Loring Air Force Base, Double Cantilever Hangar, East of Arizona Road, west of southern portion of Taxiway J, Limestone, Aroostook County, ME

Significance: The Double Cantilever (DC) Hangar was an integral part of Loring Air Force Base's (AFB) aircraft maintenance system, responsible for sustaining the aircraft's ready condition should aggressive Soviet behavior warrant a retaliatory attack. It was the first and only hangar at Loring AFB capable of housing five B-36 bombers simultaneously. The hangar stands as the focal center of the base's aircraft maintenance facilities built to assist Strategic Air Command (SAC) in the execution of its Cold War mission, and was one of the first double-cantilever hangars built for the Air Force in response to SAC's demand for larger, more efficient maintenance space. Important construction features include its unique foundation based on ejected caisson construction, its longitudinal arched trusses allowing maximum vertical clearance, its 35-ton trusses cantilevering 95 feet at both ends from their center shop supports, and the flawless design that prevents structural sway or sag.
Survey number: HAER ME-64-C
Building/structure dates: 1955 Initial Construction