Ford Dealership Demo

onion

The historic 1936 Ford Dealership designed by Walter Dorwin Teague** was razed today. One of the last and most classic Art Deco buildings in San Diego. All for a parking lot. Shame on the Salvation Army, and shame on Cathy Winterrowd, the city's chief historic preservation officer. Per Roger Showley's article in SignOnSanDiego, "she notified SOHO that the building was being reviewed for potential historic designation but acknowledged that she failed to follow up. She said the city attorney's office believed the building was ineligible for designation because it is owned by a religious institution and a demolition permit was issued without further public notice."

**This message just in from the Salvation Army, dated 10/24/10:
"As Roger Showley noted in his September 29th UT article, "The building, which SOHO says was designed by local architect Frank Hope, Jr., and may have been influenced by noted industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague as it earlier stated, was leveled the weekend of Aug. 27-29, following the issuance of a demolition permit on August 3.

Teague designed the Ford Building, now the San Diego Air & Space Museum, for the California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park in 1935-36, and its Moderne design resembles what Hope incorporated into the dealership, SOHO said.""

Project Information
Project Address: 
12th Avenue (Park Boulevard) and Broadway
Project Owner/ Developer: 
Salvation Army
Owner Contact Name/ Email: 
(619) 239-4037
Project Architect/ Designer: 
Walter Dorwin Teague (1936)
Image
ford_demo_8.2010_t352.jpg
FordDealership2S.jpg_8.2010_t593.jpg
Tags:

Comments:

This building was not designed by Walter Dorwin Teague

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 10/24/2010 - 19:39.
SOHO originally stated that the building was designed by Walter Dorwin Teague, but, by late September, declared that the architect was Frank Hope Jr. This does not affect the many issues associated with the demolition, but it is a fact that should be corrected in the Orchids & Onions description. From Roger Showley's UT article September 29th: "The building, which SOHO says was designed by local architect Frank Hope Jr., and may have been influenced by noted industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague as it earlier stated, was leveled the weekend of Aug. 27-29, following the issuance of a demolition permit Aug. 3. Teague designed the Ford Building, now the San Diego Air & Space Museum, for the California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park in 1935-36, and its Moderne design resembles what Hope incorporated into the dealership, SOHO said."

Ford Bldg Demo

Submitted by ramezqui on Fri, 10/22/2010 - 21:54.
This car dealership building went up at the same time that public transportation was being dismantled by car companies. To me, the building represents an icon to the destruction of our cities quality of life and the rise of the freeway. It would have been more appropriate to substitute it with a museum to the defunct streetcars of Southern California. In summary, an orchid is deserved for its demolition but an onion for what it represented.

100% pure Onion!!!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 19:31.
100% pure Onion!!!!!

Misdirected Onion

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 16:48.
The demolition of the Ford building is indeed heartbreaking. However, it is my understanding that City staff determined that the Ford Building IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT. This onion should be directed to the Salvation Army and the California State Legislature pertaining to religious exemption, not the City of San Diego Historic Resources staff.

San Diego historic department deserves more praise than onions

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 06:14.
To say that the city's Historic Preservation dept's hands were tied on this issue is an understatement. I know a lot of the people that have worked in the Historic Preservation dept for the past few years and it is a THANKLESS job done by good people who want to save as many historic buildings as they can. If they save a building, it's almost never acknowledged but when they can't save a building because of the (often) unfair rules that they HAVE to follow (or because some Onion deserving person remodeled their historic home in some ridiculous way), they get negative attention like this. Do you think the people in the San Diego dept were happy with what happened? Almost ALL unjust architecture demolitions come care of new owners, usually extremely rich people who want to tear down a part of our city's history to put up something gut-wrenching. Sometimes they just go ahead and do it without permission because they can afford to pay the fines. With budget cuts, the dept is severely understaffed and can't possibly do their job like it should be done. Your description of what happened on the City side is oversimplified at best. Thumbs down. Way down.

Hmm...

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 18:36.
This is an awkward building!

Walter Dorwin Teague dealership

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 10/16/2010 - 14:38.
This is the kind of building which is most vulnerable, and therefore most in need of preservation protection, to bridge the gap until it is appreciated for its historic and architectural quality -- and its potential for reuse. The city is made poorer when we lose these. Alan Hess, architect and historian

Salvation Army may have to pay

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 10/01/2010 - 15:13.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/16/salvation-army-faces-2500...

Architectural Tragedy of the Year

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 09/16/2010 - 23:15.
They should create a new category to suite the magnitude of this debacle: The Totally Rotten Onion.

Disgusting!

