Historic topographic maps and aerial imagery included historic aerials from 1932, 1952, 1953, 1963, and 1972 (UCSB 2022; NETR Online 2022) and several historic USGS topographic maps, including the 1896 and 1902 Downey (1:62,500), the 1923 and 1936 Bell (1:24,000), 1943 Downey (1:62,500), and the 1951 Whittier (1:24,000) (USGS 2022), as well as the 1965 and 1972 Whittier (1:24,000) topographic maps.
Other maps reviewed include the Los Angeles Land Use Maps (Huntington 2022). The purpose of this research was to identify historic structures and land use in the area.
On August 3 and August 24, 2002, Ms. Khrustaleva conducted in-person archival research at the City of Downey Planning Department, the Downey Historical Society, and the Downey City Library, reviewing archived building records, aerial photography, Downey Chamber of Commerce publications, and other documents. Robert Thompson of the Downey Historical Society provided valuable photographs, printed materials, and oral history information.
3.5 PROJECT PERSONNEL
HELIX Senior Architectural Marina Khrustaleva, M.A., served as the principal investigator and author of this study. HELIX Cultural Resources Group Manager Mary Robbins-Wade, M.A., RPA, provided QA/QC review and strategic oversight. Ms. Khrustaleva meets and exceeds the Secretary of Interior’s Professional Standards for architectural history and history. Resumes for key HELIX project personnel are presented in Appendix B.
4.0 HISTORIC SETTING AND CONTEXT
National Register Bulletin 24, Guidelines for Local Surveys, states that the historic context developed in support of historic resource surveys should analyze and describe the “broad pattern of historical development in a community or its region that may be represented by historic resources” (U.S.
Department of the Interior 1985: 14). Developing a historic context for survey areas is described in the National Park Service (NPS) guidelines as vital for providing the basis for a survey effort, helping researchers successfully identify all significant resources, and helping eliminate unintended biases.
Through a review of the history and prehistory of the state and region under consideration, the historic Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
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10 context should define important patterns of development that may be reflected in the area’s historic resources.
The National Register further defines context as “a body of information about our history according to the stages of development occurring at various times and places” (U.S. Department of the Interior 1997:
7). Theme, place, and time are the basic elements that define a historic context.
Historic context is linked to the built environment through the concept of property type. A property type is “a grouping of individual properties based on a set of shared physical or associative characteristics.
Physical characteristics may relate to structural forms, architectural styles, building materials, or site type. Associative characteristics may relate to the nature of associated events or activities, to associations with a specific individual or group of individuals” (U.S. Department of the Interior 1985: 14).
Historic contexts, therefore, become useful tools for gauging the relative importance and integrity of properties.
In order to provide a contextual framework for the assessment of the subject properties, this section provides the historic setting and context for the property, divided chronologically and according to themes of significance. Given the history of the subject properties, the context and theme that apply most closely include the following evaluative framework:
Context: Early Settlement and Development in Downey
Theme: Aerospace Industry in Downey
Property Type: Industrial
The following sections briefly summarize Downey’s early history, followed by descriptions of the context/theme used in the evaluation of the subject properties. This focused historic context section draws on original research, as well as information on the history of the City of Downey, available on the City’s online resources. Additional sources utilized in this section and report are included in Section 9, References.
4.1 MEXICAN RANCHOS AND EARLY AMERICAN PERIOD
In 1784, the first and largest land grant was deeded by Spanish Governor Pedro Fages to Manuel Nieto, a former sergeant in the Spanish Army; at the time, the Rancho Los Nietos was the largest land grant in Alta California, originally totaling 300,000 acres. During a dispute with Mission San Gabriel in 1790, the grant was reduced to 167,00 acres, stretching from just north of Whittier to the sea and from the Los Angeles River to the Santa Ana River (Buena Park Historical Society 2006; Downey Historical Society n.d.; Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site n.d.). As with other ranchos, large tracts of Rancho Los Nietos were dedicated almost exclusively to cattle grazing; at the time, cattle hides had become a primary export from southern California. Following Nieto’s death in 1804, the Rancho was passed to his wife and four children.
