Sunset at Downey Studios

It's past sunset for Downey Studios. This office building is the only evidence (literally, the last sign) of the studio buildings, the rest of which have been torn down to make way for the Tierra Luna Marketplace project.

This building, which was part of the original Vultee Aircraft site, will remain as a symbol of Downey's aerospace legacy.

Tearing down the past

Downey has a rich history in aerospace. The land this building is on was once an air strip, a plane manufacturing plant, a space capsule manufacturing plant, where the space shuttle was designed. When NASA gave the land to Downey after Boeing moved out, the city leased part of the land to Downey Studios that used some of the existing buildings. The studios made several movies, but not enough to pay the rent. Now the city is leasing the land to a land developer that is going to tear down all but one building. Click here for other posts about this area.

Do you have any memories of this land's past usage?

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.

SWAT's up?

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was in full force at Downey Studios this afternoon to test SWAT maneuvers. I'm not sure if this was an announced event, but passers-by kept driving in and kids old and young were excited to board the SWAT helicopter. The officers were patient, allowing everyone to take a turn for a picture.

I know these elite teams are trained for counter terrorism and extreme cases of law enforcement, but this felt kinda like a photo shoot. That was, until I looked closely at the controls in the cockpit. It was the button that read "weapons system" that reminded me these guys train to be prepared for scary situations and I'm really glad they do.

According to Wikipedia: A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers.

Boilerplate history

Last week, BP-12 was moved from storage in the Downey Studios buildings to its permanent display site in front of the Columbia Memorial Space Center. BP-12 is the oldest known Apollo to fly. Like BP-19, which was moved last year, BP-12 was constructed in Downey by North American Aviation (in the buildings now occupied by Downey Studios) and was used in many parachute drop tests.

According to a NASA website, "at White Sands, New Mexico, on the morning of 13 May 1964, a Little Joe II launch vehicle rammed Boilerplate (BP) 12 to an altitude of 4,700 meters, to see if the launch escape system could propel the spacecraft away from the booster after it had reached transonic speed."

The celebrity station

So many celebrities have been to Downey. Do you know why? Because we actually have a huge studio where people like Jim Carey and Robert Downey Jr. star in their movies. Here is a smidgen of the list I got off of Wikipedia of the movies we've filmed in Downey.

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Couples Retreat (2009)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Pineapple Express (2008)
Cloverfield (2008)
Zodiac (2007)
Van Helsing (2004)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
The Italian Job (2003)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Daredevil (2003)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Spider-Man (2002)

Beauty is only skin deep

The suburban street at Downey Studios has been used for movies such as "Christmas with the Kranks." From the front, the neighborhood looks quite appealing. From the back, it's all a facade.