The first time Liv Hoffsis climbed the hill to the Hangar machine shop, she thought she was in the wrong place.
“It looked like an abandoned building,” the mechanical engineering junior recalled. Yet once inside, the space revealed something different, filled with half-finished projects, humming machines and students deep in immersive work. “It didn’t look like much from the outside,” she said, “but you could feel the momentum the moment you stepped in.”
Now, she’s an active advocate for the Hangar. As a shop technician, she helps other students bring their projects to life. And during her time with Cal Poly Wind Power, she’s logged countless hours in the shop — sometimes spending eight or nine hours at a time machining precision parts for national competitions.
“There’s something meaningful about working in a space that feels like it belongs to you,” she said. “It becomes part of your story here.”
Hoffsis’ experience mirrors a larger transformation unfolding at the Hangar. In recent months, renovations, reorganizations and increased attention to student needs have begun to unearth the building’s full potential and lay the foundation for what’s next.
A Legacy of Hands-on Learning
Constructed in 1947 to support Cal Poly’s aerodynamics program, the Hangar has long embodied the university’s Learn by Doing philosophy. In the decades after World War II, the structure played a central role in the evolution of Cal Poly’s engineering education, providing space for flight experiments and fabrication at a time when the university was transforming into a fully accredited institution.
In 1985, the Hangar was repurposed as a multidisciplinary project shop, continuing its legacy as a hands-on hub for creativity and collaboration. Over the years, it became a vital — if increasingly overlooked — space for student clubs and independent project teams.
“The Hangar was off the radar for so long; it was even slated for teardown at one point,” said Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Infrastructure Lily Laiho. “But now we have a chance to create a space students are proud of — one that sparks innovation and encourages collaboration.”
A Community Comes Together
In February, that process kicked into high gear. After a small fire triggered the sprinkler system in a paint booth, the fire marshal gave university staff just 12 days to prepare for a full building inspection.
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary.
More than 170 people — shop techs, staff and student volunteers — worked tirelessly to clear out forgotten projects, reorganize spaces and restore safety and order. Over a week, they filled three 30-yard dumpsters with old materials, debris and dust-covered artifacts.
“We found rockets from 10 years ago, old car skeletons — just all sorts of things tucked away,” Hoffsis said. “I climbed a ladder to clean out an old room, and there was at least half an inch of dust. It was like uncovering layers of history.”
For Laiho, the effort showcased just how much the space matters. “The community really came together,” she said. “It reminded us how many students rely on the Hangar, and how much potential is still here.”
A Home for Innovation
For Hoffsis and her teammates at Cal Poly Wind Power, the difference is already tangible. After years of meeting in borrowed classrooms and storing parts in a metal cage behind Bonderson Project Center, the team now has its own club room on the Hangar’s second floor.
“We’re so grateful for the space,” said Hoffsis, who is finishing her term as president. “We meet there every week. We can store parts we machine in the Hangar. It feels like our own.”
The team, which competes annually in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Collegiate Wind Competition, blends technical skill with a mission to build a positive culture around renewable energy. For Hoffsis, working in the Hangar has helped her grow from a newcomer with basic mill and lathe skills into a confident machinist and mentor.
“I learned about GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) in drafting class, but it didn’t really click until I was machining a part and thought it was out of spec,” she said. “One of my mentors looked it over and told me it was actually fine. That moment was like, ‘Oh! I get it now!’”
She now helps train others as a shop tech and said that experience has been one of the most rewarding parts of her Cal Poly journey.
Building Toward the Future
As the Hangar continues its transformation, leaders are taking deliberate steps to make it more functional, more equitable — and more inviting. Renovations completed last summer included new paint, flooring and reorganization of the second floor. A transparent space allocation process ensures that student clubs and Instructionally Related Activities (IRAs) have access based on their needs and participation.
“Thanks to the cleanup efforts, more clubs now have dedicated rooms,” Laiho said. “That level of the Hangar was in use, but much of it was taken up by old equipment and materials. Now, it’s becoming a true hub of student activity and innovation. That’s exactly the environment we want to encourage.”
Looking ahead, there’s still more to do. Additional funding would allow the university to repaint the building’s exterior, finish improvements on the first floor and expand outdoor work areas. To help make that happen, longtime donor George Cattey and his wife, Linda, are offering a $15,000 challenge gift in conjunction with this year’s Poly Gives campaign.
For supporters of Cal Poly’s hands-on, student-driven approach to education, it’s an opportunity to bring a forgotten gem fully back into the light.
“We want the Hangar to reflect the incredible work our students are doing,” Laiho said. “Ultimately, it should inspire students to create and feel connected to this place.”
And for students like Hoffsis, that’s already happening — one project and one freshly cleared space at a time.
Call to Action
To support engineering students through the renovation of the Hangar, visit https://bit.ly/4i2DqSo.
By Emily Slater
