Although resembling an aviation hangar from the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing era, the 17,000-square-foot food hall, The Hangar, located at the Long Beach Exchange, is anything but.
The hall, where organizers “kicked off” the opening of the eatery lot with a fundraising gala Wednesday, Feb. 13, is home to food vendors and retailers. It also being utilized as an event space.
“The last thing we wanted to do was build a site that didn’t pay homage to what was once here,” Bryon Ward, president and partner of developer Burnham-Ward Properties, said in an interview with the Signal Tribune. “[…] It has a little bit of everything, and […] it’s amazing to build this place from the ground up and make it come to life.”
In partnership with Long Beach 5th District Councilmember Stacy Mungo, organizers with the Long Beach Exchange (LBX) hosted the 2019 Giving Gala at The Hangar in an effort to support local nonprofit organizations and education-based charities in the east Long Beach area.
Attendees toured the food hall, sampled food and drinks, witnessed live-music performances, participated in silent auctions and won prizes.
Scott Burnham, CEO and partner of Burnham-Ward Properties, praised the site as one that will “continue on for residents for generations to come.”
Burnham also expressed excitement of The Hangar’s aesthetic resemblance to an actual aviation hangar, pointing out design touches, such the entrance of the hall constructed to replicate a runway.
Stephen Thorp, partner with Burnham-Ward Properties, said The Hangar is meant to serve as a museum, hangout and entertainment spot.
“When we decided that we wanted to go in the direction of designing this as an aircraft hangar, we set out on a task to find some really cool photographs,” Thorp said. “We went to the Historical Society of Long Beach […] and went through a lot of images that most people wouldn’t have access to, unless they specifically requested these. They allowed us to duplicate the images and present a lot of what you see here at The Hangar.”
Thorp said that a significant portion of the photos were taken on-site when manufacturers developed aircrafts that were used for World War II. He added that Boeing allowed the team to use photos that it had in its archives.
Among the decor are historic luggage tags, boarding passes and airplane gauges.
In front of the entrance is a small fountain area with eight airplane sculptures that represent actual aircrafts that were manufactured at some point in time on the property.
“It’s a fascinating history lesson if you spend 10 minutes walking around and reading each of the plaques,” Thorp said of the fountain area.
Vendors at The Hangar include Bottlecraft, The Kroft, Amorcito, Temakira and more. Other eateries, such as Jay Bird’s Nashville Hot Chicken, will open throughout this year.
For more information, visit longbeachexchange-lbx.com. The Long Beach Exchange is located at 4069 N. Lakewood Blvd.