Although Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Spanish patterns of culture and influence remained for a time. The missions continued to operate as they had in the past, and laws governing the distribution of land were also retained in the 1820s. Following the secularization of the missions in 1834, large ranchos were granted to prominent and well-connected individuals, ushering in the Rancho Era, with the society making a transition from one dominated by the church and the military to a more Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
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11 civilian population, with people living on ranchos or in pueblos. With the numerous new ranchos in private hands, cattle ranching expanded and prevailed over agricultural activities In 1833, Governor Jose Figueroa split Rancho Nietos into six parts, one for each heir: Rancho Los Alamitos, Los Cerritos, Los Coyotes, Los Bolsas, Palo Alto, and Santa Gertrudes. The City of Downey lies in the area granted as Rancho Santa Gertrudes, which was granted to Josefa Cota, the widow of Manuel Nieto’s son, Antonio Nieto (City of Downey n.d.; Downey Historical Society n.d.). In 1843, the grant was purchased from Cota by Lemuel Carpenter, the husband of her niece Maria de Los Angeles Dominguez.
Carpenter, born in Kentucky, established a soap business at Chokishgna, a Tongva-Gabrieleño village on the San Gabriel River (Dyson 1927).
American governance began in 1848, when Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding California to the United States at the conclusion of the Mexican–American War. A great influx of settlers to California and the Los Angeles region occurred during the American Period, resulting from several factors, including the discovery of gold in the state in 1848, the end of the Civil War, and the availability of free land through the passage of the Homestead Act. The increase in American and European populations quickly overwhelmed many of the Spanish and Mexican cultural traditions and greatly increased the rate of population decline among Native American communities.
While the American system required that the newly acquired land be surveyed prior to settlement, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo bound the United States to honor the land claims of Mexican citizens who were granted ownership of ranchos by the Mexican government. The Land Act of 1851 established a board of commissioners to review land grant claims, and land patents for the land grants were issued throughout the following years. Lemuel Carpenter filed a claim for part of Rancho Santa Gertrudes in 1852 (Willey 1886). At some point in 1852, Carpenter took out a $5,000 loan from John Gately Downey, an Irish immigrant who came to California during the Gold Rush and succeeded to become the state’s first governor. This loan would later balloon to more than $100,000 by 1859. Unable to pay this debt, Carpenter killed himself (Santa Fe Springs Library n.d.). The grant was then sold at a sheriff’s auction to Downey and James P. McFarland and patented to the men in 1870 (Willey 1884).
Initially sworn in as the lieutenant governor, Downey assumed the governorship of California in 1860 after Governor Milton Latham resigned after being elected to fill the Senate vacancy left by David C.
Broderick, who was killed in a duel the year prior (Brady 1905). Following the end of his term as governor, Downey returned to southern California and began subdividing Rancho Santa Gertrudes into small farms along the banks of the San Gabriel River (City of Downey n.d.). The following decades would see these farms prospering from the area’s excellent soil. Like other portions of southern California during this time, citrus would become a large part of the area’s exports, in part due to the importing of several varieties by Downey himself.
4.2 EARLY URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF DOWNEY
Two settlements were established in the mid-1800s within the area that would become the City of Downey: The College Settlement and Gallatin. While no records indicate where the College Settlement was located, based on the original roadways seen in early topographic maps, it likely was in the southwestern area of modern-day Downey. Gallatin was located where modern-day Paramount Boulevard and Florence Avenue cross, approximately 1.5 miles to the northwest of the project area (Pierce 2010). In 1873, these settlements would be joined by a third, when Downey subdivided 96 acres of the Rancho Santa Gertrudes to establish a community, which would later be known as “Downey City” Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
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12 (Downey Chamber of Commerce n.d.). It was located 10 miles from the ocean and 10 miles from Los Angeles.
The opening of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1870s and the completion of the Southern Pacific Transcontinental rail line in the early 1880s resulted in an increased flow of settlers from the east coast arriving in the west coast. As such, the population of Los Angeles County boomed, requiring an increase in development. By 1883, the Southern Pacific Railroad had built a route that passed through Downey City; as a result, families and businesses from Gallatin and the College Settlement began moving closer to the railroad (Pierce 2010). This eventually united the three settlements into the larger settlement of Downey, with the new Southern Pacific Railroad Depot built in 1888 serving as the center of town.
