This copy of the 1969 brochure introducing North Central’s new headquarters and primary maintenance base (today’s Building D at Delta’s Minneapolis/St. Paul complex) comes from Hal Carr’s personal collection. The complex was a beautifully realized Mid-Century Modern design that has held up quite well in the five decades since it was completed, as the many photos inside this brochure will demonstrate.
Its positioning alongside busy Interstate 494 then and now was a master stroke of marketing that Republic, Northwest, and Delta continued to take advantage of – both to burnish name recognition, as well as to show off their fleets. North Central’s management could never have anticipated that their investment would be the visual focal point of essentially the Twin Cities’ third “downtown”.
The headquarters general offices administration building would house the Northliner Museum in 1974. Republic Airlines would later expand the museum and the improvements and additional displays in tribute to North Central Airlines, Southern Airways, Hughes Airwest, and all predecessor airlines would open to the public in April 1984. “Republic People” (First Quarter 1984) would feature an article on the museum expansion and improvements. Many volunteer hours went into the project by employees.