House of Air

It's not your typical wondrous place, but it's definitely curious: An old airplane hangar in the Presidio of San Francisco has been retrofitted as a giant trampoline park open to the public. To play, you need to basically sign your life away - this is dangerous stuff; it's hard to even use a backyard trampoline without spraining an ankle or stepping on your sister's head - but it's worth it.

Seven days a week, the public flocks to the House of Air to defy gravity as much as is possible only a few minutes from home. The athletic and recreational facility hosts aerial and physical training sessions, trampoline jump time, trampoline dodgeball and basketball games, and fitness classes. The location is often rented out for corporate events, birthday parties, and big family gatherings.

The Presidio Trust explains the genesis of the idea: "The idea for House of Air was developed seven years ago by Dave Schaeffer and Paul McGeehan during one of many long drives back from snowboarding in Lake Tahoe. Its mission of 'giving flight to the flightless,' embodied in its mascot, a penguin wearing a jetpack, is a fitting reuse for building 926, which once helped launch De Havilland DH-48 biplanes as part of the Army’s 91st Observation Squadron. Built in 1921, the building originally served as Crissy Air Field’s land-plane hangar. Later it was used as a motor vehicle paint shop and office and storage space for the Army and is a contributing feature to the Presidio's National Historic Landmark status. The Trust is overseeing the historic rehabilitation of the building which includes seismic upgrades, accessibility improvements, new building systems and other improvements."