On Navy bases, you still have many buildings in use that are over 100 years old, and the majority of hangars on Naval Air Bases were built during WW II. Sometimes its historically quaint, and sometimes its just run down. Most Naval ship yards have that eclectic feel of a very old working class neighborhood, that has stuck new houses in whenever they were needed, and patched up the rest.
Although I know the Air Force inherited many bases from the Army, they still are primarily products of the Cold War, and have the look and feel of being planned out with their current use in mind. In contrast, NAS Jacksonville operated a large number of seaplanes and was built with large boat ramps running down to the river. All completely obsolete after the mid 50’s.
Yep, I know what you mean. NAS Pensacola has some very historic buildings, especially that “haunted” lighthouse.