLdFNZM72nd_qkFSr4tI4lKapkrvC4jUIpHtdS86sb-JTw/Titan%20I%20Disposal%20List.xls{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Titan 1 Missiles Serial Numbers and Disposition including Lowry Missiles</ref> and the last missile supported by Lowry was removed on 14 April 1965.<ref>{{Cite report |author=Neufeld, J. |year=1990 |title=The development of ballistic missiles in the United States Air Force, 1945–1960 |publisher=Office of Air Force History |isbn=0-912799-62-5}}</ref>

==Air Intelligence Training Center==
{{Distinguish|Air Technical Intelligence Center}}
The [[Armed Forces Air Intelligence Training Center]] was established at Lowry effective 1 July 1963 with student training beginning on 17 July{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} (by 14 March, "the Defense Department had assigned responsibility for all DOD air intelligence training and advanced training in photographic, radar, and infrared interpretation to the Air Force."){{r|Manning}}  In 1965, the runway was closed, and all Lowry AFB flying activities moved to nearby [[Buckley Air National Guard Base]]. Ten courses from [[Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport#Amarillo Air Force Base (1951–1968)|Amarillo AFB]] were planned to be moved to Lowry in mid-1968,{{r|Manning}}{{rp|159}} and Amarillo's [[3320th Retraining Group]] for convicted airmen moved to Lowry 1 July{{snd}}1 September 1967.  In 1974, the Air Staff approved [[Lackland AFB]]'s Special Treatment Center to transfer to the 3415th Special Training Group at Lowry AFB. In addition to Air Force personnel, the U.S. Navy also sent junior officers (ensigns and lieutenants) for initial intelligence training at Lowry, along with enlisted personnel newly graduated from boot camp for their "A" school instruction as intelligence specialists.

Construction began in 1970 for enlisted and officer billeting facilities to replace [[World War II]] vintage barracks, five 1,000-man dormitories and completed by 1974, a 187-space mobile home park.  Other added facilities included a youth center, a child-care center, a chapel (in addition to the 1941 chapel), and a new Airmen's Open Mess.  In 1976, the [[Defense Finance and Accounting Service]] (formerly Air Force Accounting & Finance Center) & the [[Air Reserve Personnel Center]] opened in the Gilchrist Building (Building 444).

The AFAITC school remained at Lowry from 1963 to 1988, before moving to Goodfellow AFB, in San Angelo, Texas. US Navy intelligence training for both junior officers and enlisted personnel was shifted to the new [[Training Support Center Hampton Roads|Navy Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center]] (NMITC) at Dam Neck, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

==USAF School of Applied Aerospace Sciences, Lowry==
In 1972, the 3415th Technical Wing{{Citation needed|reason=3415TTW had already been renamed in 1959|date=September 2013}} became the '''USAF School of Applied Aerospace Sciences, Lowry'''.   The Department of Aerospace Munitions Training continued missile training and in 1978 was redesignated the 3460th Training Group.  In 1980 Lowry acquired a [[Davis-Monthan AFB]] B-52D and stabilized{{Specify|reason=Stabilized in what way? …repaired? …positioned on a pedestal? Is this the display in front of the Wings Over the Rockies museum?|date=September 2013}} another B-52 for training [[Air-Launched Cruise Missile|ALCM]] and [[Short-Range Attack Missile|SRAM]] loading procedures.  New courses in the 1970s and 1980s included flight line and in-shop avionics maintenance courses for the [[F-4 Phantom II]], [[F-111 Aardvark]], A-10 Warthog, [[F-15 Eagle]] and [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]] (e.g., communications, flight controls, navigation, weapons guidance, and [[electronic countermeasures]] & warfare systems).  In 1982, Lowry's 1941 [[Chapel No. 1|Eisenhower Memorial Chapel]] ([[cf.]] the Eisenhower Chapel at [[Fort Knox]]<ref>{{Cite gnis |509508|Eisenhower Chapel (509508)|access-date=2013-09-21}}</ref>) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  The [[National Geospatial Agency]]'s Integrated Operations Center was in Denver and by 1983, Lowry had the Air Intelligence Officer Course<ref>https://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/aedf.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

[[LGM-118 Peacekeeper]] [[ICBM]] training began at Lowry in 1985, and after Lowry became the primary training center for USAF space operations, [[Undergraduate Space Training]]'s 1st graduation was in 1987. The 3301st Undergraduate Space Training unit moved to Vandenberg AFB, CA in 1991, prior to Lowry AFB closure.<ref>Capt Paul J. England, USAF, serving with the 3301st at the time it moved.</ref> Lowry also handled ground & armament training for several interceptor models, the [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]], and the [[B-1 Lancer]].

