Hangar At The Former Ruston Field has Been Demolished

There hasn't been an airport there for years, but the last visible remnant of what was Colorado's first private airport has met the wrecking ball.

The airport was Ruston Field in Federal Heights, CO. Television Station KUSA reports that the hangar was last used as a NAPA auto parts store, which closed several years ago. It was built in 1944 by Harry Ruston, and in its heyday had three runways, the longest of which was 3,500 feet. Local legend says that Ruston opened the airport to give WWII pilots a way to keep flying after their service. It had a hangar and classroom building which was used by both Regis College and the University of Denver as a training center.

After the airport closed, the hangar was used by several businesses until it, too, began to crumble apart. Federal Heights mayor Daniel Dick said it was "long past the point where it can be retained as a safe place to accumulate history."

The hangar was torn down earlier this month, and the 33 acres that once was a private airport is now for sale. Shellie Ruston Munn, Harry Ruston's daughter, said that it's for the "good of the community," but she was sad to see the hangar be demolished.

She said she hopes that people will remember her father and the airport, and that perhaps the city would erect a monument to remind people of the property's history.

(Image from 1949 sectional chart posted at www.airfields-freeman.com/CO/Airfields_CO_Denver_NW.htm)

FMI: Original report