Thursday, January 08, 2009

MCAS Tustin and Hobby City

Today's photos show the Lighter-Than-Air (a.k.a. blimp) Hangars at Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. The base began in 1942 as Naval Air Station Santa Ana. It closed after WWII, but was reopened in 1951 (during the Korean War) as MCAS Santa Ana. It was renamed MCAS Tustin in the 1980s. It closed for good in 1999.
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The top photo shows the base from the air in 1965. The black and white image shows the hangars with sheep grazing in the foreground and Old Saddleback in the background. For more photos of the base, see today's post on Viewliner Ltd.
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Things are looking up at Hobby City - one of O.C.'s last notable roadside attractions - in Anaheim/Stanton. There was an earlier plan to bulldoze the whole place and build condos. But with the dead real estate market, the owners are starting to bring new businesses into the 54-year-old complex and revitalize the place. Several new shops for hobbyists have already moved in. Sadly, the Doll Museum is gone. The scale replica of the White House will now be used as a venue for special events and can be rented out.

2 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that Hobby City is staying put. I stopped in there this past Novemeber and browsed around a bit.

    I'm thinking of taking the kids to that amusement park next door when we return in June.

    Thanks for the always informative posts!

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  2. Thanks for the update on Hobby City. I've been meaning to wander over and see what new developments are taking place.

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