Loring Air Force Base, Arch Hangar, East of Arizona Road near southern end of runway, Limestone, Aroostook County, ME

Significance: The Arch Hangar at Loring Air Force Base (AFB) was one of the first structures specifically built as an element of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) mission of deterring the enemy through retaliatory strike capability. The first hangar completed at Loring AFB, it was an integral part of the early aircraft maintenance system and was built in response to the demand for efficient aircraft service facilities. The Arch Hangar was one of two structures simultaneously built as the largest monolithic arch roof structures up to that time in the United States. The hangar contained several unique construction features including the foundation set on bedrock, the extensive column-on-pedestal-on-footing abutment construction, the intricate formwork required, the elaborate system of rail and jacks required to move the formwork, the thinness of the concrete slab roof, and the 340-foot span of the arch.
Survey number: HAER ME-64-B
Building/structure dates: 1947-1949 Initial Construction