A concert hall? Drive-in theater? Residents weigh in how to repurpose Tustin’s remaining blimp hangar

A concert hall, a place for swap meets, a drive-in movie theater, or a new venue for Tustin Art Walk. These are some of the ideas that Tustin residents shared for what should happen to the city’s remaining historic World War II blimp hangar.

On Tuesday evening, around 50 residents showed up for a community meeting held near Veterans Park, with the hangar visible in the distance. They walked around, telling city officials what they think should be done with the remaining 500 acres of undeveloped land that made up the former military base.

Residents weighed in on the Tustin Legacy project on a poster board.

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The federal government closed the former Tustin air base in 1999 before slowly turning over the property to the city. But what to do with the property has been a top community issue since the north hangar burned in 2023, sending toxic ash over the region.

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Maintenance of the standing south hangar could cost the city around $10 million annually, while a full restoration is expected to cost more than $100 million, said Susanne Bankhead, a spokesperson for the Tustin Legacy project.

Hangar as an amenity, or tear it down?

Peter Chang, who lives within walking distance off Tustin Ranch Road, said he wanted the hangar space to double as an amenity residents can use.

“In terms of just the size and scale of the hangers, either some kind of concert space or a public venue like that,” he said. “I think it'd be exciting to have something like that nearby in this area.”

But others like Susan Keefe want the hangar deconstructed with a monument built in its place paying tribute to the military “just like we've even done with the school where they built it in the shape of the hangar and the entrance to the park is built in the shape of the hangar.”

Susan Keefe.

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The school and park, she said, “that's all really beautiful and artistic, and it's also safe.”

“We're not keeping an old relic that is not really serving much of a function and continuing to maintain it and try to secure it from another possible fire,” Keefe said.

Keefe added that her biggest concern continues to be toxins from the north hangar fire.

Hangar to stay

But Elaine Scott wants the hangar to stay.

“It's a historical landmark. It's on the registry. They can't just take it down. It just killed me when this one burnt down,” she said. “ There's so many things they could do. They could have swap meets or drive-ins or public meetings.”

In 1975, the hangars were entered into the National Register of Historic Places because of their historic connection to World War II and other military conflicts. They were also recognized as two of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Scott added that the property could be the new venue for the Tustin Art Walk, the annual city event where local artists share their latest work.

Valerie Hart and Elaine Scott.

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Her friend Valerie Hart nodded in agreement.  

”Yes, it'd be very expensive to fix it up, but it's going to be probably at least that expensive just to take it down, because now we know what's in there that we'd have to mediate when they take it down,” Hart said.

Burned hangar stands out like a scar 

Connie Chilton lives in the Columbus Square neighborhood and has a view of the north hangar site from her home.

Connie Chilton.

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Yusra Farzan

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 ”It's like a big scar and you have to see it all the time,” she said.

It seems so expensive to deconstruct the hangar, she said, so “keeping it seems honestly the better option.” But, for residents who live nearby, there’s the fear of the second hangar catching fire.

“ We're all kind of tense about it, at least those of us that live right here, having done it before,” Chilton said.

Mayor Austin Lumbard said the fire revealed “ how expensive it is if something happens to the hangar.”

The city is engaging in a summer-long process to gain community input, culminating in another meeting in the fall

“ If we're going to keep it, we need money to maintain it, and we need an active use inside it, that's going to generate revenue to pay for it,” Lumbard said. “If we're going to deconstruct it, it's also very expensive.”

How can residents get involved

How residents can provide their input:

• Visit the Tustin Legacy website, where you can also sign up for email updates.
• Email: TustinLegacy@tustinca.org
• Call: (714) 788-5859