Hangar One (Mountain View, California) facts for kids
Hangar One is a giant building located at Moffett Field in California. It's one of the biggest buildings in the world that stands all by itself! This huge hangar covers about 8 acres, which is like having eight football fields under one roof.
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Hangar One
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
Hangar One, opening 1933
|
|
 Location in San Jose, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Santa Clara County, near Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Area | 8 acres (32,000 m2) |
| Built | 1933 |
| Architect | Dr. Karl Arnstein and Wilbur Watson Associates Architects and Engineers |
| Part of | US Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, California, Historic District (ID94000045) |
| Designated CP | February 24, 1994 |
This massive building is a famous landmark in California's Silicon Valley. It was built in the 1930s to hold a huge naval airship called the USS Macon. Today, Hangar One is part of the NASA Ames Research Center.
Contents
Building Hangar One: Design & Size
Hangar One was designed by a German engineer named Dr. Karl Arnstein. He worked with Wilbur Watson Associates. The hangar is made from a strong network of steel beams. These beams are covered with galvanized steel to protect them.
The building sits on a strong concrete base. This base is held firmly by deep concrete pilings. The floor of Hangar One is enormous. It covers about 8 acres, which is enough space for six American football fields!
The hangar is about 1,133 feet (345 meters) long. It is also 308 feet (94 meters) wide. The building's shape is very special. Its walls curve inward, reaching 198 feet (60 meters) high. This design helps with aerodynamics, which is how air moves around things.
The doors of Hangar One are like giant clam shells. They were designed to help reduce air movement. This was important when the Macon airship moved in and out. Each "orange peel" door weighs 200 short tons (180 metric tons). They are moved by their own powerful 150-horsepower motors.
The inside of the hangar is so big that sometimes fog can form near the ceiling!
There are railroad tracks running through the entire length of the hangar. These tracks used to go outside too. They helped move the giant airships from their mooring masts into the hangar. When the Macon was based here, Hangar One could hold it and several smaller airships at the same time.
Other Giant Airship Hangars
Hangar One is similar to another huge building called the Goodyear Airdock. This building is in Akron, Ohio. It was built in 1929 by the same company, Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation. When it was built, the Goodyear Airdock was the largest building in the world without inside supports.
The Goodyear Airdock was used to build "lighter-than-air" ships. These are also known as airships or blimps. The first two airships built there were the USS Akron and its sister ship, the USS Macon. They were built in 1931 and 1933. Both of these airships were 785 feet (239 meters) long!
There were also similar hangars in Europe. For example, the "hangars d'Orly" near Paris, France. They were built in 1921–1922. Sadly, they were destroyed during World War II.
Another example is two airplane hangars in Orvieto, Italy. They were designed in 1935 and built in 1938. These were also destroyed during World War II.
Hangar One's History
On February 24, 1994, Hangar One became a part of the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historic site in the U.S.
In 2008, Hangar One was listed as one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the U.S. This was because of some problems.
Around 2003, it was found that the hangar was leaking harmful chemicals. These chemicals came from the old paint and materials used on the building. They were leaking into the nearby wetlands. There were discussions about what to do. Some ideas included tearing it down or cleaning it up.
In December 2010, work began to clean up the harmful chemicals. These included PCBs, lead, and asbestos. Many groups wanted the hangar to be saved. It is a very important landmark in the Bay Area. In April 2011, workers started removing the outside panels. This was a huge job, needing "the biggest scaffolding job in the history of the West Coast." The work was finished in mid-2012.
In October 2011, some top executives from Google offered to help. They proposed paying $33 million to fix up Hangar One. In return, they wanted to use part of the space for their private jets.
In 2014, NASA chose a Google company, Planetary Ventures, to manage Hangar One. Google agreed to pay $1.16 billion over 60 years for the lease.
In May 2016, Google announced plans to start testing ways to remove the toxic chemicals. In May 2017, it was announced that the restoration of Hangar One would be completed in 2025.
Images for kids
-
The hangar at its opening in 1933
