EVANSVILLE DRESS MEMORIAL AIRPORT
Eastern and Delta props at the Evansville terminal in the late 1950s.
The Evansville City Council dedicated its new $787,000 airport terminal on October 29, 1950. Like other terminals of the day, it featured a three-story administrative block topped by a
control tower, and a single-level departure lounge with a restaurant, gift shop, ticket counters and baggage reclaim counter.
In the early 1950s EVV was served by trunk carrier Eastern Airlines, as well as the smaller Chicago & Southern Airlines and newly-formed local service carrier Lake Central Airlines. Flights were
primarily limited to short hops linking Evansville to busier terminals at Indianapolis, Chicago, Louisville and St. Louis. Chicago & Southern Airlines merged with Delta in 1954.
By 1960 Eastern was operating its new turboprop Lockheed Electras on routes through Evansville; a few years later pure-jet 727 and DC9 aircraft arrived. Allegheny Airlines joined the airport's lineup of
carriers in 1967 when it merged with Lake Central.
To provide added space for jet operations, a $350,000 terminal expansion was kicked off in 1970. When it was completed on October 12, 1971, the airlines moved into an all-new ticket lobby. The old ticket
counter area was converted to additional departure lounge space for passengers.
A landside view showing the 1971 ticket lobby addition in the foreground. The 1950 structure and original main entrance are in the background.
An aerial view of EVV in the early 1970s. The newly expanded terminal is visible at center. Construction is underway on an airport motel in the foreground; it would be completed in 1974.
By the end of the 1970s, EVV was handling a record 250,000 passengers per year. Officials voted to begin design work on a new terminal building capable of handling more than a million passengers per year. In
the interim, the 1950 terminal was remodeled yet again to add more holdroom space for passengers.
The 1980s saw a number of commuter carriers launch services at EVV, most of them affiliates of the major carriers - United Express, Ozark Midwest, Republic Express and American Eagle. Allegheny became USAir in 1979
and withdrew from Evansville a few years later. Delta replaced its mainline jet service with propjets from its Comair subsidiary, and in 1988 Eastern ceased EVV services, leaving only propeller-driven services at the airport.
The new $10 million terminal was opened on the north side of the airport on January 16, 1989. The airport was renamed Evansville Regional Airport and the new terminal was named in honor of Richard H. Dress. For several years
the 1950 terminal sat derelict on the west side of the field; it was finally demolished in the mid-1990s.
A satellite view of the old EVV site in the late 1990s. The terminal has been demolished, but its outline and former parking lot are clearly visible.
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