Historic Hangar One Getting Google-Funded Makeover

The massive airship hangar from the 1930s at Moffett Federal Airfield will be restored by Google Planetary Ventures.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, May 16, 2022 at 08:56 AM ET

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A look at Hangar One after it was skinned. [File Photo: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

Hangar One, a historically significant and massive airship hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield, is finally undergoing restoration after years of discussion.
The restoration was necessary because the hangar's original construction led to severe environmental contamination, including lead, PCBs, and asbestos, which previously caused its outer "skin" to be removed.
After public outcry prevented demolition, Google Planetary Ventures leased the facility from NASA and is now undertaking the restoration, aiming to replicate the hangar's original appearance and mitigate environmental impacts.

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After years of discussion, Hangar One, the airship hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield (KNUQ), is being restored.

The behemoth building, standing at 200 feet high and 1,133 feet long, is the largest in Santa Clara County and one of the largest freestanding buildings in the world. It was constructed in 1933 to house the USS Macon, a 146-foot tall, 785-foot-long dirigible operated by the U.S. Navy, and was designed with doors on either end that could be drawn back on rails, allowing an aircraft to enter or exit from either direction.