If you’ve ever driven down the 55 freeway in Orange County, you’ve seen them. It’s impossible not to. Two gargantuan, dark-wood silhouettes looming over the suburban sprawl of Tustin and Irvine like ghosts from a different century. These are the hangars of the former Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, and honestly, they defy logic. They look like something a kid would build out of Lincoln Logs, only scaled up to a size that makes a Boeing 747 look like a toy.
Most people just call them "the blimp hangars." That's basically what they were. Built in 1942, these structures were a desperate response to the Pearl Harbor attacks. The U.S. Navy needed a way to patrol the West Coast for Japanese submarines, and since long-range radar wasn't exactly a thing yet, they turned to blimps. Specifically, K-class airships.
But here’s the kicker: steel was a precious commodity reserved for warships and tanks. So, the Navy built these hangars almost entirely out of wood. Over 2 million board feet of Oregon Douglas Fir went into each one. They are some of the largest freestanding wooden structures on the planet. Or, well, one of them is now.
What Happened to North Hangar (Hangar 1)?
You probably heard about the fire. It was late 2023, and the North Hangar—known officially as Hangar 1—caught fire in a way that felt almost surreal to watch. Because the wood was treated with fire-retardant chemicals and years of sealant, it didn't just burn; it smoldered and collapsed in slow motion over several days.
It was a mess. A literal, toxic mess.
The fire released asbestos and other nasty particulates into the air, forcing local schools to close and neighbors to seal their windows. For a few weeks, Tustin felt like a disaster zone. The North Hangar is gone now, mostly cleared away, leaving a massive, empty concrete pad that serves as a grim reminder of how fragile these "permanent" structures actually are.
The Survival of Hangar 2
South Hangar, or Hangar 2, is still there. It’s the one closer to Warner Avenue. If you want to understand the scale, you have to realize these buildings are 17 stories tall. They are over 1,000 feet long. You could fit three football fields inside one, and you’d still have room for a massive tailgate party in the end zones.
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Walking near it is a trip. The air changes. There’s a specific smell—old wood, grease, and history.
Why the Navy Picked Tustin
It wasn't random. The Santa Ana winds are famous for being destructive, but the flat coastal plain of Orange County offered the perfect "laminar flow" for lighter-than-air craft. Basically, the blimps could take off and land without getting tossed around by weird thermal updrafts from mountains.
The base was commissioned as Naval Air Base Santa Ana in 1942, then became Marine Corps Air Station Tustin in the 50s. By the time the helicopters arrived—the CH-46 Sea Knights and the massive CH-53 Sea Stallions—the blimps were long gone, but the hangars remained. They were too useful to tear down. They provided millions of square feet of covered maintenance space.
Hollywood’s Favorite Backdrop
If Hangar 2 looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it in about a dozen movies. Location scouts love this place.
- Pearl Harbor (2001): It stood in for various military locations.
- The X-Files: It’s basically the ultimate "government conspiracy" setting.
- Star Trek (2009): Parts of Starfleet Academy were filmed in and around the base.
- Austin Powers: Yes, even the International Man of Mystery spent some time here.
The sheer volume of the interior creates its own microclimate. Legend has it that it used to "rain" inside the hangars when the humidity got too high, as condensation formed at the top of the wooden arches and dripped down on the mechanics below.
The Modern Dilemma: What Do You Do With a Giant Wooden Box?
The base officially closed in 1999 under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) act. Since then, the land has been slowly eaten up by developers. You have the District at Tustin Legacy—a massive shopping center—and thousands of new homes.
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But the hangars remained a problem. They are National Historic Landmarks, which means you can't just knock them down to build a Costco. But maintaining a wooden building that is 80 years old is insanely expensive.
The City of Tustin and the Navy have been in a decades-long tug-of-war over who pays for what. The fire in Hangar 1 simplified the "what do we do" question for one half of the site, albeit in the most tragic way possible. For Hangar 2, the future is still a bit of a question mark. There have been talks of making it a museum, a sports complex, or even a massive film studio.
Why You Should Care
It’s easy to dismiss old military bases as "eyesores," especially when they're surrounded by shiny new condos. But the Tustin Marine Air Station hangars represent a specific moment in American engineering where we did the impossible because we had to.
We built cathedrals for blimps.
There is a weird, quiet dignity to Hangar 2. It’s a landmark that anchors Orange County to its past—a past that wasn't just orange groves, but also a pivotal hub for Pacific defense.
Visiting the Site Safely
Look, you can't just walk into Hangar 2. It’s fenced off, and after the Hangar 1 fire, security is tighter than ever. Don't try to be an "urban explorer" here; the structures are old, and the remaining hangar has significant structural concerns.
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The best way to see it is from the perimeter.
- Armstrong Avenue: Drive along the eastern edge for the best scale shots.
- Legacy Park: A great spot to sit and look at the structure from a distance while enjoying a coffee.
- The District: You get a framed view of the hangars from the parking lots near Costco and Whole Foods.
The remaining hangar is a ticking clock. Whether it succumbs to time, another fire, or is eventually restored, it won't be there forever.
Actionable Steps for History Buffs
If you want to actually support the preservation or learn the deep history, don't just stare at it from the freeway.
- Check out the Tustin Area Historical Society. They have a massive archive of photos from when the base was active, including shots of the blimps actually inside the structures.
- Visit the Lyon Air Museum. It’s located at nearby John Wayne Airport. While it's not on the Tustin base, it provides the necessary context for Southern California's aviation boom during the same era.
- Monitor the Tustin Legacy website. This is the official portal for the redevelopment of the base. It’s where they post public meetings about the fate of Hangar 2. If you live in the area, your voice in those meetings actually matters.
The loss of Hangar 1 was a wake-up call. These structures are unique in the world, and once they're gone, we aren't building wooden arches 17 stories high ever again. Take the time to drive by, park the car, and just look at the South Hangar. It’s a piece of 1942 that somehow survived into the 21st century, and it’s worth a few minutes of your time.
Next Steps for Exploration
To see the hangar’s scale in person, set your GPS to Tustin Legacy Park. It offers a clear, unobstructed view of Hangar 2 from a safe distance. For a deeper dive into the technical specs of how these were built without nails, search the Library of Congress: Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) for "Naval Air Station Santa Ana." It contains the original blueprints and construction photos that show the insane wooden scaffolding used to raise the arches. For those interested in the environmental status of the site following the 2023 fire, the South Coast AQMD maintains the official records of air quality and soil remediation efforts in the surrounding Tustin neighborhoods.