Barker Hangar

Barker Hangar

Santa Monica Airport includes Barker Hangar, a former aircraft hangar that was converted to a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m) entertainment venue. The hangar was originally built in 1954 by Bill Lear, inventor and founder of the jet manufacturer Learjet. He intended to use the hangar to build a private fleet of jets, but was denied permission by the city. Lear thus sold the building to Pacific Airmotive, who then rented the space to private jet owners. After Pacific Airmotive went out of business in 1969, the hangar was sold to former Pacific Airmotive engineer James Barker, who then used the building for aviation-contract engineering. After he died of leukemia in 1986, his daughter Judi converted the hangar to the present-day events venue.