During World War II, workers at a sprawling desert hangar in Goodyear took Army bombers flown in from across the country and fundamentally reshaped them for naval warfare, slicing off twin tails and rebuilding the aircraft into long-range patrol planes bound for the Pacific.
“People don’t always realize how dramatic that change was,” said Darryl Burton, development manager for the property now known as Flite Goodyear. “They were taking a plane designed for one mission and turning it into a completely different aircraft with a single large tail. That’s a major structural change.”
The hangar, now a mixed-use commercial and warehouse complex home to about 140 small businesses, began life in the early 1940s as a Goodyear Aircraft Company facility. Built after the attack on Pearl Harbor, it became part of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the nation’s “arsenal of democracy,” modifying B-24 Liberator bombers into PB4Y-2 Privateer reconnaissance aircraft for the U.S. Navy.
Planes were ferried in from manufacturing plants around the country, rebuilt inside massive hangars and flown out again, often within days.
“They flew them right through the hangars,” Burton said. “Parts were made on one end, modifications were done on another, and they were back in the air headed to the fleet. It was an incredibly efficient operation.”
The site’s history stretches back well before World War II.
Goodyear first came to Arizona in 1916, seeking a reliable domestic source of long-staple cotton, a critical material used to reinforce rubber products. Global supply disruptions caused by boll weevil infestations in the American South and shipping challenges during World War I pushed the company west, helping establish large-scale cotton farming in what was then sparsely populated desert.
That agricultural venture laid the groundwork for industrial development in the Southwest Valley, drawing thousands of workers and transforming the region’s economy decades before the war.
Goodyear entered aeronautics as early as 1910, developing rubberized fabrics for balloons and early aircraft. During World War II, that expertise translated into blimp production for the U.S. Navy. Donahue said more than 150 blimps were produced during the war, many assembled by women who supported troops serving overseas.
“It was very hard work,” Donahue said. “They were on concrete floors, using caustic glue and heavy sewing equipment. Those women were incredibly proud of the blimps they made.”
The blimps played a crucial role in coastal defense, patrolling U.S. shorelines and escorting thousands of cargo ships carrying troops and ammunition. “We never lost a single ship that was guarded by a blimp,” Donahue said.
After the war, the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation purchased the property and expanded its mission.
As the Cold War intensified, the site evolved into a major center for radar research, electronics and materials science. Engineers there helped develop advanced airborne mapping and navigation radar systems capable of seeing through clouds and darkness, technology that would later influence both military operations and civilian mapping.
The facility also became known for innovations in radar-transparent plastics, aircraft canopies and reinforced windows. One unusual but effective testing method involved a “chicken gun,” used to fire birds at aircraft windshields at high speeds to ensure they could withstand in-flight impacts without shattering.
Over the decades, the property passed through multiple corporate identities, eventually becoming a highly secured defense installation where it was largely hidden from view.
“For most of its existence, it was closed off from the outside world,” Burton said. “You needed security clearance just to get inside. Even as owners, we didn’t fully understand what was there until much later.”
That changed after defense operations wound down in the 2010s. Faced with the choice of demolishing the aging complex or preserving it, the owners opted for adaptive reuse.
“It had such a strong physical character and such a rich history,” Burton said. “Every time we opened up a wall or ceiling, we discovered something: original trusses, old tooling, wartime construction details. It became clear this place deserved another life.”
Renovations required extensive environmental cleanup, including the removal of asbestos and contaminated soil, as well as upgrades to decades-old infrastructure. Later alterations were stripped away, hangar spaces reopened and 1940s-era architectural features preserved.
One hangar, once filled with classified laboratories, is now open to vehicle traffic and public tours.
Today, the Goodyear Flite Building houses a mix of light industrial tenants, creative firms, gyms and service businesses. Community spaces and aviation-themed artwork reference the site’s past, including murals depicting aircraft once built or modified there.
Developers say future plans include additional warehouse and industrial buildings on nearby land, designed to echo the scale and character of the original wartime structures.
“We’re trying to be mindful,” Burton said. “This is still an industrial site, but it’s also part of Arizona history. The goal is to let people see what happened here, while making it useful for the next generation.”
Once a guarded hub of wartime production and Cold War innovation, the former Goodyear Aircraft hangar now stands as an example of adaptive reuse, linking today’s small businesses to the workers, aircraft and airships that helped shape American aviation and the Southwest Valley itself.
Visit pwlhc.org for more information.
James Goldmeer can be reached at JGoldmeer@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
James Goldmeer Reporter | Goodyear & Litchfield Park
Meet James James Goldmeer joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2024, starting their career as a reporter in Goodyear and Litchfield Park.
Community: James grew up in the West Valley, calling Avondale home and going to school in Glendale and Peoria. Returning to the community after university, James plans to get involved in everything arts and culture, and civil rights.
Education: Northern Arizona University a bachelor's degree in Journalism, a certificate in Professional Communications, with a minor in English.
Random Fact: James spent half a year as an intern for the Arizona House of Representatives communication team, working with legislators to inform the public through press releases and social media.
Hobbies: James collects postcards and old books, reads memoirs and attends local jazz shows.
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