I can't even begin to explain how awesome it was to see this amazing and historical Marine Corps…read moreAir Station (MCAS) North Hanger #1 in Tustin. As I walked through the gigantic door I felt the presence of those Marines who had served here back in the WWII era.
There are two hangers here. The first, North Hanger #1 was built between October 1942 and July 1943. The South Hanger #2 was built between December 1942 and September 1943. They were built to house LTA (Lighter-than-air) helium blimps during WWII to protect the Pacific coastline. Later they would become the primary training facility for Marine Corps helicopters. These hangers are two of the largest wooden structures in the world. They are 17 stories high, 300 feet wide, over 1,000 feet long and cover 5 acres inside.
As of May 2013, the South Hanger #2 is owned by the City of Tustin and was slated for demolishing. But the Orange County officials told us tonight that the City of Tustin was considering saving the South hanger. I hope they do, it would be a shame to destroy this historical site.
Building #28, the North Hanger #1 is owned by the County of Orange. Tonight, May 22, 2013 was the second of three workshop meetings held with the public, inside the hanger, to discuss how to turn this 85 acre parcel of land into a Regional Park, with a budget between 50 and 70 million dollars. The third workshop meeting will also be held inside the hanger in August 2013. If you would like to attend to that meeting, go to: http://ocparks.com/about/projects/tbh and RSVP a spot. The primary entrance to the hanger is from Red Hill to Valencia Ave. to Armstrong Ave. The hangers have no real address, but the coordinates are 33.70951 Latitude & -117.825588 Longitude. They are located near the Tustin District. To view a 20 minute video on the history of the MCAS Tustin hanger go to:
http://www.tustinca.org/videos/TheTustinHangars/TheTustinHangars.html
In the meeting on May 22, 2013, Todd Spitzer, the supervisor of the County of Orange and the developers discussed the 'Regional Park at Former MCAS Tustin' project. Ground breaking should start mid 2014, with the park opening in the early part of 2016, taking about 18 months to complete. Some of their objectives are to complete the Mountains to Sea / Peters Canyon Regional Trail and to preserve and rehabilitate the North Hanger.
To the north of the hanger, along Valencia Avenue, where there is a residential zone, they plan on an ecological zone. This will include a 15 acre lawn with Oak, Walnut, Sycamore and Cottonwood trees. Here there will be community events held, picnicking and possible blimp landings.
To the south of the hanger is where the majority of the parking will be. Along with possible concerts and outdoor movies displayed on the gigantic hanger doors. Sports fields, water pools and an ice rink are also in the plans for this area.
To the east of the hanger, along Armstrong Avenue, will be the 'Historical Core'. This will include a Veterans Memorial, a museum and a three quarter mile Historical Walk. There will also be a 1.5 mile jogging track around the outer park perimeter. They plan to turn the old control tower into a café and place military helicopters there for display.
The hanger itself will be open for multiple public uses such as: assemblies, trade shows, weddings, farmer's markets, basketball and model airplane flying.
For the meetings official presentation held on May 22, 2013 go to:
http://ocparks.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=26916