Base Hangar to Be Site for Disney Film

One of two historic blimp hangars at Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station will be leased to Walt Disney Pictures for two years, the City Council decided this week.

The Burbank-based film company is planning to use the South hangar as a sound stage for an action film, “Armageddon,” starring Bruce Willis, city officials said.

Terms of the lease were not disclosed. Money from the deal is expected to go to the Marine Corps, which owns the property, for maintenance. The city will be reimbursed for its administrative costs in helping arrange the lease, which is required by local law, officials said.

The vacant South hangar, built in 1943, has about 298,000 square feet of floor space and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The cavernous space, coveted by movie producers, has served as a sound stage for other films.

The Marine base is scheduled to close in late 1999, and most of the property is expected to be redeveloped. The fate of the historic hangars is still undecided.