Agriculture continued to be the primary focus of Downey over the following decades; approximately 90 percent of present-day Downey was used for agriculture–citrus, grain, corn, and castor beans were the community’s chief exports (Bruce 2017). In 1903, the Downey Board of Trade (later renamed the Downey Chamber of Commerce) was organized. In 1906, an effort to incorporate Downey into a City failed; the boundaries used in the process were “remarkably unsophisticated” (Downey Historical Society n.d.). However, the growing Downtown Downey contained a number of businesses: a Sunkist packing plant, a department store, banks, restaurants, and mercantile shops. It was also the site of Downey Union High School and Downey Grammar School.
4.3 AEROSPACE INDUSTRY IN DOWNEY
The seeds of the aerospace industry in Downey were planted by E.M. Smith, a wealthy industrialist and inventor, whose family had reaped a fortune from a drill bit patent for oil exploration. In 1929, he purchased approximately 73 acres of land one mile south of the depot from James Hughan, a castor bean and orange farmer. Smith developed the area into two runways and an assembly plant, which would later house the Emsco Aircraft Corporation (City of Downey 2022).
In 1940, Downey’s population was still only 12,000. Orange groves remained visible in the downtown area, with dairies located along the banks of the two rivers. During World War II, the aerospace industry became a significant economic factor in Downey. Several years earlier, in 1936, Gerard “Jerry” Vultee, Smith’s chief design engineer, leased his old airstrip from Baker Oil Tools Company, which had purchased the facility following the Great Depression. Vultee Aircraft Division, later Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, or “Convair,” located near Lakewood Boulevard and Alameda Street, was Downey’s largest employer during the war, producing nearly 15 percent of America’s military aircraft by 1941 (City of Downey 2022; Parker 2013). During the war, the plant built 13,000 airplanes (Latimer 2010: 111). The company was a pioneer in the use of women in manufacturing positions and was the first aircraft company to build airplanes on a powered assembly line (City of Downey n.d.).
Following World War II, Downey began to shift from its rural origins to a suburban city of industry with a focus on aviation. By the late 1950s, most of the agricultural areas were replaced by residential subdivisions, commercial centers, and industrial developments. Downey again tried to become an incorporated city in 1956; this time, the attempt was a success (Downey Historical Society n.d.). In December 1956, the City of Downey, with a population of approximately 90,000 people living within an area of 11.5 square miles, was incorporated as a general law city; in 1965, it became a charter city.
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13 Shortly after its incorporation in 1962, Glen Bell opened the first Taco Bell in Downey; the first restaurant would close in 1986, and the building was set for demolition in 2015. Fortunately, the building was saved and moved 45 miles to the Taco Bell Corporate Office in Irvine (Nichols 2015; Parvini 2015).
In the late 1940s, the Vultee plant was converted from plane to ballistic missile technology. In the 1950s, it became North American Aviation’s Downey Plant, known as Air Force Plant 16, shifting its focus from aircraft manufacturing to supersonic aerodynamics and rocket propulsion. (Latimer 2010: 118). After President John F. Kennedy committed in the early 1960s to landing a person on the moon before the end of the decade, Downey became home to the Project Apollo Spacecraft Development Program, involving over 23,000 employees (Blackburn 2009: 8). In 1967, North American Aviation, Inc. would merge with Rockwell International, and together bid and win the NASA contract to build the new Space Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle in 1972 (City of Downey 2022). For the next two decades, Downey’s Rockwell plant would produce and test many of the 20th century’s space, aviation, and missile endeavors that would become benchmarks for manned spacecraft engineering.
By the early 1970s, the Rockwell International facilities encompassed some 1,700,000 square feet of enclosed area over more than 200 acres. Following the Cold War, however, Downey was hit hard by cutbacks in the defense budget. Rockwell International, which once had more than 30,000 employees, had fewer than 5,000 in 1992. In 1996, the Rockwell International site was purchased by the Boeing Company, but two years later, Boeing decided to leave Downey. The 70-year history of airplane and space vehicle manufacturing in Downey came to an end when the plant closed in 1999. The property was purchased by the City of Downey and underwent a series of redevelopment projects. A total of 26 buildings were demolished in the early 2000s.
