The first African-American pilots in U. S. military history utilized this hangar, originally located at Tuskegee Army Air Field. Built by Nashville contractors McKissack and McKissack, the base was the first major Army Air Forces base constructed by an African-American construction company. Hilyard Robinson, one of the most successful African-American architects in Washington D.C., designed and supervised the construction. Established in 1941, the program trained approximately 1,000 pilots during World War II. Along with thousands of support personnel, they became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The best-known Tuskegee Airmen were the members of the 332nd Fighter Group and its four fighter squadrons. The 332nd Fighter Group and 99th Fighter Squadron flew approximately 1500 combat missions, scored 112 aerial victories, and earned 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Distinguished Unit citations. Tuskegee Army Air Field closed in 1947, and its three hangars were relocated to municipal airports in Montgomery, Clanton, and Troy. This structure remains largely unchanged from the days of the Tuskegee Airmen.