Tustin
Blimp Hangars:
Preservation’s Challenge
The Board of Supervisors is tackling the difficult challenge
of finding a practical reuse for the one of the blimp hangars
at the closed Tustin Marine Corps Air Station.
The giant hangars have been Orange County landmarks for
over 60 years. Growing up in OC, I remember seeing their
massive arching outlines for miles around. Subsequent development
adjacent to the base has since somewhat obscured them, but
millions of commuters are still impressed by their hulking
profile.
Between the two of them, they could hold 12 football fields.
They are the largest wooden structures in the world. A response
to wartime emergency, they were never used for their intended
purpose and were functionally obsolete before they were
even completed.
A lone Japanese submarine surfaced off Santa Barbara and
shelled an oil installation in early 1942. The military
called for blimp patrols to help defend against subsequent
attacks. By the time the hangars were finished in 1944,
however, the sub threat had long since passed and the war
ended a few months later. For the next 50 years, the Marines
used them to house helicopters and various other equipment
and supplies.
The base closed in 1991. The “MCAS Specific Reuse
Plan” has been developed by the City of Tustin, which
includes homes, parks, schools and commercial development.
The County has been offered ownership of the north hangar,
while Tustin owns the south hangar. Where, if anywhere,
will the hangars fit in? Do they have a future at all?
At most, only one hangar is likely to be preserved. Rehabilitation
and maintenance are costly. Just to hire a crew to tighten
all the bolts holding the structure together would run $1
million. As there are no public funds available for restoration,
the Board of Supervisors has considered the only two proposals
brought forward.
Two were considered at our March 22 meeting, and both were
rejected as infeasible. One proposal from a coalition of
OC veterans groups called for the hangar’s conversion
to a military museum. The other, from Industrial Realty
Group, called for a sports complex housed by the hangar.
Both were considered financially unrealistic, with the County
general fund being placed at risk in the event of likely
shortfalls.
The veterans were the best organized and most enthusiastic
about their proposal, hoping that a military museum would
be self-supporting through admissions and donations. However,
no such museum in the country exists without substantial
tax subsidies.
The OC Veterans’ Coalition is now looking at a Fall
ballot measure to assure a revenue stream to rehab the hangar
and convert it to a military museum. A new state law allows
creation of a “Military Memorial District” subject
to voter approval. This would raise property taxes rate
by .3% per dollar of assessed valuation.
What is county government’s responsibility to preserve
historic buildings? How far would the public go to save
this particular building? Are the hangars historical/cultural
treasures or anachronistic eyesores? Are they obsolete dinosaurs
from a bygone era, or priceless architectural gems begging
to be rehabilitated for new and creative uses?
Preservation standards vary by community. My hometown of
Fullerton – where I served on the City Council for
18 years – values its history and has considerable
public and private support to preserve and reuse old buildings.
The Fox Fullerton efforts are an example of this. Contrarily,
Anaheim used aggressive efforts to demolish its core downtown.
Property owners who wanted to preserve their own buildings
at their own expense were prevented from doing so, often
under the cloud of eminent domain.
The County has so far refused to take possession of the
north hangar without a practical plan to save it. We will
now join with the City of Tustin, which is responsible for
the Specific Reuse Plan, to find a practical hangar reuse.
Hopefully, working with Tustin and interested citizen groups,
a way can still be found to preserve and reuse at least
one of the hangars. But it is still only a hope.
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