Reagan National's History: From the 1941 Terminal to Today's Terminal 2

Reagan National is the airport most Washingtonians think of as "their" airport: small, close in and squeezed between the Potomac and the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Its history explains a lot about why it looks and works the way it does today, from the historic terminal at its south end to the glass-and-steel concourse most travelers use, and even why your pickup happens where it does. Here is a short history, with the dates that matter.

Before National: An Airport Where the Pentagon Stands

In the 1920s and 1930s, Washington's main airfield was a cramped facility on the Virginia side of the river, on land now occupied by the Pentagon and its surroundings. Washington-Hoover Airport, as it became known, was hemmed in by roads and obstacles, and as air travel grew it was widely seen as inadequate for the capital. Planners looked for a better site nearby, and the federal government settled on the shallows at Gravelly Point, just downriver on the Virginia bank.

1941: Washington National Opens

Building the new airport meant creating land. Construction in the late 1930s used dredged material from the Potomac and fill to build up the mudflats into a site big enough for runways. The airport opened on June 16, 1941, as Washington National Airport, with service from American Airlines and Eastern Air Lines among its first operations.

The original terminal, designed by architect Howard Lovewell Cheney, faced the airfield with a colonnaded facade, and its main hall offered sweeping views of the runways and the river. The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For decades, it was the heart of the airport, and today it survives as the core of what is now Terminal 1.

Decades of Growth Under Federal Management

For most of its history, the federal government owned and operated National directly, the only major U.S. commercial airport run that way along with Dulles, which opened in 1962. As air travel grew through the jet age, the airport added concourses and parking, and debates over noise, congestion and the airport's close-in location shaped the rules that still govern it, including limits on long-distance nonstop flights. The perimeter rule, which caps most nonstop flights from DCA at roughly 1,250 miles, is a product of that era.

In 1987, under federal legislation passed the previous year, management of both National and Dulles was transferred to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which still operates them under a long-term lease. The new authority set about modernizing National.

1997: The New Terminal

The largest change in the airport's history came with a new main terminal designed by architect Cesar Pelli, which opened in July 1997. Its signature is a long sequence of domed bays with large windows facing the runways and the river, and a direct connection to the Metrorail station alongside. The project added new roadways and parking garages, and the terminal included artworks commissioned for the building, which are still on display.

The 1997 terminal became the airport's main building, housing most airlines and the B and C gates. The 1941 building became Terminal A, used by a smaller number of carriers, and later underwent restoration and upgrades of its own.

1998: The Renaming

On February 6, 1998, President Bill Clinton signed legislation renaming the airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on the former president's 87th birthday. The renaming was debated at the time, and many locals still simply call it "National." The airport code, DCA, stayed the same.

2021-2022: Project Journey and New Terminal Names

The most recent chapter is a capital program known as Project Journey. Two of its biggest changes:

• A new 14-gate concourse opened in April 2021 at the north end of the airport, replacing the much-disliked Gate 35X, where regional passengers had boarded buses to reach their aircraft on the airfield.
• Two new security checkpoints replaced several smaller ones and moved screening so that more of the terminal's shops and restaurants sit on the secure side.

With those changes complete, the airport renamed its terminals and gates in June 2022. Terminal A became Terminal 1, the B and C concourses became Terminal 2, and gates took letter prefixes by concourse, with the new concourse's gates becoming the E gates. The airports authority has also announced plans to rework or replace parts of Terminal 1 in the years ahead; check the authority's official site, flyreagan.com, for the latest.

The Metro Connection

One feature that sets DCA apart from most American airports is its rail link. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station, on the Blue and Yellow lines, sits beside Terminal 2 and connects by walkways to the terminal, so travelers can ride directly to downtown Washington, Crystal City and Alexandria. The 1997 terminal was designed around that connection. For travelers with heavy luggage, families or anyone heading to a destination off the Metro lines, a car remains the simpler option, but the station is a reminder of how deliberately the airport was tied into the city.

Why History Shapes Your Pickup

The airport's history is visible every time you arrive. Because DCA was built on a constrained strip of land between the river and the parkway, it has never had room to sprawl. Roadways, garages and curbs are tight compared with those at Dulles or BWI, and the two terminals sit at opposite ends of a long, narrow site. That is why knowing which terminal your airline uses matters, and why our guide to Terminal 1 versus Terminal 2 exists.

It is also why Reagan National is so convenient. Its location, chosen in the 1930s for its proximity to the capital, still puts it just minutes from downtown Washington, the Pentagon, Crystal City and Old Town Alexandria. Our guide to gates and pickups in the newer terminal covers the practical details for arrivals.

Seeing the History Yourself

If you have time before a flight, look for the historic elements still on view:

• The 1941 terminal building, especially its airside facade and the original main hall at Terminal 1.
• The 1997 domes and windows in Terminal 2, with views over the runways toward the Washington Monument and the Capitol.
• Public art integrated into the Pelli terminal, including floor medallions and works mounted along the concourses.
• Gravelly Point just north of the airport, where planes pass low over the park on approach, named for the very point the airport was built beside.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has published historical material about the airport; check its website for current exhibits and resources.

Booking Your Reagan National Ride

Whatever terminal you are using, we track your flight and stage your chauffeur at the right curb. Our Reagan National Airport limo service and DCA airport limo pages describe our airport service in detail. Call (877) 609-1919 or book online.