FAA Headquarters Buildings Named After Wright Brothers

Two downtown Washington (DC) office buildings housing the US Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be named after the inventors of powered, sustained, controlled flight, Orville and Wilbur Wright.

"This is a fitting tribute for two American icons," Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said.  "Aviation began with the Wright brothers' dream of flight.  Today, the Department of Transportation helps continue that dream as millions of travelers fly safely to locations throughout the world."

The measure, approved by Congress earlier this year, renamed the agency's Federal Building 10-A at 800 Independence Ave., SW, the Orville Wright Federal Building, and Federal Building 10-B at 600 Independence Ave., SW, as the Wilbur Wright Federal Building.

A formal naming ceremony for the FAA buildings hosted by Secretary Mineta and FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey will be held within the next few weeks.  Ohio and North Carolina congressional delegations, former FAA administrators, and members of the Wright family will be invited.  In addition, one-third-scale replicas of the Wright Flyer and Wright Glider will be hung permanently in the building lobbies.  Both replicas were previously displayed at the Rockefeller Center Cradle of Flight exhibitions that ran in New York City last summer.

FMI: www.faa.gov