Hangar One Restoration Project – NASA

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comMarch 20, 2026

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on April 25, 2022 and has been updated to reflect changes, including the completion of the restoration of Hangar One.

The restoration of Hangar One, a San Francisco Bay Area landmark and a key part of the region’s early aviation history, has been completed.

In December 2025, Planetary Ventures completed the restoration of the Moffett Federal Airfield Hangar One landmark, located at NASA Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The work focused on modernizing the structure while retaining its original visual characteristics as faithfully as possible. The restoration work included remediation, cleaning and recoating of the exterior siding and roof, as well as a variety of structural improvements. Hangar One, now more than 90 years old, has been restored to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards for the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

This project began years ago when the U.S. Navy removed the hangar’s roof, siding, windows, doors and other materials, which were contaminated with toxic chemicals. The Navy then sealed the structural frame of the hangar with epoxy to ensure the chemicals would not pose a health risk, leaving it intact until further work could be completed.

In 2014, NASA signed a lease with Planetary Ventures to operate Moffett Federal Airfield and rehabilitate Hangar One.

In 2022, Planetary Ventures removed the remaining toxic chemicals from the hangar. First, working section by section, areas of Hangar One were surrounded by scaffolding and shielded to keep contaminated materials inside. Only then were they carefully removed and stored close to the shed until taken off-site for proper disposal. Once the contaminated materials were removed, the steel frame was primed and repainted to protect it from the elements until the exterior cladding, windows and doors were added.

The team also made several structural improvements, as well as other mechanical, plumbing, electrical, landscaping and landscaping improvements, to ensure the long-term operational integrity of the hangar for generations to come.

Chronology:

1933: The U.S. Navy constructs Hangar One at Naval Air Station Sunnyvale for the USS Macon airship and to serve as a West Coast base for the U.S. lighter-than-air aviation program.
1935: After the destruction of the airship USS Macon, Hangar One and the entire Sunnyvale Naval Air Station are transferred to the United States Army, renamed Moffett Field Army Air Corps Base, and used to house training aircraft.
1942: Moffett Field Army Air Station is transferred to the U.S. Navy and recommissioned as Naval Air Station Moffett Field.
1994: The Navy transfers the hangar to NASA after Moffett Field is decommissioned.
1997: During routine stormwater testing, NASA discovered a toxin called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, specifically Aroclor 1260 and 1268, and other contaminants in the Center’s storm sewer settling pond.
2002: Sampling programs determine that the composite corrugated material used to make Hangar One’s original exterior siding was the source of the PCBs as well as asbestos and that the paint used to cover both the siding and the steel framing of Hangar One contained lead and PCBs.
2003: An inspection reveals PCBs and other contaminants leaking from the hangar’s metal exterior. Due to high levels of PCBs present in Hangar One building components, the hangar was closed to human use, as required by the Toxic Substances Control Act.
2008: At a Navy public hearing, members of the local community expressed overwhelming support for the full restoration of Hangar One.
June 2010 – June 2013: The Navy resolved Hangar One contamination by preserving and decontaminating historical artifacts; remove the roof, exterior siding, windows, doors and other exterior components of the shed; demolish the interior structures of the hangar; coat the structure with epoxy; among other activities.
May 28, 2013: NASA and the U.S. General Services Administration issued an RFP seeking leasing proposals for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of Hangar One, as well as the operation, management and maintenance of Moffett Federal Airfield.
February 2014: After a fair and open competition, the United States General Services Administration and NASA selected Planetary Ventures, LLC as the preferred tenant and began lease negotiations to manage Moffett Federal Airfield and rehabilitate historic Hangar One.
January 14, 2020: The Technical Assessment/Cost Analysis (EA/CA) is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board).
November 17, 2020: The action memorandum is approved by the EPA.
November 18, 2020: The action memorandum is approved by the Regional Water Council.
February 3, 2022: The Non-Critical Removal Actions (NTCRA) work plan is submitted to the EPA and the Regional Water Authority.
March 24, 2022: EPA and the Regional Water Authority approved the final work plan for non-critical removal actions.
March 2022: Start of scaffolding and cladding around Hangar One.
Spring 2022: Start of removal and disposal of contaminated materials.
Summer 2022: Start of repainting of the steel frame of the first work area.
December 1, 2025: Planetary Ventures has completed the complete remediation and restoration of Hangar One.

Fast facts:

Hangar One is a very large structure measuring approximately 1,133 feet long, 308 feet wide, and 198 feet high.
Hangar One is in the Shenandoah Plaza Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Nationally Significant Historic Places under
- Criterion A for association with coastal defense and naval technology which has made a significant contribution to the great patterns of our history; And
- Criterion C reflecting the distinctive type, period, method of construction and high artistic values represented in the 1933 station plan and buildings.
Hangar One is designated a Naval Historic Landmark as well as a California Civil Engineering Landmark by the San Francisco Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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