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 09/12/2010 - 16:43.
Absolutely disgusting! I joined SOHO thinking that they wouldn't let something like this happen! Why didn't they "rally the troops" and have us form a human chain, just for media coverage? Bruce doesn't seem quite as contrite as would be expected...but he never really cared about moderne.... I'm disgusted with SOHO, SA, and the City!

Give Me A Break

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/17/2010 - 07:02.
If you think ANY preservation organization in this country pulls the kind of stunt anymore, you're pretty much stuck in 1968. No one operates that way any more because such high jinx aren't effective and don't work! And to say Mr. Coons doesn't care about Moderne, that's absurd. I've stood with him on many occaisons before City Council, at HRB hearings, and community groups where he has been a strong advocate for the style and works tirelessly for it's preservation. So what have you done to preserve a moderne landmark?

Devastating

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 09/11/2010 - 20:23.
Downtown San Diego's charity cartel strikes again! It really seems like this city's planners are in bed with all the social services hucksters and are determined to make this one of the least livable cities in California. Shame, shame, shame.

Big Onion!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/10/2010 - 03:49.
Very much an 'onion', in my opinion. How could this happen in this day and age? This wasn't a run-of-the-mill building. It was a piece of San Diego history that is going to be replaced with a Salvation Army parking lot. That no one followed up before it was torn down is a travesty. And that there is some sort of religious waiver on the books that allows religions to rip down historic buildings is disgusting!

Teague's Ford Building Demolished by the Salvation Army in S.D.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/10/2010 - 02:49.
I heard about it this morning on KPBS-FM and understand the explanation provided by the representative from the Salvation Army. However, there is more to this than meets the ear and I suspect that somehow the Salvation Army's effecting the demolition of this historic edifice will serve as a monument to the tragic arrogance and lack of vision that this organization and it's officers may be responsible for. Whatever all this eventually comes to, certainly the responsible parties will eventually discover that St. Peter may have the final opinion!

This belongs as an Onion in

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 05:34.
This belongs as an Onion in just about all of the Orchid and Onion categories. What a failure of imagination!

Onion for CCDC and City of San Diego on Ford Dealership Demo

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 15:49.
There can be no better case for CCDC and the City of San Diego to receive an Onion for issuing the demolition permit to allow the Salvation Army to raze the Art Deco commercial building known as the Ford Dealership at 1015 Park Boulevard. A string of emails clearly notified everyone in authority at the City of San Diego and CCDC that the building qualified under all rules as historic and that it merited being brought before the Historical Resources Board for thier deliberation. This building contributed to understanding how Henry and Edsel Ford directed the functional design of the larger Ford Building in the 1935 Exposition. Both buildings were connected by a narrow paved street on which brand new Ford cars ran carrying Expo visitors to show them the future of Ford automobiles. Destruction of the link is a terrible loss to our entire city. In spite of all the evidence provided to the City of San Diego, CCDC actually issued a memo declaring the Ford dealership was not historic. The staff at CCDC are unqualified to make such a declaration and for this reason alone, the City of San Diego merits an Onion. Ronald V. May, Chair Neighborhood Historic Preservation Coalition

City Ford Building--It's been demolished

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 15:33.
Not only did San Diego lose an architectural treasure, but once again the City Planning Department (Historical Resources), CCDC, and the City Attorney demonstrated their complete contempt for San Diego's historical heritage. The Grand ONION is well deserved.

Ford Dealership demoliton

Submitted by Dan Soderberg on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:35.
Designed by World famous Walter Teague. It's the sister building to the Ford Building in Balboa Park. Worthy of the National Register. The City allows it to be demolished for a parking lot. INSANE!

Ford Dealership demoliton

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:21.
Onion for sure!

Ford Dealership

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 04:08.
ONION!!! Who in this day and age demolishes a Walter Teague designed building for a parking lot? Every architect and architecture student in the county should be up in arms and voting this senseless destruction for top Onion!

Walter Teague Ford Dealership Building

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 09/04/2010 - 17:45.
Couldn't agree more. Give this one an Onion. How could the City and the Salvation Army not figure out that this CAR dealership and display building could have been repurposed into the most fabulous parking structure ever, had they only given it a moment's thought? One more fabulous modernist building... into the landfill for a parking lot. sigh.

Don't it always...

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 18:56.
seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Raze paradise, put up a parking lot... Ugh!!

Ford Dealership demoliton

Submitted by Dan Soderberg on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:42.
Dan Soderberg Onion for sure

Ford Dealership demoliton

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 06:10.
This was the sister building of Balboa Park's Ford Building, designed by legendary 20th Century designer, Walter Teague. Other cities would celebrate such a building. San Diego tears it down. ONION big time.