Wingfoot Lake blimp base recognized as state historic landmark

Goodyear’s Wingfoot Lake blimp base, which dates to World War I, is certifiably historic.

And it is getting a plaque to prove it.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said the Suffield Township blimp hangar will be officially recognized as a prominent Ohio landmark with the unveiling Thursday afternoon of an Ohio Historical Marker at the facility. The unveiling is not open to the public.

The blimp base has operated since 1917, making it the oldest airship hangar in the United States.

“The Wingfoot Lake hangar has a rich history of contributions to aviation in Ohio and our nation,” Paul Fitz­henry, Goodyear senior vice president and chief communications officer, said in a prepared statement. “From training the first class of United States Navy pilots in lighter-than-air to building of airships for the defense of the nation during WWI and WWII and serving as the home base of our current airship fleet, this facility is an Ohio and American treasure.”

Goodyear bought the property and adjacent lake in 1916. The lake was intended to provide water for tire manufacturing in Akron, with the hangar used to build airships for the U.S. Army and Navy.

Wingfoot Lake is now an Ohio state park and is open to the public.

The hangar and surrounding property are still owned by the Akron tire maker. Goodyear uses the hangar to build and maintain its fleet of three New Technology, or NT, semi-rigid airships, built in conjunction with German manufacturer Zeppelin. (Goodyear still refers to its airships as blimps.)

The newest Goodyear blimp, Wingfoot Three, will be christened at the complex Aug. 30.