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11 Most Endangered
Hangar One, Moffett Field
Year Listed: 2008
Location: Santa Clara County , California
Current Status: Endangered
Threat: Deterioration, Neglect
Latest News
September 23, 2009: The Navy announced that it will award a contract by the end of the month to deconstruct, but not restore Hangar One. The decision was made despite ongoing discussions between the Navy and NASA at the President's Office of Management and Budget on how to distribute financial responsibility between the agencies for the Hangar's preservation. This week, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo wrote to Navy Secretary Ray Maybus seeking a written commitment that the Navy won't move forward with its plan to "de-skin" Hangar One until a plan is in place to "re-skin" the structure. Read the letter.
Hangar One, Moffett Field
Enormous interior of Hangar One. Photo by Rick Callison.
Hangar One, Moffett Field
Hangar One with doors open, 1963. Photo by NASA.
Hangar One, Moffett Field
Massive doors of Hangar One. Photo by Rick Callison.
Significance
Hangar One, with its exceptional character, innovative design and technical virtuosity, has long been one of the most recognizable landmarks of California's Silicon Valley. This cavernous, dome-shaped structure, built in 1932 to house U.S. Navy dirigibles, measures 200 feet tall and covers more than 8 acres of land. During World War II, it served as a docking station for the USS Macon, the largest aircraft in the world at the time. The hangar dominates the landscape at Moffett Field, towering over an impressive array of 1930s-era Spanish Colonial Revival military buildings, which are now part of NASA's Ames Research Center. Hangar One is notable for its colossal Streamline Modern form, and is regarded as emblematic of Silicon Valley's contributions to aviation and space advancement as well as technology research and development.
Updates
July 31, 2009: Preservationists welcomed Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' statement to delay deconstruction work on Hangar One for an additional thirty days. According to Rep. Anna G. Eshoo's office (D-Palo Alto), the Navy made the decision to "examine new avenues to facilitate its restoration and re-use."
July 2009: Amid flagging negotiations between NASA and the Navy regarding the fate of Hangar One after removal of the structure's contaminated siding, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and partners Save Hangar One Committee, the California Preservation Foundation, and the California Office of Historic Preservation have asked high ranking government officials to help resolve the dispute. In letters to Secretary of the Defense Robert Gates, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, and White House Office of Pubic Affairs Director Christina Tchen, we ask the officials to intervene in the matter of Hangar One and ensure that the historic structure is preserved. The Navy has announced its intention to award a demolition contract for removal of Hangar One's siding by July 31.
March 2009: NASA has backed away from its earlier pledge to restore Hangar One after the Navy strips the structure of its toxic siding. Should the Navy proceed with its plan without a commitment for rehabilitation, Hangar One’s exposed frame will be vulnerable to the elements. Read more.
In early 2009, after a long and contentious public review process, the Navy formally decided to remediate the environmental hazard at Hangar One by stripping the hangar of its exterior siding, doors and windows, and interior elements, leaving only the structure's large steel frame. The Navy thus passes the difficult reconstruction task to NASA, who must ensure that the skeletal frame is quickly recovered. Public support is critical to ensure this work occurs and that it happens concurrently with the environmental cleanup. Such coordination will minimize the risk of damage to the hangar's steel frame, save money, and ensure that work is historically appropriate.
In 2005 a group of local citizens formed the grass roots organization Save Hangar One Committee to advocate for preservation and adaptive reuse of the hangar. They continue to wage an effective campaign, coordinating information for the community and others on the status of the Navy's remediation plan. The group is also mobilizing efforts to have NASA consider rehabilitating Hangar One for adaptive reuse or educational purposes.
A 2003 inspection revealed that toxic PCBs are leaking from Hangar One's metallic exterior. Although the Navy transferred Hangar One to NASA in 1994, the Navy remains responsible for environmental remediation on the site. After initially proposing in 2006 to demolish Hangar One to clean up the environmental hazard, public outcry led the Navy to revise their environmental and engineering studies to assess other remediation and preservation solutions.
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Share your memories of this endangered place
Submitted by seen yoo much change at: June 24, 2009
living in Santa Clara since 1966, I can remember the only thing blocking my view of hanger 1, was a shopping mall that they tore down 10 years ago. That someone wants to tear it down, is in my view, just like paving over the orchards that my children grew up playing in. Another form of cancer in the land of progress. SAD, SAD, SAD
Submitted by Marshall at: June 17, 2009
A staff Sgt in the Medical Corps at Ft. Ord, I came to Moffett in December 1941,just after Pearl Harbor, to take the exam to transfer to pilot training in the Army Air Corps. I stayed in the barracks over night and after dark I walked over to the hangar and peered into its cavernous depths. Outside on a runway students were shooting practice night landings in BT-13s. For a while I stood with the guy manning the light signal gun at the corner of this great structure. I went on to fly in the war, but I'll never forget that awesome night. The next day I encountered Jimmy Stewart in the mess hall.