SAVE HANGAR ONE - A Rare Opportunity to Influence the Navy's Decision
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) will be hosting a public meeting on Hangar One on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Computer History Museum, Hahn Auditorium, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043.
What is the ACHP?
ACHP is an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation's historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy.
Why is this meeting important?
The Navy has proposed to remove the sheathing from Hangar One and leave the structure a skeleton. ACHP will be commenting on the impacts of this action on historic resources. The Navy is legally obliged to afford the ACHP a reasonable opportunity to comment under the National Historic Preservation Act.
The ACHP is the only entity with the legal responsibility to encourage federal agencies to factor historic preservation into federal project requirements. It is very rare for this agency to host a public meeting, and the impact of a strong public turnout could be tremendous.
What can you do?
- Attend the September 17th meeting! Public input is urgently needed to inform ACHP's comments to the Navy. Please speak out at the meeting or submit your comments in writing to kfanizzo@achp.gov by September 22, 2008.
- E-mail or Fax your Congressional Representative, Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer and Speaker of the House Pelosi to ask for their support to save Hangar One. In 2006, Representatives Eshoo, Lofgren, Pelosi, Miller, Honda, Lantos, Tauscher, Farr, Thompson, Lee, Stark and Woolsey co-authored a letter to the Secretary of the Navy "supporting the full cleanup and preservation of Hangar One" and further stated that "the Hangar is worth far more than the funds needed to save it".
Talking Points
- Hangar One is an important part of California and the nation's aviation and military history. The hangar is a rare, irreplaceable resource that is a northern California landmark and a reminder of our nation's history of technological innovation and design.
- Hangar One is the anchor of the National Register listed U.S. Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, California, Historic District. Removing the sheathing of the structure would threaten the integrity of the District as a whole.
- Environmental hazards present at Hangar One must be remediated, but the historic value and reuse options for the hangar should not be destroyed or severely compromised in the process when viable alternatives exist.
- The Navy's current plan to remove Hangar One's exterior sheathing and all interior structures makes reuse of Hangar One difficult and does not fulfill what we believe is the Navy's responsibility to minimize harm to the historic resource, or leave the hangar in a usable condition.
- The Navy's proposed mitigation measures, including documentation and painting the frame the color of the original siding, are insufficient to make up for the effect the remediation measures will have on Hangar One.
