Fort Worden Balloon Hangar & McCurdy Pavilion (Port Townsend, Washington)

 aircraft hangar, historical building

The Fort Worden balloon hangar was completed in December 1921, months after the last balloon company left Puget Sound, at a cost of $85,000. Unlike similar hangars, the Fort Worden hangar never housed a balloon.

In an era before radar, manned balloons were used to direct artillery fire. The typical equipment consisted of a Type C-3 tethered observation balloon, a type A-7 spherical “free” balloon, a portable hydrogen generator, numerous vehicles, mooring winches, and a maze of ground tackle and rigging equipment. Another surviving example of a WWI-era balloon hangar exists at Fort Barry, California. It is currently being used by the Presidio Riding Stables. Nearby Fort Casey also had a balloon hangar built, but it was torn down.

The fight scene from "An Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed here.

www.nps.gov/goga/historyculture/upload/1Balloon%20Hanga...