Nina Fresco – First Around the World
First Around the World
The History of the Santa Monica Municipal Airport
DATE: August 15, 2026
TIME: 2pm – 3:30pm
TOPIC: Discussion and book signing by author and historian Nina Fresco
Long before it became one of the region’s most debated landmarks, the Santa Monica Municipal Airport was at the center of the city’s ambitions for growth and innovation. Established in 1921 using California’s first public bond measure for airport acquisition, the airfield became home to Douglas Aircraft and played a pivotal role in aviation history. The airport served as the base for the first round-the-world flight and the first Women’s Air Derby, helping transform Santa Monica into a hub of aerospace innovation and employment for generations.
Drawing on more than a decade of research into Santa Monica’s past, Fresco explores the airport’s remarkable history and its lasting influence on the city.
Book signing after, with copies available for purchase.
Admission to the event is free with museum entry ($5 for adults, free to students and seniors).
Nina Fresco has a BFA from Parsons School of Design. Beginning in 2002, she served three terms as a Santa Monica Landmarks Commissioner, chaired the Civic Working Group Task Force that studied the rehabilitation of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and is currently serving a third term as a Planning Commissioner. Nina is a founding member of the Santa Monica Conservancy and has been instrumental in historic preservation projects throughout the city, so that treasured structures and significant neighborhood histories are not lost. Nina engages in in-depth research on the history of Santa Monica, unearthing what is behind our urban legends and discovering little known stories about people and places from Santa Monica’s past. Stay tuned for her upcoming book First Around the World: the History of the Santa Monica Municipal Airport.
