Going, going...

All the other buildings have been razed. These administration buildings are all that's left of the site of Downey's aeronautic history, from the first airport in 1929, through Consolidated Vultee Aircraft in 1943, to the various aeronautics companies that worked on the Apollo, Saturn, and space shuttle programs. Eventually, this will be the Tierra Luna Marketplace.

The administration buildings are supposed to be preserved as historical landmarks. I thought that meant all these buildings that are still standing. However, I noticed this weekend that most of them are falling into disrepair—broken and boarded-up windows are what stand out now.

I don't know what the plans are for these buildings. But I will be very sad if all this construction means losing the old Vultee logo that graces the floor of the round building above. (Click here to see the building and logo as it appeared a year and a half ago.)

An old paddle wheel

What are an old paddle wheel and part of a river boat doing in the middle of a nearly empty lot miles from the nearest river?

This is the backlot of what used to be Downey Studios. The company is gone now, and the buildings are being dismantled. The residential street that I recognized in a scene in Christmas with the Kranks is demolished. But this paddle wheel, which was turning freely in the breeze, remains.

I wonder what they're going to do with it. I think it would look great in my back yard.

Not so magnificent desolation

As desolate as the surface of the moon that we eventually landed on, the buildings that were the home of Downey's space history are coming down piece by piece.

Originally this was the site of Vultee Aircraft, then North American Aviation, later North American Rockwell, and still later Rockwell International. During the 1970s and 1980s, four of the space shuttle orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis, were constructed here.

More recently, the site has been the home of Downey Studios. And next, this site will be the home of the Tierra Luna Marketplace.

Things change, the world moves on. We can't keep everything. But still, it's sad to see this bit of Downey's history disappear.

Surrounded by destruction

Well, the old Gallatin Medical facility has been completely destroyed, down to ground level and piles of rubble. Imagine my surprise when I discovered one building left. Apparently this orthodontist office was never part of Gallatin.

I hope they kept up that big smile while they watched and listened to everything coming down around them.

The tiny building at the tip of the red arrow is the only building left standing
on this large area of land.

The end of an era

As long as I can remember, the Gallatin Medical Center has been there on Paramount Blvd. (Of course, it's been abandoned for the last 10 years or so. See I wonder who won this dispute.)

But finally, the buildings are coming down, to make way for new medical offices including a multistory urgent and primary care facility.

Last week, the old buildings served one final useful purpose as the Downey Fire Department used them for some training classes. (See Fire control training.)

What's coming?

Temporary fences always pique my curiosity. They usually mean change—something getting torn down, something new being built. But what? Most of the time, there's no sign—literally or otherwise—of what's coming.

That's especially true of the old Gallatin Medical Group site, where a fence surrounding the entire site appeared a couple of weeks ago. One rumor says that the fence is there simply to keep mischief-makers out of the abandoned buildings. (See I wonder who won this dispute? for more information about why these buildings are abandoned in the first place.) Another rumor (from the new Downey Beat website) is that the owner, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, is going to demolish the current buildings and replace them with new medical offices.

But you won't know that from looking at the fence.