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History of the Hangar "Is this a church or a cathedral?" That's a typical question of visitors when they catch a glimpse of this unique airplane hangar at the Gilmer-Upshur county Airport. The multi-use building not only houses an operations base for Dean Lumber Company's business aircraft, but is also home to the Flight of the Phoenix Aviation Museum. The museum provides local school groups an opportunity to learn more about the diverse roles of aviation in their daily lives. Dean received the Texas Forestry Association Award for Best Design in Wood Buildings for 1997.
Architect
Brent Brevard incorporated the ideas of owners, Steve and Linda Kay
Dean, to develop plans for Hangar One and its flight operations center.
Unit Structures of Magnolia, Arkansas fabricated the 60 foot span
laminated arches using No. 1 2x8 Southern Pine. Anthony Forest Products
in El Dorado, Arkansas manufactured additional beams to support the
42-foot hangar door, a beam for the staircase leading to the crew
quarters, and a beam for the bar top in the pub.
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Inside, 1600 sq. ft. is devoted to living quarters and a flight operations center, both richly appointed using a variety of Southern pine specialty products. Kwik Way of Mt Pleasant, Texas used shop grade material to fabricate the interior doors. High-grade flitches were used for all joinery and millwork. Finishing touches include 1x4 beaded ceiling material overhead and pattern 116 for the crew quarters. Steve
and Linda Kay hope the aviation museum will provide area school Children
with a learning laboratory for aviation education. With various displays,
they are making a special effort to recognize community leaders who
have contributed to Gilmer's heritage through aviation.
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Information on the Museum and Hours of Operation Courtesy
of Steve and Linda Kay Dean
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From
a distance, the 6,000 sq. ft. structure looks like just another airplane
hangar, with metal siding and roofing. A closer look reveals a showcase
of Southern Pine products. One look inside and visitors notice a rich
interior featuring laminated arches, wood roof decking, hand rubbed
paneling and decorative mouldings.
verhead,
roof decking is Wolmanized No. 1 2x6 Southern Pine, KDAT and patterned
with a center-matched V-groove. The result is a decorative ceiling
inside, spanning between the massive wooden arches. Treated 6x8 columns
provide support for the laminated arches. The wall paneling inside
the main hangar is Dricon fire-retardant treated pattern 117 drop-siding.