L o c a t i o n s

TUSTIN -- The city could avoid a lot of argument if a museum could be found to house its most prominent artifacts. But these artifacts could house a lot of museums.
Tentative plans have been made to demolish one of the two biggest free-standing wooden structures in the world, twin hangars built by the Navy in 1943 to shelter blimps for hunting enemy submarines.

The World War II patrol balloons ranged from Lompoc to Ensenada, Mexico, but they never sighted an enemy sub; and the military never found a permanent use for the looming landmarks after the war.
The hangars, 183 feet tall and as long as three football fields, come under civilian control next year when the Marine Corps closes its helicopter base here. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, but the designation doesn't guarantee survival.
"It all depends on economics, said Jim Graughon, senior project manager for the city. "It's difficult to maintain a small historic structure. But when you have a 7-1/2-acre structure it becomes problematical, and when you have two such structures it becomes more difficult."
The city is to take ownership of the southern hangar; the northern goes to Orange County. Since both are in the city limits, Tustin officials have a say on both.

Tustin's preliminary plan calls for the south hangar to be razed for a road through a commercial development.
A backup plan includes a detour around the hangar, provided it attracts enough retailers to cover building maintenance.
That bill is $2 million a year -- per hangar, city planners say. They figure costs of meeting fire and safety codestandards, upkeep on 2.7 million board-feet of lumber and the 143 tons of bolts, washers, ring connectors and other fixtures in each building.

The north hangar's prospects are slightly better. County officials are looking for a way to preserve it, but they also must find a way to pay for it, said planner Melinda Stewart.
Over the years, the hangars have offered hospitality to warplanes, movie makers and even religious faithful.
This year the Marines opened one hangar as a prayer hall for 12,000 Muslims to mark the end of Ramadan.
As film sets, the hangars hosted "The Hindenburg" and, most recently, "From the Earth to the Moon."

Each hangar can accommodate six helium-filled blimps. Construction -- from design to completion -- took only18 months, with virtually no research and development.
Each building covers 241,110 square feet and has a volume of almost 62 million cubic feet. The parabolic frame trusses were prefabricated from Oregon Douglas fir.,br> Hans Kreutzberg, at the California Office of Historic Preservation, said the agency has asked the Marine Corps to place a "historic preservation covenant" on the south building before the July 1, 1999, base closure.
That could delay demolition.

"The new owner would have to preserve the structure in a manner that doesn't adversely affect the structure's characteristics," Kreutzberg said. The Marines are studying the request.

Copyright 1998 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

The Culver City office of film production company Chiari Cook Co. looks like warehouse-chic-meets-bachelor-pad-funk. "We had a plumber come in here one time, and he said, "This isn't an office, it's a clubhouse,"" said Jared Cook, co-owner of the 13 year old company that specializes in filming commercials for clients in Japan.

The 3000 sq ft, one room space features the exposed metal trusses and the corrugated steel roof with skylights that are so anti-fashionable these days. But the effect is quirked up with a metal spiral staircase to a loft crash pad reminiscent of the Monkees' hangout in the old music-comedy TV series.
A full kitchen and a bar (a former prop) take care of sustenance issues. A pool table, dartboard and exercise equipment are in the middle of the office's work area.

And to give the place that born-in-a-garage feel, one outside wall opens up to allow vehicles to be driven inside for prop work (or just for fun).

The facility previously was a heater and air conditioner factory that Cook and co-owner Chiari Endo gutted and rebuilt.

"We've got to have kind of flexible facility" to accommodate prop-building, client-pleasing and the sudden increase in temporary employees that accompanies each shoot, Cook said. "Everything is in one room, and it functions as we need it."

He added: "Our clients come from Japan, where each person gets 3 square feet for a cubicle, and they're just awed."