3250 Sidney Brooks St
San Antonio, TX 78235 Brooks

Building 538, the original School of Aviation Medicine (SAM), was the first permanent structure to be erected at historic Brooks Field, and serves as a visual reminder of San Antonio's role in the development of aerospace medicine. Situated near the main gate on the east side of Sidney Brooks (formerly the North Road), Building 538 is located near the heart of the historic base. It was erected in 1927 to house the newly relocated School of Aviation Medicine from Mitchell Field, New York. After SAM's departure from Brooks Field in 1931, Building 538 has served as headquarters for the Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School (Observation), and later, as an administration building, a reference library, a hospital, and a museum. Presently used as headquarters for the Mission Support Group, Building 538 survives as a direct and tangible link to the history of aviation medicine and its important contributions to flight.