After being considered for closure in 1978 and since "Lowry lacked a runway"{{r|Shaw}} (all runways closed and all USAF flight operations terminated, July 1966),{{r|Mueller}} Lowry AFB was designated for closure by [[1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission|BRAC 1991]].  The [[3400th Technical Training Wing]] inactivated on 27 April 1994, and the base officially closed on 30 September 1994.  The [[National Civilian Community Corps]] used Lowry facilities from 1994 until 2004; and [[Space Systems Support Group]] Detachment 1 "located at the former Lowry AFB" in March 1995 moved to [[Peterson AFB]].<ref>{{Cite journal |journal=The Guardian |date=March 1995 |title=title tbd |location=Peterson AFB |publisher=contractor for Air Base Wing public affairs |page=9}}</ref> The Bonfils Blood Center "became the first commercial tenant at Lowry" in the former commissary during September 1995, and the site development company was presented facility and real estate awards in 1997<ref name=LowryDenver> {{cite web |url=http://www.lowrydenver.com/ourhometown/art-and-history/history-of-redevelopment/ |title=History of Redevelopment &#124; Lowry |access-date=2013-09-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105053139/http://www.lowrydenver.com/ourhometown/art-and-history/history-of-redevelopment/ |archive-date=5 November 2013 }} </ref> (asbestos was remediated from the [[Formerly Used Defense Site]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bzwmpHIQWlUC&q=%22asbestos-laced+soil+left+over+from+the+Lowry+Air+Force+Base%22&pg=PT226|title=Censored 2012: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2010-11|first1=Mickey|last1=Huff|first2=Project|last2=Censored|date=4 October 2011|publisher=Seven Stories Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781609803582}}</ref> of "1,866 acres"—remediation at buildings included Building 402:PCBs, 606: groundwater, & 1432: soil<ref name=DENIX>{{cite web |url=http://www.denix.osd.mil/arc/upload/appi-installation-narrative.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-09-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124221325/http://www.denix.osd.mil/arc/upload/appi-installation-narrative.pdf |archive-date=24 January 2013 }}</ref>).

==Closure==
The '''Buckley Annex''' was the remaining military installation after the "Whole Base Transfer" of Lowry AFB in 2006,{{r|AFCEC}} the year the [[USGS]] listed the closed Lowry AFB in the [[Geographic Names Information System]].{{r|gnis}}  In 2007, the annex of {{Convert|70|acres|abbr=on}} with DFAS & ARPC<ref> {{cite web |url=http://lowryredevelopment.org/annex/ |title=- Lowry Redevelopment Authority |access-date=2013-09-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919221803/http://lowryredevelopment.org/annex/ |archive-date=19 September 2013 }} </ref> was planned for closure.{{r|LowryDenver}}  The last remaining Air Force facility at Lowry was the [[Air Reserve Personnel Center]],<ref>[https://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/ Air Reserve Personnel Center] Official Site</ref> which [[BRAC 2005]]{{r|DENIX}} moved to [[Buckley AFB]] in August 2011.<!--SOURCE: Air_Reserve_Personnel_Center ARTICLE-->  The Buckley Annex' Whole Base Transfer was in 2012, and the "final stages of cleanup" of the base and annex were underway in February 2013.<ref name=AFCEC>{{Cite web |type=fact sheet |date=2013-02-06 |title=Former Lowry Air Force Base, Colo. |url=http://www.afcec.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=20342 |publisher=Air Force Civil Engineer Public Affairs |access-date=2013-09-22 |quote=AFCEC has invested $84 million on BRAC cleanup actions at the former installation, and the final stages of cleanup are underway. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217114933/http://www.afcec.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=20342 |archive-date=17 February 2013 }}</ref>

