Soaring architecture inspired by aircraft in flight now greets visitors at the north entrance to the United States Air Force Academy, where the new General Bradley and Zita Hosmer Visitor Center stands both as a tribute to Academy heritage and a bold new front door to the region.
The center, which opened in May, was named for Lt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer and his wife, Zita. Hosmer was a member of the Academy’s first graduating class in 1959, the Academy’s first Rhodes Scholar and the first Academy alumnus to serve as superintendent.
Nestled just outside the Academy’s North Gate and adjacent to Hotel Polaris, the center serves as a fresh gateway to the city and also as an educational and historic reminder of the traditions and community integral to the Air Force Academy, its community of graduates and the Colorado Springs community at large.
The fifth and final project component of the Colorado Springs City for Champions Project, The Hosmer Visitor Center will undoubtedly attract many new visitors to the area.
What to Expect
The 108-foot grand atrium, a cornerstone of thoughtful architecture, is both visible and distinctive for travelers driving through Colorado Springs on 1-25. The hope? With new roadside signage, increased visibility and no base entry required, increased numbers of visitors will make time to visit the 34,000-square-foot space and learn about the journey each Air Force Academy cadet embarks on.
“The center is really geared for people of all ages and we’re excited, ultimately, if people can see themselves in the uniform, standing on the footsteps, walking up the ramp, and going through that 47-month journey,” says Lisa Neener, the Air Force Academy's chief of visitor experiences and STEM outreach.
The center includes seven uniquely themed galleries, five of which include interactive and dynamic components for visitors. Guests can explore the Air Force Academy’s vast and storied history, including what it means to commit to being part of the legacy of the Academy’s Long Blue Line, a tieback to the moment that cadets commit themselves to being part of the Academy’s fellowship of students.
“It’s something they carry throughout their life,” Neener says. “They get a class ring with their crest on it, and that ring is a commitment they made to the Long Blue Line.”
Visitors will have the chance to view and understand the meaning behind those class crests.
Central to the galleries are three beautiful, symbolic and class-color-infused tetrahedra (the shape a nod to the Academy’s chapel) that are 40-, 45-, and 50-feet tall. Visitors can walk underneath each, listening to differing thematic soundscapes and understanding cadet-life moments: celebrations, ceremonies and unity, bringing visitors into the fold of the United States Air Force Academy experience.
When to Visit
The Hosmer Visitor Center will be open daily 9 am to 5 pm daily. Visit the 3,000 square-foot gift shop and team store before heading home.
Address: I-25 Exit 156/North Gate Blvd | 719-333-2025
Website: usafa.edu/facilities/hosmer-visitor-center
Facebook: @USAFA.Official
Instagram: @AF_Academy
"The center is really geared for people of all ages and we’re excited, ultimately, if people can see themselves in the uniform..."