Airport La Sabana

Yesterday I was touring Costa Rica's capital, San Jose, with my bike. Part of that little tour included the Parque Metropolitano in La Sabana. At its eastern entrance sits this building, today housing a museum, that caught my attention. I did not visit the art museum, as I was more into a little excersise yesterday than into arts. Nevertheless. As I was cycling back to my hotel, yes, I am living in a hotel right now, my house, home as well as my car, all the three are in Service at Toyota here in San Jose right now, I had to think more about that actually pretty building, the tower, was it a jail? But for a jail all was almost too beautiful and all the doors and windows way too large. So when back I started reading about it. And yes, as I thought for a minute, it was an airport terminal and tower. What seems to be right in the city center and makes the biggest recreational park of San Jose today, was Costa Rica's second and it's first international airport.  

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Today the building presents itself totally restored but fortunately it doesn't look much different than in the 1950ies, when it still operated. This view is airside, my picture shows the terminal building from the city's side.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Even on a stamp the Airport of La Sabana showed up.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

This is a view out of one of the arches of the terminal building.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Even before the terminal  building in the pictures above was built...

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

...La Sabana was an airfield, at the time far out of the city.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

Douglas DC-3 in front of the tower of La Sabana International Airport.

Photo Source: dgac.go.cr

A TACA DC-3 on the tarmac at La Sabana Aiport.

Today the park is room for the largest sports arena of the country as well...

...as many soccer fields, which are extensivly used, especially on a Sunday. The park also has several ponds for fishing or recreation, many trees and biking, jogging and walking trails.

That was, what actually was fueling my thoughts about that building, what is an old airframe doing in the back yard of an art museum? 

The airport la Sabana was closed in 1955, some sources say in 1957. 1957 was also the year when the airport in Alajuela opened, still in operation and one of two international civil airports of Cost Rica.