The Snapshots in Time Collection

Panama Air Depot and Hospital Building, Panama Canal Zone, c. mid-to-late 1930s

Panama Air Depot and Hospital Building, Panama Canal Zone, c. mid-to-late 1930s

This 1930s photograph shows one of the large concrete buildings of the Panama Canal Zone's military infrastructure -- an Air Depot and hospital complex built to support U.S. Army Air Corps operations defending the strategically critical Panama Canal. Its ribbon windows and projecting concrete sun-shades reflect an architectural style adapted specifically for tropical climates. Period automobiles parked at the entrance help date the scene to the years just before World War II. Project: 218476