Blatchford Field Air Hangar
Blatchford Field Air Hangar in Fort Edmonton Park is an accurate replica of the 1929 Hangar that stood in Edmonton's city centre airport. The Foundation reconstructed the Hangar from the original blueprints to ensure that from the exterior, Blatchford Hangar would appear as historically accurate as possible. The interior of the Hangar is equipped to host social gatherings of up to 400 people throughout the year.
In order to make Blatchford Field Air Hangar an interpretable facility for Fort Edmonton Park, the Foundation had to install additional aviation artifacts. An historic replica of renowned bush pilot Captain Wilfred "Wop" May's 1928 Avro Avian G-CAVB biplane has been completed. The biplane will be located on the tarmac outside of the Hangar, but will be stored and protected from the elements in a smaller, yet to be built, structure adjacent to the Hangar.
The
back wall of the Hangar (the one opposite of the main doors) now boasts a
large mural depicting men maintaining planes outside of a hangar. There is
a second mural (on your right) that is located on the wall opposite the small
doors on the front of the Hangar. These two murals were painted by competition
winner Leslie Fulks. The artifacts in the Hangar were the fruits of the Foundation's
strong partnership with Edmonton Airports and the City of Edmonton Artifacts
Centre. We greatly appreciate these generous donations that helped to make
the Hangar and Edmonton's rich aviation history come to life in Fort Edmonton
Park.
June 3, 2000 saw the Fort Edmonton Foundation officially open the first of its Capital Campaign projects - the $2 million reconstruction of Blatchford Field Air Hangar.