Crunch time for Hangar One Crunch time for Hangar One (May 27, 2005)

Could it be true that after more than 70 years, Moffett Field's famous Hangar One is about to topple?

That is at least a disturbing possibility if we are to believe the doomsday assessment by the Navy -- specifically by Rick Weisenborn, the man in charge of cleaning up the toxic legacy left behind when the Navy vacated Moffett in 1994 after nearly 60 years at the site.

The problem with Hangar One, according to Weisenborn, is that the 200-foot-tall structure was built using materials that are now considered toxic, and that nothing short of tearing it down can contain the poisonous substances now being found in the immediate vicinity of the hangar. A decision on the hangar's fate is expected by September.

During construction in the 1930s, the steel used in the building was dipped in a number of toxic solutions, including hot zinc, asbestos and asphalt adhesive. All of these materials now appear to be flaking off the hangar's interior walls, and are turning up in soil and water samples in tests conducted by NASA, which took over the hangar when the Navy moved out.

This comes on top of the Navy's effort about two years ago to halt similar flaking on the exterior of the hangar. But even after a $3 million paint job, the Navy says it must assume that the coating will fail after three years, which adds a measure of immediacy to the need to find a solution.

Such an assessment leaves few options for the historic hangar, which the Navy once said would cost $30 million or more to tear down -- an estimate obtained before it was known that the entire structure was contaminated with toxic substances.

If the hangar must face the wrecking ball, it would be tragic for the thousands of Mountain View residents and workers who have never known Moffett Field without the familiar landmark planted firmly front and center. Jutting 200 feet into the air, Hangar One is visible from miles away. It was designed to house the Macon, a 785-foot-long dirigible that would fit inside its doors.

Just over a year ago, the Mountain View Preservation Alliance nominated Hangar One to be on a list of America's "Most Endangered Historic Places." At the time, the group said that it sought to highlight the significance of the structure and call attention to the pressing need for adequate and timely restoration measures.

That call was issued well before the latest pessimistic scenario for Hangar One. Now, unless the Navy can find a magic potion in the next few months that can cleanse the entire structure of flaking toxic residue, we are likely to see the demolition, rather than the restoration, of this area's most famous landmark.

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