Hamilton Today
Following its closure, many of the facilities at the airfield have been reclaimed by the city of Novato and county of Marin for public use. The airfield is also part of tidal wetland restoration effort currently underway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (San Francisco District), California Coastal Conservancy, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. This multi-agency construction and environmental restoration effort is called the Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project and is funded by federal, state, and regional burses.
Several structures have been removed and replaced with a housing subdivision known as Hamilton Landing. Some of the hangars have been converted into offices, retaining their façade while being renovated on the inside. Several other old AAF/AFB buildings remain intact, either awaiting demolition or renovation. The Discovery Channel show MythBusters has used hangar space at Hamilton to carry out some of their experiments. Some scenes for the 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were filmed at Hamilton, as were some scenes from the 1983 film, The Right Stuff.
The U.S. Coast Guard currently owns 282 Spanish style duplexes and homes; these units were part of the old Hamilton Air Force Base housing. Due to the buildings' age, there is a need for maintenance. Many issues experienced with older homes are experienced by Coast Guard tenants, such as insufficient wiring and water damage. Access is limited to U.S. Coast Guard tenants and their families, however, thru traffic is a common occurrence.
Today, many of the old buildings are intact, including a large number of decrepit looking wooden barracks apparently left over from the World War II era. Extensive defunct aviation facilities are still visible, including taxiways and nine large hangars.
Significant pollution by toxic agents has been identified around the former military base.
Read more about this topic: Hamilton Air Force Base
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