TUSTIN BLIMP HANGAR by TOM BROWN

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The historic Tustin blimp hangars were constructed in 1942, and became a familiar part of the Orange County landscape. Over the years I taught several plein air painting workshops featuring these unique structures. This painting is based on a study painted during the one of those workshops.

The historic twin blimp hangars in Orange County were seventeen stories tall, as wide as a football field and over 1,000 feet long. The wooden structures were built by the Navy in World War II to house dirigibles assigned to patrol the Pacific Coast. Over the years they had become a familiar feature of the Orange County landscape, and were featured in movies like “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and the 2009 reboot of “Star Trek.”

Sadly, on November 7th the North Hangar caught fire and the sheer size of the structure made the task too dangerous to save. The end of an era had arrived.