On May 25, 2021, the Irvine City Council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation (FLHF) to establish a strategy for the restoration of Hangar 296 of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, fundraising, and public outreach, all with the goal of the re-establishment of the Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum. As this museum began at the former El Toro MCAS, there is strong interest in bringing the museum “back home” and continuing its educational mission in Orange County.
Orange County Great Park in Irvine, CA is part of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. Construction started on August 1, 1942. The base officially closed on July 2, 1999. This site evidences the radical change in California communities due to military infrastructure and civilian life that sustained the home front. The massive military mobilization transformed Orange County’s open lima bean fields to air fields that remain to this day. Farmers to Flyers, an exhibit curated by CSUF’s COPH, captured this shift from agricultural to commercial development based on oral histories and other archival materials.
The city of Irvine developed a plan to retain the historic structures on site and transform them into public use facilities. “The Marine Corps Air Station El Toro’s World War II-era atmosphere and architecture have been preserved by means of adaptive reuse of existing buildings, a strategy that aligns with the Great Park’s ecological values. Re-purposed military structures in the Palm Court Arts Complex now form a cultural campus supporting the development of a fresh approach to establishing an interdisciplinary, public arts program.
Additionally, the historical Hangar 244 features historical images, displays, and artifacts that tell the story of the Great Park from its agricultural roots to its role in the military as Marine Corp Air Station El Toro.”
This historic hanger holds a permanent collection of Marine and Home Front history. They have oral history listening stations with interviews conducted by CSUF’s Center for Oral and Public History and University of California, Irvine. According to the city of Irvine in 2024, the hanger is temporary closed to prepare for the new aviation museum.
You can visit the site and see the walkable timeline and read the history of the base. We also recommend the 13,000 BC–1990: Handbook The Orange County Great Park by Dr. Keith L. Nelson and Dr. Spencer C. Olin, Professors Emeriti of History University of California, Irvine.
Visit the Palm Court Arts Complex for fine art exhibits. View our Great Park Exhibit Field Notes for past exhibitions.
Great Park Gallery
Thursdays & Fridays: noon–4 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Free Admission