INDIANAPOLIS -- As the city of Indianapolis has grown, so has its airport.
When the airport opened in 1931, it put Indianapolis on the map, and since then, the airport has seen rapid new additions, like new buildings, hangars and terminals, which have earned many awards.
Recently, it was named the best airport in the country by the Airports Council International and Conde Nast.
AWARDS | Conde Nast names Indianapolis International Airport best in the nation for third year in a row | Indy airport named "Best Airport in North America"
The changes to the airport are easy to know, but it's another thing altogether to watch them take place.
Thanks to Google's new timelapse site, you can see the changes made to the airport, from those new runways and hangers, to the terminal that opened almost 10 years ago. Use the controls in the bottom to pinpoint certain years, and start and stop the timelapse.
Let's take a look through the history of the airport from 1984, pointing out a few key milestones.
The building, circled in red, is the original FedEx Hub site. Currently, the role of the FedEx Hub is to sort and deliver packages for FedEx. Its sorting capacity is 99,000 packages per hour, delivered mainly overnight.
1994 - West side buildings:
These three buildings were built in the early 1990s. The one on the left, which is still under construction in the photo, is the former United Maintenance Base, which is now known as the Indianapolis Maintenance Center. The middle is the former USPS Eagle Hub, which shut down in 2001. The IAA has leased the building to another company that handles USPS mail. The right building is one of two FedEx hangers for aircraft maintenance.
2008 - New terminal opens:
The Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal opened Nov. 12, 2008 for travelers. The terminal, which is in the middle of the airport, was named after a World War I pilot from Hancock County, Indiana.
2013 - Solar farm built:
Phase 1 of the 183-acre solar farm was completed in October 2013. At the time, it was the largest solar power project in the city, and the largest solar power project at an airport in the world. It generates enough electricity to power more than 4,500 homes per year.
