Hilton Austin Airport

• Hilton Austin Airport – 9515 Hotel Drive, Austin, TX 78719 • Accommodations – Hilton’s Serenity luxury bed package with 250-thread count triple sheeted linens & non-allergenic pillows, luxurious Peter Thomas Roth bath products and a 32” flat screen LCD TV. Guests will stay productive with ergonomic desk chairs, dual phone lines, voice mail and complimentary wired high-speed Internet. • Transportation – Options are available including easy and inexpensive access to Downtown Austin via the Downtown Flyer, only $2.00 round trip between downtown and the hotel. Plus meeting planners can count on attendees staying through the day for all the sessions without losing them to outside distractions. • Blocked Room Rate – Blocked Room Single Rate $145 – Blocked Room Double Rate $155 • Hilton Austin Airport Hotel History – In 1998, Landmark Organization, an Austin-based development company, was contracted by the City of Austin to convert an abandoned, three-story 1969 United States Air Force building into a four –story premier airport conference hotel. Though once slated for demolition, the building had historical meaning to the community due to the important role of the base in previous years and the economic impact the base provided long before Austin’s high tech industry came into being. Its distinctive round shape with an open center area caused the building to be dubbed “The Donut.” It served as a strategic air command center during the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and Desert Storm. High-level air reconnaissance missions were orchestrated from the command center. The basement areas of the building even featured a reinforced war room. When the base closed, it was an economic loss for the community. • Historical Highlights – The base formerly housed the 67th Reconnaissance Wing, 12th Air Force Headquarters, 12th Tactical Intelligence Squadron, 712th Air Support Operations Center, 10th Air Force Reserve, and 924th Fighter Group – The building now the Hilton was once the headquarters building for Bergstrom Air Force Base. The Headquarters opened on September 1, 1968 at a cost of nearly $3 million and became know as “The Donut” but the official designation was building 2900. It also carried names such as “The Little Pentagon and the Roundagon” – The Original headquarters building was a circular, three story structure (two-floor structure on columns) designed by Page- Southland-Page Architect Engineering firm of Austin and built by Stokes Construction Company of San Marcos, under the supervision of the Fort Worth Army Engineering District. • Historical Highlights – “The Donut” was 123,210 square feet of floor space, and had an overall building diameter of 312 feet, slightly longer than a football field. – The Original building had 500 windows, almost 20,000 cubic yards of concrete weighing nearly 1,500 tons, 760 tons of steel reinforcing and 500-ton air conditioning system powerful enough to cool 170 average size homes. – The buildings wiring, if stretched out, was over 2,700 miles long (long enough to reach from Austin to Seattle, Washington.) – The electrical system was an unusual design to accommodate the circular configuration. Wiring on each floor was contained in a conduit which ran under the hallway and was connected to rooms by spoke-like tubes under the floors. • Historical Highlights – The basement under the plaza of reinforced concrete was designed to be made into a secure area if needed. Three guard cages at three entrances to the plaza were made of concrete with bullet-resistant windows. – Bergstrom Air Force Base was one of three Cold War bunkers in the U.S. where the President of the United States could be flown for safety in the event of a nuclear attack. – The military command center below ground was designed like a theatre, with a center room sloping downward toward a stage where presentations were made. In the rear of the room on the highest part of the ground, sat the glass enclosed “Battle Cab”. This is where generals held high level talks in privacy. Roy Kizer Golf Course • Golf Course Details – The Roy Kizer Golf Course is Austin's premier and most popular municipal course in the city; its links-style layout is spread over 200 acres in Southeast Austin. – With 35 acres of lakes and 22 acres of wetlands, the golf course offers residency to migratory waterfowl in the area. But despite the acreage devoted to lakes, Kizer is suitable for players of all levels. Ample fairways and the choice of five sets of tees provides each golfer the opportunity to play a course that fits their skill level and a variety of ways to negotiate the challenges set forth. – The course was named for Roy Kizer, golf course superintendent at Lions Municipal Golf Course from 1937 until his retirement in 1973. • Tom & Jerry Golf Tournament – 2017 Tom & Jerry Golf Tournament will be Monday, June 5th. Kevin Farrell & Roger Bolin are our unofficial SWEMA Tournament directors. – Format will be a 4-man scramble. We would like to invite you, your spouse, fellow employees, and business associates to come and enjoy a day of golf. – 8:30AM Shotgun start, lunch and range balls provided. .

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