What started as simply flooring became so much more at Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF). After 16 years, the iconic SGF water, grass and rock carpet is being removed \u2013 but the airport carpet will always be remembered, thanks to a special effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 26, the Springfield Airport donated three original, unused airport carpet squares to the History Museum on the Square\u2019s permanent collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
History Museum executive director Sean FitzGibbons accepted three carpet squares at a special ceremony at the airport, celebrating the cultural significance of the airport carpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While it may seem a bit unusual to place carpet squares in a museum, the airport\u2019s carpet and the community\u2019s overwhelming affection for it tells a much larger story. That story is worthy of historic preservation, says FitzGibbons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe History Museum on the Square preserves more than documents and artifacts of national significance; we preserve and share the texture of everyday life,\u201d said FitzGibbons. \u201cFor over a decade, the SGF carpet was part of the shared experience of leaving home, returning home, and welcoming visitors to Springfield. When something as ordinary as flooring inspires nostalgia and pride, that\u2019s cultural history in real time. By preserving these carpet squares, we\u2019re documenting not just the airport\u2019s evolution, but the joy, humor and SGF spirit that makes Springfield uniquely Springfield.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SGF and the History Museum partnered in 2025 to honor the history of aviation in the Ozarks with three history display panels in the terminal lobby, celebrating the almost 100 years of aviation in the region. This latest collaboration is just another way the airport is partnering with local historians to ensure aviation\u2019s history is preserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe History Museum is committed to celebrating Springfield\u2019s culture and community, and so are we,\u201d said Brian Weiler, director of aviation at SGF. \u201cThe community has shown its overwhelming love for the carpet since we announced its removal, and this is just another way we\u2019re honoring our passengers, their experiences and our shared, collective history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now halfway completed, the flooring replacement project at SGF is removing 110,000-square-feet of carpet with terrazzo, a durable, hard surface throughout much of the terminal. The airport team led terminal visioning workshops in 2024 to thoughtfully consider the new floor\u2019s design, which pays homage to the previous carpet. The waves in the terminal lobby are reminiscent of water, grass terrazzo lines the car rental counters and new midnight blue carpet near the gates has a rock-like texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All these design details matter, and so does the choice to preserve the legacy of beloved but inefficient carpet, says assistant director of aviation Dave Schaumburg, who serves as project manager on the flooring project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe carpet is loved, and we want its legacy to be honored in a way that\u2019s as meaningful as the memories it helped create for our passengers,\u201d said Schaumburg. \u201cThe carpet is a part of not just the airport\u2019s history, but Springfield\u2019s. We\u2019re grateful it can have a permanent, protected home for generations to come, while today\u2019s passengers and those to come enjoy the improvements from more efficient, durable flooring at the terminal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What started as simply flooring became so much more at Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF). After 16 years, the iconic SGF water, grass and rock carpet is being removed \u2013 but the airport carpet will always be remembered, thanks to a special effort. On March 26, the Springfield Airport donated three original, unused airport carpet squares […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-airports","category-missouri"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Springfield-Branson-Museum-offer.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34645"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34647,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34645\/revisions\/34647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}