As of 2009, 23 original structures were still remaining on-site. The central parcel, including Building 1 (the Vultee and North American production facility), Building 6 (North American Rockwell design facility), and Building 290 (Apollo and shuttle final assembly areas), has been preserved and used by the Downey Studios (Blackburn 2009: 85; Harrison 2006: 6). More demolitions followed in the 2010s. In 2023, only a portion of historic Building 1 at 12214 Lakewood Boulevard and 8855 Apollo Way remains in place. The rest of the site became host to the Columbia Memorial Space Sciences Learning Center (built in 2009), the Downey Landing shopping center, a Kaiser Permanente hospital, and a city recreation park (City of Downey n.d.). None of the Vultee/North American Aviation structures have been designated as historic landmarks.
5.0 HISTORY OF THE PROJECT SITE
The analysis of historic topographic maps, aerial imagery, and parcel history data shows that the entire project area was agricultural from the late 19th century until 1950 (Gittelhough and Robbins-Wade 2023:14). In 1951, the industrial development of the area was started by the Rheem Corporation.
Originally, Rheem’s property included adjacent parcels 6284-019-010 and 6284-019-011 to the east (11711 Woodruff Avenue and 11899 Woodruff Avenue) and parcel 6284-019-068 to the west (9236- 9244 Hall Road) (Plates 1 and 2). Select building permits for the project site are included as Appendix C.
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14 Plate 1. Parcel Map. County of Los Angeles Assessor’s Portal
Plate 2. Site Plan. 1967. City of Downey Planning Department
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15 5.1 RHEEM MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Rheem Manufacturing Company was established by brothers Richard “R.S.” Rheem and Donald “D.L.” Rheem, in Emeryville, CA, in 1925. The founders were the sons of William S. Rheem, former Standard Oil Company of California president. Rheem is still in existence and has produced a variety of products in its nearly 100 years of operation. According to the company’s website, Rheem is currently the only manufacturer in the world that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool and spa heating, and commercial refrigeration products, and it is the largest manufacturer of water heating products in North America (Rheem 2022a). Initially, Rheem Manufacturing Co. created galvanized steel oil drums; in 1930, it began full-scale manufacturing of water heaters, boilers, and tanks at its plants in California, Texas, Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, and Australia. In the following decades, it added shipping containers, bathroom fixtures, musical instruments, automotive parts, and war equipment (Rheem 2022b).
During World War II, much of the company’s efforts went towards wartime production, including building ships and aircraft parts. In 1942, Rheem purchased the former American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corp. plant in Birmingham, Alabama, to produce ordnance materials. In 1944, Rheem acquired a substantial interest in Piatt-LePage Aircraft Company of Eddystone, Pennsylvania, which manufactured helicopters. In 1945, seven Rheem plants received Army-Navy "E" awards and several renewal stars for outstanding excellence in production. After the war, Rheem began an extensive reconversion program to modernize and streamline operations for peacetime production, shifting back to consumer markets (Rheem 2022c).
However, Rheem did not abandon military production. In 1951, it formed the Government Products Division to resume aircraft and ordnance work. The same year, Rheem Manufacturing Co. received a letter of intent from Northrop Aircraft for the fabrication and assembly of components for the Scorpion F-89 all-weather interceptor. Los Angeles Daily News reported that preliminary work started at Rheem’s South Gate plant, but actual fabrication and assembly were to continue at the new Downey factory (Los Angeles Daily News 1951). Another commission came from Lockheed Jet Aircraft (Long Beach Press Telegram 1951: 33).
In 1951, the $2,000,000 steel aircraft part manufacturing plant in Downey was constructed in record time on a 50-acre site at 11711 South Woodruff Avenue in Downey (the address of the Rheem Administration Building that later became a separate property outside of the project site). That year, the Los Angeles Times classified pages printed Rheem’s ads for employment on a weekly basis. The Aircraft Division was hiring tool designers, inspectors, aircraft schedulers, machinery engineers, keypunch operators, clerks, and secretaries (The Los Angeles Times 1951: 47). The original employment goal was between 800 and 1000 workers; in 1958, the Downey plant had 3,500 employers.
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16 Plate 3. Source: Blackburn, Gerald A. Downey Aerospace History: 1947-1999. P. 111
Plate 4. Winter storm flooding in Downey, on Hall Road next to Rheem plant. January 1952.
Courtesy of the Downey Historical Society.
