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Google’s pledge to restore and reskin Moffett Field’s iconic Hangar One is going to take longer than originally anticipated. The tech firm is now reporting the job likely won’t be done until 2025.
The news came out during a report by Google’s subsidiary Planetary Ventures last week at the Moffett Field Restoration Advisory Board meeting. Planetary Ventures project manager Anthony LaMarca said the company had just finished testing out different methods to remove toxic coatings from the steel structure. Right now the company is investigating how to build scaffolding to replace the skin that had covered the huge steel framework.
“We’re looking to be as efficient as possible, but it’s hard to say (when we’ll be done). All our schedules are subject to change.” LaMarca told the advisory board. “By the time we get through all these steps, the skin will be done by 2025. That’s quite a ways out.”
Other problems have emerged for the smaller hangars Two and Three. Planetary Ventures is working to repair the door of Hangar Two. Meanwhile, structural engineers are trying to figure out how to reinforce the wooden framework of Hangar Three, which has deteriorated and is sagging in areas. Both hangars also reportedly have significant trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene contamination in the soil.
LaMarca reported that Planetary Ventures is planning to install an underground depressurization system at Hangar Two to mitigate the pollution.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the coating being removed from Hangar One.
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Removing all the TCE from the soil is much more important than putting the skin back on the hangers.
How about this: maybe Google doesn’t get to break ground on the Glass Palace of Hooli until they finish this? I’m kind of over Google starting things they never get around to seeing through…
Google may figure there ain’t much (or any) profit in fulfilling that promise. So just put it off for a decade or two or three or four. Another fine “corporate citizen.”
For those of us who can no longer remember the original companies whose buildings in Mountain View are now used by Google, LinkedIn and Apple, there were times we all thought those companies would make major contributions to Mountain View.
But then again we can go back further to the time when Mountain View and Sunnyvale fought hard to bring the AIRBASE Sunnyvale CAL to this Mountain View location and build one of the world’s free standing structures… and look what they left us.
Wonder where Google will be in 2025. Guessing Hangar 1 will not be a priority with them.
Good Christ, did anyone really think they’d jump on fixing that!! It’s so costly and non profitable, and well they’ll think about it again in 10 years
I like the structure as it is now, just the steel ribs, no skin. I also think it would look fabulous if it were painted the same color as the GG bridge in SF. Would become a giant sculpture and a focal point in the South Bay.
This hanger will outlive Google.
Sooner please …
Paint it. Install lighting. Then install art from local artists and make it a sculpture garden. It would look cool from afar because of the lightening and be something for visitors to see who are already doing the NASA tour. It could be Mountain View’s “Effeil Tower” of technology.
But please put the priority on remediating the pollution leaking into the ground water. Honestly, this shouldn’t be Google’s responsibility. Whoever caused it should be required to clean it up asap.
@J: Seriously? The Navy left this problem. They wanted to tear it down. In the end the only reason it was saved at all is because Google decided to jump in and cover the cost. Now the cost is turning out to be huge, so it will take more time.
What is your complaint? If it were not for Google a major piece of MV history would have been torn down long ago.