Most of the base is now the [[Lowry, Denver]], neighborhood with 2 hangars used for the [[Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum]]<!-- (Hangar 1 and 2, Building 401 and 402, respectively)-->, the former Building 1499 for the [[Big Bear Ice Rink]], a dormitory for the [[Logan School for Creative Learning]]<!--(remodeled beginning 2004 and ending in late 2006)-->,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theloganschool.org/|title=The Logan School for Creative Learning|website=www.theloganschool.org}}</ref> and base officer housing and other facilities for the [[Stanley British Primary School]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Community College of Aurora |url=http://www.ccaurora.edu/ |publisher=Community College of Aurora |access-date=9 April 2007}}</ref> A dormitory and a former medical building on the east end of the base are owned by the state as part of the Higher Education and Technology campus.  The last remaining military facility at the former Lowry base was the [[Defense Finance and Accounting Service]] Finance Center ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131105024413/http://www.dfas.mil/searchresults.html?queryStr=denver 6760 E Irvington] Place), which had its own USAF Base Facility identifier in 2004 (08002D).<ref name=USAF_BF_ID>http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/CSSMM_ExplanationOfData.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105031338/http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/CSSMM_ExplanationOfData.pdf |date=5 November 2013 }} USAF "Base Facility" identifier (the facility ID for the "DFAS Center" was different: 08002D.)</ref> The Lowry Community Master Association (LCMA) is located at 7581 E Academy Blvd,<ref>http://www.lowry.org Lowry Community Master Association</ref> the former hangar with the name "Lowry Air Force Base" and which also has suites for Martifer Solar USA, Mor Beverage Corp, Montessori Casa International, and Extra Space Storage. Bishop Machebeuf Catholic high school is located in the Lowry neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=7581+E+Academy+Blvd,+Denver,+CO|title=7581 E Academy Blvd, Denver, CO – Google Search|website=google.com}}</ref>

==Assignments and major units==
* Air Corps Technical School, 27 Aug 1937
* Air Corps Technical Training Command, 26 March 1941 (AAF Technical Training Command on 15 March 1942)
* AAF Training Command, 31 July 1943 (Air Training Command on 1 July 1946)
* Air Educational and Training Command, 1 June 1992 – 27 April 1994

;Major units
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break|width=50%}}
* Denver Branch, February 1938
* 3415th Technical Training Wing, 26 August 1948–<!--{{r|Mueller}}-->
: redesignated 3415th Technical School, USAF<!--{{r|Mueller}}-->
: Lowry Technical Training Center, 1 January 1959<!--{{r|Mueller}}-->
: USAF School of Applied Aerospace Sciences, Lowry, 1 August 1972<!--{{r|Mueller}} for 3415 Tech Sch, USAF--> – 1 April 1977
* [[380th Bombardment Group]] (Heavy) March–April 1943 (B-24s)<ref name=afhra2>{{Cite web|url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090529-056.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722183636/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090529-056.pdf|url-status=dead|title=AFHRA: ''Air Force Combat Units of WWII''|archivedate=22 July 2011}}</ref>
* [[389th Bombardment Group]], 19 April{{snd}}1 June 1943
* [[446th Bombardment Group]], 8 June{{snd}}19 October 1943<ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2013}}{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}</ref>
{{Col-break|width=50%}}
* 331st Twin Engine Fighter Training Group, 24 October 1943 – 1 January 1944
* [[322d Troop Carrier Wing]], 12 Jun 1947 – 27 June 1949<!--{{r|Mueller}}-->
* USAF Technical Gunnery School, 12 October 1950 – 1 January 1960
* USAF Academy, 14 August 1954 – 19 July 1959
* 703d Strategic Missile Wing, 25 September 1958 – 1 July 1961
: Redesignated 451st Strategic Missile Wing, 1 July 1961 – 25 June 1965
<!--* 848th Strategic Missile Squadron, 1 February 1960 – 1 July 1961
: Redesignated [[724th Strategic Missile Squadron]], 1 July 1961 – 25 June 1965
* 849th Strategic Missile Squadron, 1 August 1960 – 1 July 1961
: Redesignated [[725th Strategic Missile Squadron]], 1 July 1961 – 25 June 1965-->
* USAF Intelligence Training Center, 1 July 1963 – 27 April 1994
<!--* 3420th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976 – 27 April 1994
* 3430th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976 – 15 June 1978
* 3440th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976 – 27 April 1994
* 3450th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976 – 27 April 1994
* 3460th Technical Training Group, 30 April 1976 – 27 April 1994-->
* 3400th Technical Training Wing, 1 April 1977 – 1 January 1978; 1 November 1979 – 27 April 1994
{{col-end}}

