There was a time, mostly during aviation’s golden age, when airports were judged by their hangars. Yes, trends in transportation architecture produced spectacular terminal buildings during the same period, but big, beautiful hangars arguably suggested more about the impressive machines housed within.
Some hangars are fairly famous, like Hangars 1 and 2 at New York’s Floyd Bennett Field. Recently restored after years of neglect, they served as a backdrop for numerous important aviation events, including Howard Hughes’ record-setting flight around the globe in 1938. Hangar 1 at Lakehurst, New Jersey, famous for housing the zeppelin Hindenburg, is among the best-known structures of its type.
