8. Newark was one of the first U.S. airports with a control tower
The control tower was added in 1936, several years after Newark’s airfield opened, Joined by Chicago and Cleveland airports, Newark became one of the first U.S. airports with a control tower. It is atop the original Art Deco terminal and is not accessible to the public (although we had a chance to go inside!) The world’s first airport to ever have a control tower is Croydon Airport in the U.K., completed in 1920. Standing at 15 feet tall, the control tower just scratched the surface of air traffic control technology.
The airport’s newest control tower, completed in 2002, is called the Newark Liberty International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower. This new tower is 325 feet tall and remains besides the airport’s main parking lot.
