Moffett Field Archives

Mountain View, CA – In a deal that promises to restore Moffett Field’s beloved Hangar One, Google on Monday said it would spend more than $200 million to rehab that and two other hangars, create an educational center and assume management for much of the historic air base, drawing cheers from preservationists.

Saying it will use the airfield to conduct research in space exploration, aviation, robotics and other emerging technologies, Google’s subsidiary, Planetary Ventures, also agreed to pay NASA $1.16 billion to rent about 1,000 acres on the site from the federal agency over the next 60 years.

Google to restore Hangar One and operate runways at Moffett Field – MOUNTAIN VIEW — After designing driverless cars, experimenting with robots and secretly building a fleet of barges, Google is taking on a new challenge: running an airfield in the heart of Silicon Valley and restoring one of the area’s most iconic buildings, once used to house Navy blimps.

On Monday, federal officials announced they have chosen a Google subsidiary to restore the landmark Hangar One at Moffett Field and assume control of the airfield’s two runways, located just a few miles from Google’s main offices.

Bay Area’s Biggest Fixer-Upper Looking for New Tenant – Bill Parsons surveyed the hulking metal hangar, towering like a massive metal cocoon over Moffett Field.

With its decaying outer skin removed, the historic Hangar One looked as if it had been assembled with an erector set.

Parsons worked in the hangar back in the sixties, when he was an airplane mechanic with the Navy.

“The enormity — spending a night watch in there by myself,” Parsons mused, “you wonder about the ghosts.”

Moffett Blimp HangarThe federal government announced Friday it will seek private bids for the restoration and reuse of Moffett Field’s Hangar One, giving fans of the Depression-era structure a reason to cheer.

The U.S. General Services Administration said in a “notice of intent” that it will issue a request for proposals this spring on behalf of the hangar’s custodian, NASA Ames Research Center.