Hangar 61

Hangar 61 – Always About “The Journey”

Hangar 61 was built in 1959 to house the Fairchild F-27 turboprop airliner used by the Ideal Cement Company. Its unique thin-shell concrete construction and other architectural features make it a truly one-of-a kind building. The history of the building as a working airplane hangar poises it as an ideal location for SFC’s mission of “helping people on their spiritual journey”. We have intentionally maintained an aviation emphasis in our theming of the building, to accentuate our role (much like that of an airport) of helping people get to the destination they are seeking. The build-out of the interior structure, which was simply a shell when we acquired it, is in itself a rare architectural feat, a “building within a building”. It is also an interesting case study in the “repurposing” of a dilapidated structure for a new use once its original purpose is fulfilled. It is a privilege to put this magnificent structure to work as an essential tool in accomplishing our mission of serving the spiritual needs of the residents of Northeast Denver.

HANGAR 61 TIMELINE

1959

Initial design and construction
Designed by renowned architect Milo Ketchum
Built by Fisher & Fisher for Ideal Basic Cement Company
Unique thin-shell concrete design (100% concrete construction), Tension/suspension roof

1959 - 1994

Ideal Cement uses Hangar 61 to house and service its plane
Custom built for a Fairchild F29 corporate jet
Vacated with closing of Stapleton International Airport

1995 – 2004

Building sits vacant, deteriorates

2004

Colorado Preservation, Inc. purchases H61, saves it from destruction

2005 – 2009

Developer Larry Nelson restores the building to its original luster
Extensive cleaning and structural restoration
Environmental cleanup completed
Extensive glasswork enclosing Hangar doors
Search for a buyer begins

2007

Stapleton Fellowship Church begins ministry in Stapleton
Worship begins at Denver School of Science and Technology
Search for viable location for permanent home begins
Hangar 61 is overlooked because of its current condition

2010

Stapleton Fellowship Church purchases restored Hangar 61
Development Advisors of Denver is secured as Project Manager
Visioneering Studios of Irvine, CA is secured as the project architect
Fransen Pittman of Englewood is secured as the contractor
Building plans are carefully coordinated to retain historical integrity
Work on internal build-out commences

April 2011

Construction of SFC’s build-out is completed
April 16 -17: Open Doors Denver 2011
April 17: First public worship gathering at Hangar 61

From the Architect....

A unique barrel shell is the hangar for the Ideal Cement Company, Fig. 5.6. At that time they produced a lightweight aggregate and wished to demonstrate the possibilities for construction of shells. We used a structure, square in plan, with abutments at two corners with a rear wall supporting the shell on two of the sides, and an arch, broken at the middle, to carry the structure above the doors. Also there was a stiffening rib from abutment to abutment. The front arch was not continuous, and created a tensile force on the shell which was carried by prestressing cables across the top. The structure acts essentially as a short barrel shell, and is in compression, the only difference is that there is no beam element at the base. We considered using a hyperbolic paraboloid, but rejected it because of the difficulty of forming, and inability of the structure to take the tensile forces caused by the broken arch.

The hangar fitted the airplane like a glove, and was a handsome structure when the hangar doors were open, but was rather box-like when they were closed. - Milo Ketchum

The Fairchild F-27 owned by the Ideal Cement Company and housed in Hangar 61 - circa 1960 at SFO