Members of Congress are seeing first-hand the work to restore and preserve a historic Bay Area landmark and reminder of the region’s importance to early aviation – Hangar One.
On May 6, U.S. Congresswomen Anna G. Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren joined NASA’s Ames Research Center Director Eugene Tu, Javier González, head of External Affairs in California at Google on behalf of Planetary Ventures, and Alex Saleh, director of project management at CBRE Group Inc., to mark the start of a new beginning for the iconic structure. Visiting Hangar One gave them an opportunity to see the scaffolding and other preparations already underway for the massive undertaking of restoration project that’s expected to take three years. Once complete, Hangar One will continue to endure for decades of future use as a hub for innovative research and development.
“Having worked on this issue since 2003, I’m thrilled that restoration of Hangar One will finally begin,” said Eshoo. “Our community has worked for years to save this historic landmark that defines the landscape of the South Bay region and Silicon Valley. I’m so proud we were able to preserve this iconic piece of history for generations to come.”
The hangar as it stands today – a towering structural frame – already represents years of work. About a decade ago, the U.S. Navy removed the hangar’s roof, siding, windows, doors, and other materials, which were found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals. The Navy then sealed the hangar’s frame with epoxy to ensure the chemicals would not pose a health risk, leaving it intact until further work could be completed.
That work begins in earnest now. Through a lease agreement with NASA, Planetary Ventures will start to carefully clean and remove any remaining contaminants. This lease provides a mutually beneficial public-private partnership that invests in capital improvements to the property Hangar One sits on as well as several undertakings that will benefit the public upon completion.
Once the clean-up is complete, Planetary Ventures will leverage the scaffolding to perform structural upgrades and rebuild the hangar’s expansive exterior.
“It has been many years coming and will be many years until the restoration can be completed, but it is promising to see each milestone as we work together to preserve this Bay Area icon,” said Lofgren. “We are certain the hangar will again play a role in the cutting-edge work of the present-day Silicon Valley.”
Image above: From left to right: Javier González, head of External Affairs in California at Google on behalf of Planetary Ventures, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. Anna Eshoo, and Ames Center Director Eugene Tu tour the inside of Hangar One. Image credit: NASA/Dominic Hart.