The burning of the North Hangar, MCAS Tustin

The early hours of the morning, 11-7-2023. (Photo courtesy Tustin Fire Dept.)

On the morning of November 7, 2023, we lost one of Orange County's most remarkable landmarks to fire. The enormous North Hangar at old MCAS Tustin has been one of the most recognizable parts of the local landscape for more than four generations. 

The two Lighter-Than-Air (a.k.a. blimp) Hangars at what was originally Naval Air Station Santa Ana were constructed in only six months in 1942 as part of the effort to protect our coastline from enemy attack. Each hangar is 17 stories tall, more than 1,000 feet long, 300 feet wide, and could house six inflated blimps. There are no larger free-standing wooden buildings in the world. They are an important reminder of our military history and a testament to American architectural ingenuity.

The base closed after World War II, but was reopened in 1951 (during the Korean War) as Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana, primarily as a helicopter base. It was renamed MCAS Tustin in the 1980s and closed for good in 1999. However, the Department of the Navy continued to own the North Hangar and leased it out for events, television productions and other uses. 

Possibly the first film shot at the hangars was This Man’s Navy (1945) whose protagonist was a Navy blimp pilot. In 1975, the hangars were used again in the filming of the movie The Hindenberg. Two years later the TV show The Waltons used them in an episode depicting "John Boy's" witnessing of the Hindenberg disaster. More recently, the hangars appeared in JAG, The X Files, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Pearl Harbor, the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, and lots of car commercials. Many Californians probably got to know the hangars best through Huell Howser’s California’s Gold, which dedicated an episode to these enormous historic buildings.

Note the scale of the fire truck (left) compared to the hangar. (Photo courtesy Leslie Stone)

From the minute the base closure was announced, there were people who wanted the hangars demolished to make way for new development. But by 2009, OC Parks was dreaming up adaptive reuse options for the hangar as part of a combined historical and regional park.

 In 2012 the Parks Commission approved the creation of a regional park on a large parcel that includes the North Hangar (a.k.a. Hangar 28), the air traffic control tower, and a lot of surrounding acreage. At the time, OC Parks claimed they would preserve and adaptively reuse the historic structures. The Navy had already approved the idea that the North Hangar and the surrounding land would ultimately be handed over to OC Parks. Similarly, the South Hangar and surrounding land would go to the City of Tustin.

The author in the North Hangar, 2013.

By 2013, OC Parks was holding meetings and a few public events in the North Hangar to discuss the forthcoming regional park. That's when I finally got the chance to visit.

I've often heard the phrase, "I can't believe my eyes," but this was the first literal example I've ever experienced. My brain couldn't accept the hangar's enormity when I was standing inside. Looking at a standard-sized row of doors on the far side of the hangar did not help me grasp the scale of the building. I know that sounds nuts, but it really was a surreal experience. 

By late morning, at least half of the hangar had collapsed. (Photo courtesy Leslie Stone)

The park plans stalled when the building was damaged by the wind in 2013, causing damage to an experimental high-tech $35 million dollar zeppelin being constructed inside by tenant Worldwide Aeros. 

The extensive wind damage raised questions about the old hangars' integrity and how costly or even possible adaptive reuse would be. Repairs were not made, and the Navy (which still owns the hangars) did little to no preservation, restoration or maintenance. Finally, in 2021, the Tustin City Council finally put a stake in the heart of the park plans but said they wanted to preserve the site. 

Now, in the wake of the fire, the City says it remains interested in helping preserve the remaining hangar. The undamaged South hangar awaits environmental remediation in advance of any further reuse planning.

South Coast Air Quality Management District warning, the day after the fire began.