EDMONTON -- The future of a World War II era hangar is up in the air because of the high cost of renovations.
Hangar 11 sits on the old City Centre Airport grounds. It was built in 1942 in partnership with the United States Air Force and helped make Blatchford a major part of the war effort.
New fighter planes were often sent to the hangar to be fitted before heading out to the Russian front.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say this building had a major role in the allied war effort in chasing German tanks back to berlin in 1944-45,” said Dan Rose chair of the Edmonton Historical Board.
After the war, the hangar was used as a link to northern Canada.
In 2013, City Centre Airport was closed, and the hangar was boarded up. It’s been left to deteriorate. Now the Edmonton Aviation Museum says it would cost tens of millions of dollars to bring it back to form.
“The last time I talked to anybody about the hangar it was $30-40 million, and that was just to bring it up to code,” said Jean Lauzon of the Edmonton Aviation Museum.
A price Lauzon said is worth it to preserve the history, but in the midst of a pandemic, one councillor isn’t sure if the city can spare the cash.
Ward 9 councillor Tim Cartmell thinks a better option might be to sell the hangar below market value and let a private business handle the cost of restoring it.
“Does the city put in $18-20 million just to keep this building safe? Does it put in $55 million to bring it right up to code and make it a leasable space? Or does it enter into some sort of partnership with a third party to see if they would invest in it and see if they can turn it into something viable? That might be something we can examine,” he said.
City council’s executive committee will look at a detailed report setting out options for the hangar on Monday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk.
