The Hangar (Lancaster, California)
Features
Because of the area's aerospace legacy, the stadium has a NASA F/A-18 Hornet mounted on display at the front entrance. The $14.5 million facility offers luxury skyboxes, a video message board, and an old-fashioned manual scoreboard. The stadium's seating capacity is listed at 6,860, but can accommodate over 7,000 fans and features slightly over 4,500 permanent full chair stadium seats. Two grass berm general admission areas are available when all seats are sold out.
The stadium is also used to accommodate special events such as local high school graduations, charity softball games, concerts, and the Field of Drafts (an annual brew festival by the City of Lancaster since 2013). Before the Lancaster JetHawks started each new season in April, they played an exhibition game against the local Antelope Valley College Marauders baseball team. However, for the last three JetHawks seasons, they played their exhibition games against the local University of Antelope Valley Pioneers baseball team.
Pilots Pavilion
On April 2, 2014, the Lancaster JetHawks introduced the largest addition to The Hangar since 2005: the Pilots Pavilion. The new tent structure on the third baseline just beyond the stands replaced the stadium's old barbecue tent. At 3,000 square feet and 25 feet tall, the Pilots Pavilion was nearly twice the size and nearly double the height of its predecessor. It was the largest structure of its kind in the California League before the 2019 season. After the JetHawks left the California League in 2020, the Pilots Pavilion was deconstructed and taken down.
The roof canvas material weighed over 1,500 pounds and was supported by six trusses made up of over 6,000 pounds of steel. Just' In Construction, Inc. led the construction efforts.
Conversion to a Soccer-specific Stadium
In 2024, the Lancaster City Council approved expenditure of over $17 million to convert the Lancaster Municipal Stadium into a 5,300-seat soccer-specific stadium.
The renovations will include the addition of a 1,000-seat modular grandstand on the east side, and a 500-seat safe-standing supporters' section with a canopy, which will be occupied by supporters groups such as "The 611". Other major renovations will be done to the field dimensions, existing seating, and stadium infrastructure such as LED lighting and a 16-foot wind wall. The west and south grandstands from the existing baseball configuration will be rebuilt to align with the soccer field and improve sight lines for the rest of the existing seating.
References
- ^ "Ballpark Matters On Deck". Los Angeles Daily News. September 4, 1995. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Design-Bid-Build". Pinner Construction Company. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- ^ "The Lancaster Sound Breakers are one and done in the Hangar". Pecos League. September 1, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (May 16, 2024). "New USL League One team in Antelope Valley builds on buzz with crest, name reveal party". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
USL Antelope Valley will play its home games at Lancaster Municipal Stadium, a 5,300-seat baseball park Smelzer and the city of Lancaster are spending $11 million to renovate for soccer.
- ^ "Lancaster Municipal Stadium". City of Lancaster. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- ^ "2017 Minor League Baseball Attendance". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ Schwartz, Jason (April 2, 2014). "JetHawks Introduce Pilots Pavilion at Hangar". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ Drake, Julie (August 14, 2024). "Stadium renovation set". Antelope Valley Press. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ "Stadium". AV ALTA FC. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ "The City of Lancaster and AV ALTA FC Officially Break Ground at Lancaster Municipal Stadium as it Undergoes Construction to Make it the Fourth Soccer-Specific Stadium in Southern California". AV ALTA FC. Retrieved January 12, 2025.