Ford Building, San Diego, California
Encyclopedia
The Ford Building, a Streamline Moderne
structure in Balboa Park
, San Diego, California
, serves as the home of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The building was originally built by the Ford Motor Company
for the California Pacific International Exposition
, which was held in 1935 and 1936. Ford was the exposition's principal exhibitor and invested $
2.8 million in the 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²), 296 feet (90.2 m²) diameter building to showcase its vehicles and other forms of transportation. The architect was noted American industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague
.
. The building overall consists of two different sized circles in the shape of an "8," and in the courtyard of the larger circle there is a large fountain shaped like the Ford V8 logo. The lights in the courtyard ("Pavilion of Flight") are shaped like valves. Along the interior wall of the outer ring is a mural depicting the history of transportation from the times of hunter-gatherer
s through 1935. The last panel of the mural was left open for the artist to depict his vision of the future of transportation after 1935, which is still visible today.
During World War II, Balboa Park was renamed to Camp Kidd, to be used for U.S. Navy training, barracks, and hospital wards. The Ford Building was used for training mechanics in aircraft repair and welding.
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
structure in Balboa Park
Balboa Park (San Diego)
Balboa Park is a urban cultural park in San Diego, California. The park is named after the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa...
, San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, serves as the home of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The building was originally built by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
for the California Pacific International Exposition
California Pacific International Exposition (1935)
The California Pacific International Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California during May 29, 1935–November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936–September 9, 1936...
, which was held in 1935 and 1936. Ford was the exposition's principal exhibitor and invested $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.8 million in the 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²), 296 feet (90.2 m²) diameter building to showcase its vehicles and other forms of transportation. The architect was noted American industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague was an American architect, designer and one of the most prolific American industrial designers in terms of volume of completed work. Teague's name and vision lives on through the legacy of his company....
.
Design
The building was styled to resemble a V8 engineV8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
. The building overall consists of two different sized circles in the shape of an "8," and in the courtyard of the larger circle there is a large fountain shaped like the Ford V8 logo. The lights in the courtyard ("Pavilion of Flight") are shaped like valves. Along the interior wall of the outer ring is a mural depicting the history of transportation from the times of hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s through 1935. The last panel of the mural was left open for the artist to depict his vision of the future of transportation after 1935, which is still visible today.
History
Throughout the Exposition, Ford was assembling autos along the outer rings and used the courtyard area like a showroom to display the latest model automobiles. The newly assembled vehicles were rolled out the large doors on the west side. There was also a test track set up down the hill behind the building where visitors could take one of the model autos for a test drive.During World War II, Balboa Park was renamed to Camp Kidd, to be used for U.S. Navy training, barracks, and hospital wards. The Ford Building was used for training mechanics in aircraft repair and welding.