Heritage Minute - Doolittle Hall
History of Doolittle Hall
Named for renowned Gen. James “Jimmie” Doolittle, Doolittle Hall is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and situated on 24 acres of property that the AOG has leased from the Air Force. Constructed by the AOG in 1992, Doolittle Hall is the first building on the Academy grounds built solely with private donations.
Doolittle Hall’s namesake, Gen. Jimmie Doolittle, is revered for his bravery in leading an audacious B-25 raid on Tokyo just four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. You can learn more about this daring mission by visiting the Doolittle Raiders display on the second floor of the building.
Gen. Doolittle was selected as the building’s namesake due in part to the youth of the Academy at the time of the building’s completion. With only 33 graduated classes, there were few graduates of sufficient stature to have a building named in their honor. Gen. Doolittle was an ideal choice to fulfill this purpose. Beyond his distinguished military leadership and wartime heroism, Doolittle was a true renaissance man of aviation. During his life, he spent time as an aeronautical engineer and scientist, daredevil air racing pilot, and presidential advisor.