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17 Plates 5-7. Downey: Gracious Living, Future Unlimited. Downey Chamber of Commerce, 1958. P. 106, 108, 109 Courtesy of the Downey Historical Society.
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18 Plate 8. Air Corps News Letter
Vol. 36. July 1953. P. 21
Plate 9. Air Corps News Letter
Vol. 36. November 1953. P. 17
Plate 10. Army Magazine.
Vol. 9. August 1958. P. 47
Plate 11. Western Aviation Magazine.
Vol. 39. January 1959. P. 2
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19 Plate 12. Downey: Gracious Living, Future Unlimited. Downey Chamber of Commerce, 1958. P. 106, 108, 109 Courtesy of the Downey Historical Society.
The most promoted product of Rheem’s plant in Downey was the AN/USD-2 surveillance drone designed and manufactured for the Signal Corps. The plant also produced jet engine components and airframe parts, along with fuses, rockets, practice bombs, grenades, land and underwater mines, non-nuclear warheads, and other explosives.
Rheem Aircraft Plant in Downey became an important staple for the community. It was a popular site for school field trips, such as the Lowell Cub Scouts visit in January 1953, which was a part of their study of transportation. Each boy received a packet of colored pictures and watched the aircraft parts being assembled (La Habra Star 1953). In the late 1950s, Rheem Corporation regularly appeared in newspapers because of workers’ strikes and labor union disputes.
In 1958, Richard and Donald Rheem resigned from the Board of Directors of Rheem Manufacturing Company. The same year, Rheem received a 1.2 million dollar contract from the U.S. Army Ordnance District for the fabrication of warheads and fuses for the Nike-Hercules missile. The production was supposed to be done at the Downey plant and at the newly built Ordnance Loading facility in Riverside, California (South Gate Press 1958: 1). However, in the next year (1959), both plants had been sold to Aerojet General Corporation (San Bernardino Sun 1959).
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20 5.2 ALBEN RANDOLF FROBERG
Rheem Manufacturing Company was a fast-developing and progressive business. For designing its new plants, Rheem invited experienced industrial architects and engineers and used modern technologies.
The South Gate Manufacturing Plant at 4361 Firestone Boulevard in South Gate, CA, just five miles away from Downey, was designed in the mid-1940s by the prominent architectural company of Wurdeman and Becket (Arts & Architecture 1950: 2; Online Archives of California [OAC] 2022a). Walter Wurdeman and Welton David Becket would later become famous for the Bullock’s Department Store in Pasadena.
Landscape plans for the South Gate plant were prepared by a notable landscape designer Ruth Patricia Shellhorn (OAC 2022b).
The primary architect of Rheem’s plant in Downey was Alben Randolf Froberg of Oakland (City of Downey Building Records; AIA 1953). Froberg specialized in “industrial structures of any size and dollar value” (AIA 1953: 3). Most of his projects were implemented in the Bay Area; Rheem’s Downey plant seems to be his only commission in Southern California. The clue to this commission can be the long- term acquaintance between Froberg and the Rheem brothers. In 1931, the architect designed Richard S.
Rheem’s residence at 20 Bellevue Avenue in Piedmont, California (Olds 1931: 69-71).
Alben Randolf Froberg (1890-1968) was born in Eureka, California, in a family of Finnish background. In 1913, he graduated from the University of California in Berkeley with a B.S. degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering; he obtained his architect’s license in August 1915. The 1920 city directory lists him working as a draftsman in San Francisco for Frederick Whitton; in 1925, he established his own practice.
