Google touches down in Spruce Goose

Google is officially loose in the Spruce Goose.

The company moved into the historic former hangar in Playa Vista on Tuesday, closing the loop on a four-year endeavor, according to a city-sponsored corporate blog.

With the new headquarters, Google is tripling its footprint in Los Angeles, Curbed reported. The tech giant’s move, which is expected to involve hundreds of workers, will cement booming Playa Vista as the heart of Silicon Beach, L.A.’s offshoot of Silicon Valley.

Prior to the move to Spruce Goose, Google had been leasing 100,000 square feet at the Frank Gehry-designed binoculars building in Venice, since 2011.

The tech firm first made waves in the neighborhood in 2014, when it spent $120 million to purchase 12 acres of vacant land adjacent to the hangar. Two years later it leased the 319,000-square-foot structure, formerly owned by Howard Hughes, where he kept the infamous Spruce Goose plane with a record wingspan.

The hangar is currently owned by Japanese conglomerate ASO Group. The investment firm paid developer Ratkovich Co. $273 million for the hanger and three other buildings, in late 2016.

Google tapped ZGF Architects to design the redevelopment, which included building a three-story office structure in the cavernous property. ZGF also installed new windows and skylights.

In Playa Vista, Google will be joining other tech companies such as Facebook, Belkin, YouTube and Yahoo. [Curbed] — Natalie Hoberman