Hangar at Boundary Bay Airport

The Boundary Bay Airport Hangar is valued as a rare surviving Canadian example of hangar design from the Second World War era and as a symbol of Canada's wartime experience. This structure was one of two constructed in 1941 on a 194 hectare property purchased by the Federal Government for a Royal Canadian Air Force training school. It represents the war effort undertaken during the Second World War in Delta and throughout Canada, and the important role of military training, as large numbers of troops had to be mobilized and prepared for combat as quickly as possible. This training facility was located in Delta due to favourable local weather conditions, flat topography and a low population density.

The Boundary Bay Airport Hangar is valued as an excellent example of an open-span truss structure. The hangar's most notable feature is the bow-arch truss roof, that spans the entire length and width of this huge structure. The roof and superstructure were constructed of heavy timbers, specified because of the shortage of steel during wartime. Integral to the wide-span design are the full-height doors on both end walls, which are top-hung and slide horizontally.

The distinctive bow-arched roof, as well as the structure's overall enormous size, has made this Second World War-era hangar a highly visible landmark. Such hangars are increasingly rare, as they are vulnerable to fire and many are redundant for modern airport use.