Future of WWII historical site up in the air

The Alberta Aviation Museum has been called a historic WWII hangar home for the past 30 years, but now the future of the hangar and the museum is up in the area.

The historic building, known as Hangar 14, is owned by the City of Edmonton. It is the only remaining double-wide and double-long hangar in Canada from World War 2, but due to some wear and tear over the years, the wood-structured building is anticipated to become unsafe within the next five years.

In 2021, an investment study for the facility was completed, including a visual assessment of the existing site and building. The study found hangar 14 requires major rehabilitation work, which the city report says should not be deferred beyond five years to ensure the facility’s conditions remain safe, but this comes with a hefty price tag. The costs are estimated to be at a minimum of $41 million.

“The report that is getting submitted is saying they need $41 million in the 2023-26 capital budget which is a shocking amount of money. But when you actually read the report, that’s spread over 40 years. It’s essentially $800,000 one year, a million the next, so it’s a much smaller pill to swallow,” says Ryan Lee, a curator at the Alberta Aviation Museum.

Edmonton City Councilor, Anne Stevenson says there are still a lot of questions to be asked at the executive committee meeting. “And that’s exactly the question that we need answered. What is the cycle on this? How much do we need in the next four years, versus eight, versus 12 years? I think there is a president for the city to invest in maintaining this historical structure as well, so we are really just trying to see what we can bring together on the issue,” she says.

City administration suggests the Alberta Aviation Museum finds an alternate location and dispose of the building similar to Hangar 11, which is to be refurbished into a mix-use space.

Hangar 14 is protected under the Alberta Historical Resources Act which legally protects the hanger from demolition or inappropriate alterations. It is required to be maintained in a fair condition.

“We are really hoping we can work with the city and find a solution so that we can stay here in Hanger 14 and be here another 30 years in the future,” says Ryan Lee with the Alberta Aviation Museum.

The report will be brought to Edmonton City Council on Wednesday, June 29th.