==See also==
{{External media
|image1=[http://www.lowrydenver.com/ourhometown/art-and-history/ Carillon & hq structures]
|image6=[http://www.mace-b.com/38TMW/Lowry/ATC.htm Missiles on Lowry]
}}
* [[Western Technical Training Command]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist |2|refs=

<ref name=Futrell>{{Cite report |last=Futrell |first=Robert Frank  |publisher=Air Historical Office |date=July 1947 |title=Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939–1945 |volume=ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2) |quote=In January 1939 the new air base at Denver, Lowry Field, was being built.<sup>16</sup>'' [p. 5]'' … In May 1941, for example, Lowry Field received funds to build an airfield{{snd}}later called Buckley Field{{snd}}on the bombing range near Denver.<sup>170</sup> ''[p. 60 (pdf 69)]'' ... In December 1942 a contract was executed with Yale University whereby the university lead facilities for the training of the communications, engineering, armament and photography aviation cadets.  These detachments were transferred from Scott, Chanute, and Lowry Fields in January 1943.<sup>137</sup> ''[p. 114 (pdf 123)]'' ... In September ''[1944]'' three other fields{{snd}}Lowry, [[Randolph Air Force Base|Randolph]], and [[Walker Air Force Base|Roswell]]{{snd}}were selected for expansion, including a lengthening of runways, a widening of taxiways, increased maintenance apron space, and a few additional hangars.<sup>28</sup>}} (pdf p. 179)</ref>

<ref name=Manning>{{Cite report |last=Manning |first=Thomas A. |year=2005 |orig-year=1990s for ''1943–1993'' version |title=History of Air Education and Training Command: 1942-2002 |url=http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061109-022.pdf |volume=A-090203-089 |publisher=Office of History and Research |oclc=71006954|page=146 |access-date=2013-09-13 |quote=…a re-organization of internal base structure. The major change was the replacement of the base unit organization with a base-wing set-up. All ATC bases were to have a wing headquarters with three subordinate groups: training, maintenance, and airdrome. However, in August 1947 this reorganization was deferred until 1948. … 1951 "Plans called for FTAF to be headquartered at Randolph and [[Technical Training Air Force|TTAF]] at Lowry … Lowry and Keesler developed the first general [missile] courses in 1956, and plans called for other courses to open at Chanute in 1957, Amarillo in 1958, and Sheppard in 1959. … In early 1965, ATC began making plans to close its training activities at Amarillo and…relocate 29 technical courses: 7 to Chanute, 10 to Lowry. 5 to Sheppard. and 7 to Lackland." |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193148/http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061109-022.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}. {{OCLC|29991467}} </ref>

<ref name=Mueller>{{Cite report |last=Mueller |first=Robert |year=1989 |title=Air Force Bases: Lowry Air Force Base |url=https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf |volume=I: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 |publisher=Office of Air Force History |isbn=0-912799-53-6 |pages=331–337 |access-date=2013-08-15 }}</ref>

<ref name=NPS>{{Cite report |title=Denver Suburbs Multiple Property Submission |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/sample_nominations/DenverSuburbsMPS.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415122344/http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/sample_nominations/DenverSuburbsMPS.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 April 2012 |publisher=National Park Service |quote=Beginning in 1937, the Works Progress Administration completed one of its largest projects in Colorado, with more than 1,500 workers involved in renovating the 17 existing [[Gove and Walsh]] designed sanitarium buildings for the school, constructing infrastructure on the 880-acre campus, and building runways. Four modular hangars disassembled at other posts arrived at the new installation.}}</ref>

}}

{{Strategic Air Command}}
{{USAAF Training Bases World War II}}
{{USAFA}}
{{Colorado|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|39.7199|-104.8907|type:city_region:US-CO_source:map|display=title|name=Lowry Air Force Base (historical)}}

[[Category:Installations of the United States Air Force in Colorado]]
[[Category:1937 establishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:1994 disestablishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Military installations closed in 1994]]
[[Category:Initial United States Air Force installations]]
[[Category:Installations of Strategic Air Command]]
[[Category:USAF Air Training Command Installations]]
[[Category:Works Progress Administration in Colorado]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado]]