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MUSEUM / PRESERVATION / CONTINUITY
Things Worth Saving
Not everything worth caring about fits neatly into a product listing.
R² exists because we're interested in objects and the stories attached to them: how things were made, what they did, who used them, and what happens when somebody decides they're worth preserving.
That makes museums, preservation, education, and the people doing that work particularly important to us.
Some things can't be replaced once they're gone.
We'd rather help keep them around.
SAVE HANGAR B / TILLAMOOK, OREGON
A building can be an artifact, too.
Hangar B is what happens when the United States Navy needs somewhere indoors to put several 252-foot airships and decides a normal building lacks ambition. Its scale is astonishing. Its history, fabric, and future deserve more than astonishment.
Image: original R² architectural study based on published building dimensions. Not a damage photograph.WHY WE CARE
Keep the physical evidence.
Objects matter because stories attach themselves to them. Buildings can hold those stories at a scale that makes the past physically unavoidable.
Preservation keeps the evidence around so future people do not have to understand history only through photographs and paragraphs explaining what used to be there. R² is not a partner in or manager of the Hangar B effort. We are interested observers pointing toward the people doing the work.
WHY HANGAR B MATTERS
Seven acres under one timber roof.
Built during World War II at Naval Air Station Tillamook, Hangar B housed U.S. Navy Squadron ZP-33 and its K-class airships for anti-submarine patrol and convoy escort along the Pacific coast. Hangar A was destroyed by fire in 1992.
Hangar B is individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is an official Tillamook County Historical Landmark. Its clear-span timber structure covers more than seven acres of floor area.
WHAT HAPPENED / THE RECOVERY
Wind, water, engineering, and hard choices.
On December 16, 2025, a severe windstorm damaged the southeastern end of Hangar B. Roughly 200 feet of roofing was affected. The Port closed the building and museum for public safety while assessment and recovery planning began.
Since then, work has included safety fencing, documentation of storm costs, a donated LiDAR scan, engineering and preservation review, funding discussions, and planning for removal of the damaged roof section. Public estimates vary widely because they describe very different jobs.
CURRENT STATUS
Port approves Hangar B partnership with Vintage Aviation Museum
The Port of Tillamook Bay announced that commissioners approved a term sheet for a land lease and future sale of Hangar B to Vintage Aviation Museum, which is expected to assume museum operations. The official announcement says reopening preparation is underway, while repair, restoration, and long-term preservation work will continue.
COST REPORTING / SCOPE MATTERS
These are not interchangeable numbers.
A roof hazard, an engineering assessment, a comprehensive rehabilitation, and demolition are four different undertakings.
Structural assessment and viability
$500,000 to $1 millionCurrent Friends campaign planning range, not construction.Initial storm-damage assessment quotes
$3.5 million to $6.5 million; $3.5 million to $4.5 millionTwo early contractor ranges reported in the Port's July 10 FAQ. These were initial damage estimates, not a comprehensive refresh.Immediate storm-damage repair
$2 million to $4 millionCurrent Friends campaign range for immediate damage work. February corporate fundraising discussion used a roughly $2 million to $2.4 million target.Comprehensive refresh
About $300 millionBallpark Moffett Field comparison for a five-to-seven-year full refresh, not a roof patch.Demolition
$50 million to $70 millionBallpark comparison for a roughly three-year dismantling effort, not an adopted plan.PRESERVATION TIMELINE
What changed, and when.
Official Update
Windstorm damages Hangar B
Severe weather damaged the southeastern end of Hangar B. Later official reporting described roughly 200 feet of affected roof.
Source: Port of Tillamook Bay statement via Tillamook County Pioneer ↗Official Update
Port announces closure
The Port closed Hangar B, the museum, rented interior spaces, storage, and Port-used areas while damage and safe future use could be assessed.
Source: Port of Tillamook Bay statement via Tillamook County Pioneer ↗Official Update
Board reviews possible scopes
Consultants discussed temporary protection, engineering and preservation approvals, Moffett Field comparisons, and fundraising. The figures covered different scopes and were not one simple roof-patch estimate.
Source: Port of Tillamook Bay board minutes ↗Official Update
LiDAR assessment documented
A donated LiDAR drone scan created a detailed three-dimensional record to support structural assessment, measurement, and repair planning.
Source: Tillamook Air Museum update via Tillamook County Pioneer ↗Official Update
Port declines the proposed roof repair commitment
The Port board voted 4 to 1 not to proceed with repairs to the storm-damaged roof section after reviewing financial sustainability and local obligations. The decision did not say the Port had abandoned every possible future for Hangar B.
Source: Port of Tillamook Bay ↗Reported Development
Partner discussions continue
Museum reporting said potential-partner discussions continued, and quoted the Port board president saying the Port had not walked away from Hangar B or its future.
Source: General Aviation News ↗Official Update
First on-site hazard-reduction phase announced
The Port announced plans to remove and dispose of the damaged roof section, subject to final coordination.
Source: Port of Tillamook Bay ↗Official Update
Completion confirmation still pending
No approved authoritative source reviewed on August 17 confirms completion of the planned roof-removal phase.
Source: R² approved-source review ↗Official Update
Port approves Hangar B partnership with Vintage Aviation Museum
The Port of Tillamook Bay announced that commissioners approved a term sheet for a land lease and future sale of Hangar B to Vintage Aviation Museum, which is expected to assume museum operations. The official announcement says reopening preparation is underway, while repair, restoration, and long-term preservation work will continue.
Source: Port of Tillamook Bay ↗LATEST UPDATE / August 20, 2026
Port approves Hangar B partnership with Vintage Aviation Museum
The Port of Tillamook Bay announced that commissioners approved a term sheet for a land lease and future sale of Hangar B to Vintage Aviation Museum, which is expected to assume museum operations. The official announcement says reopening preparation is underway, while repair, restoration, and long-term preservation work will continue.
HOW TO HELP
Support the people doing the preservation work.
These links leave R². Money goes directly to the organization named, not through R².
Tillamook Air Museum
Donations are received by Tillamook Air Museum and are currently earmarked for December 2025 storm damage.
Support Tillamook Air Museum ↗Friends of Tillamook Air Museum
Donations go to the Friends of Tillamook Air Museum Save Hangar B campaign.
Support Friends of Tillamook Air Museum ↗R² does not collect these donations and makes no claim that unrelated purchases fund the museum.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
We did the homework.
- OfficialTillamook Air Museum: Hangar B history ↗
- OfficialTillamook Air Museum: operations support ↗
- OfficialPort board decision, May 21, 2026 ↗
- Official recordPort Hangar B damage FAQ, updated July 10, 2026 ↗
- Official recordPort board minutes, February 18, 2026 ↗
- Official nonprofitFriends of Tillamook Air Museum ↗
- GovernmentNational Park Service: U.S. Naval Air Station Dirigible Hangar B ↗
- GovernmentOregon Historic Site Record ↗
- Local reportingTillamook County Pioneer recovery update ↗
- Aviation reportingGeneral Aviation News, July 8, 2026 ↗
- Aviation reportingVintage Aviation News, July 17, 2026 ↗