Hinman Hall, named for Brigadier General Dale Durkee Hinman who commanded the Antiaircraft Artillery Training Center at Fort Bliss in 1943, was the administrative headquarters for the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School for over 50 years. It was designed by the Dallas architectural firm of Landauer, Guerrero and Shafer and was built by the R. E. McKee Construction Company of El Paso at a cost of $2.7 million. The building's modernist design was in bold contrast with the surrounding Queen Anne-style brick buildings. At its 1954 dedication ceremony, General John E. Dahlquist, Commanding General of Continental Army Command, stated, "Our new academic building - modern, streamlined, solid, strong - [exemplifying] the strength and growth of the anti-aircraft artillery and the importance of the activities now being conducted within its walls."
Over six decades, Hinman Hall served as a first-class facility for classroom training of the Hawk, Nike Ajax, and Nike Hercules, and later missile defense systems. At its peak, the school graduated more than 5,000 students each year from 58 allied nations. "The Air Defense School", as it soon became known, and its large international contingent prompted the Fort Bliss News to refer to it as a "little United Nations all by itself." The legacy of Hinman Hall is the training programs of the USAADAS that proved instrumental in the defense of the United States and allied nations during the Cold War.
Comments 0 comments