This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Google Is Moving Into The Spruce Goose's Massive Hangar
The hangar that used to house the Spruce Goose (Photo by Mike Hume via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
The Spruce Goose is regarded as a laughing stock of modern engineering. A giant plane made of laminated wood? It wasn't Howard Hughes' brightest idea.
But it looks like the Goose might be useful to someone after all, albeit in a very indirect way. Google has signed a lease for an enormous Playa Vista hangar that once housed the massive plane, reports The Real Deal. The plane was constructed inside the hangar during the 1940s.
The signing doesn't come as a total surprise. In 2014, Google spent $12 million on 12 acres of empty land in Playa Vista. The hangar sat next to the purchased space, and some speculated that Google would sweep in to snatch it.
The hangar is massive, with an area of 319,000-square-feet. It had to be huge because The Spruce Goose had eight propeller engines and a wingspan longer than a football field, according to The History Channel.
Google is expected to use the hangar as an expansion of its L.A. offices. There is no word about a move-in date, or what the company will do with the adjacent land it purchased in 2014.
Playa Vista is noted as one of SoCal's major tech hubs. Facebook just moved into a new 35,000 square foot office last month. The influx of such companies is a sign of the emerging partnership between tech and entertainment, according to the Times:
...technology and entertainment sectors continue to converge. These days, companies such as Amazon.com Inc. are churning out original programming, celebrities are launching their own gaming apps...
Sponsored message
Naturally, the arrival of tech companies has resulted in rising rent in Playa Vista, reports The Real Deal. Rent averaged $53.52 a square foot a year during the first quarter of 2016. A year ago it was $43.08.
Anyway, here's a video of the Spruce Goose in action. Today, the plane is housed at the Evergreen Museum in Oregon.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