Froberg was a member of the AIA and the President of the East Bay Chapter in 1946 (Ancestry.com; PCAD 2022). His early projects represent features of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles. His work includes:
• Laher Auto Spring Company Factory, 2619-25 Magnolia Street, Oakland, CA (1925) • Gray Shop (women’s clothing), 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA (1930, demolished) • R.S. Rheem’s Residence, 20 Bellevue Avenue, Piedmont, CA (1931) • Commercial building, 1771-1775 Broadway, Oakland, CA (1932) • Marshall Steel Company Cleaning Plant, 5427 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA (1934) • Williams and Slade Building (remodel), 2029 Broadway, Oakland, CA (1935, demolished) • Office building, 2398 Valley Street, Oakland, CA (1938) • United Engineering Company Shipyard, General Engineering & Drydock, Building 19, 2900 Main Street, Alameda, CA
• Consolidated Freightways Warehouse, 1700 24th Street, Oakland, CA (1940-41) • Pacific Steel Casting Co. Foundry, 1333 Second Street, Berkeley, CA (1943) • Frozen Food Storage Distribution Plant, 955 57th Street, Oakland, CA (1945) • Frank Werner Company (women’s shoes), 2020 Broadway, Oakland, CA (1946, demolished) • Connell Motor Company, Oldsmobile Dealership, 3093 Broadway, Oakland, CA (1946-1947, demolished)
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21 • Challenge Cream and Butter Association Plant, 708 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA (1947) • Kawneer Manufacturing Co. (addition), 2547 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA (1947-1950) • I.B.’s Hoagies & Cheesesteaks, 1601 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA (1950) • Architect’s own house, 5700 La Salle Avenue, Oakland, CA (1953) In 1951-52, concurrently with Rheem’s plant in Downey, Froberg designed a number of projects in Oakland: a waxed paper plant, a filter manufacturing plant, a Greyhound bus depot, a storefront factory, as well as a research building in Whittier and an ordnance plant in Richmond (the last two, most probably, also for Rheem) (AIA 1953: 4).
Although many of Froberg’s industrial and commercial structures have been demolished over the years, he has gained certain recognition in the Bay Area. The General Engineering & Drydock, Building 19 in the United Engineering Company Shipyard historic district in Alameda has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and the Kawneer Manufacturing Co. building is designated as the City of Berkeley Landmark (both historic resources include earlier structures from the 1910s). However, Froberg is practically unknown in South California and has not been recognized as a local master architect in any of the historic context statements.
Plate 13. Alben Randolf Froberg. Architect’s Roster. 1953. P. 5.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Archives.
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22 5.3 AEROJET GENERAL CORPORATION
Aerojet General Corporation purchased Rheem’s plants in Downey and Riverside in May 1959. According to some accounts, the Rheem brothers “lost control of Rheem Manufacturing through an unfriendly take-over” (Moraga Historical Society 2022). Guy Charles Throner Jr., an engineer at Aerojet, explained that the two companies had been in competition for most of the 1950s. In 1959, Aerojet was looking for a new space to manufacture metal parts for Polaris and Minuteman rocket motors. They found Rheem’s buildings in Downey, with 600,000 square feet under the roof, suitable for the task. As a side effect of the property purchase, Aerojet took over Rheem’s Ordnance operation. The merger of the two companies was not flawless, and there was a great deal of tension between the two groups of employees (Throner Jr. 2014: 157).
Aerojet Engineering Corporation was established in 1941 by a group of enthusiasts from the California Institute of Technology. The founders were professors Theodore von Karman, Frank Malina, Jack Parsons, Edward S. Forman, Martin Summerfield, and Andrew Haley. It was renamed Aerojet General in 1953. During World War II, Aerojet was producing jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) rockets. The first plant was located in Pasadena, California. Aerojet became the first major U.S. company to develop expertise in both liquid and solid propellant rockets. The Aerobee class rocket launched in 1947 became the first in the U.S. to probe the edge of space. Aerojet designed and built a total of 1,182 engines for all four incarnations of the Titan rockets, which were used for civilian projects ranging from Gemini’s manned flights to solar system explorations, including Viking, Voyager, and Cassini (Aerojet General n.d.). In 1969, rocket motors manufactured by Aerojet helped Apollo 11 transport astronauts to the moon.
Aerojet and North American Aviation / Rockwell International plants in Downey were collaborating on a number of projects.
The documentary “Aerojet General Missile & Rocket Engines,” presenting the company’s facilities in Rancho Cordova, Fullerton, Chino, Canoga Park, Azuza, and Downey, praises the Ordnance Division in Downey as “devoted to sophisticated manipulation of force” (Aerojet General n.d.: 18:14). The division developed aircraft rocket engines, T-45 and T-46 warheads for the Nike-Hercules ground to air missiles, chambers for the Hawk air defense weapon, and the Thor Able system. Aerojet continued developing SD-2 multipurpose drones for the Army launched by Rheem. Drones carried optical, radar, and infrared sensors that were supposed to gather, store, and transmit battlefield surveillance information. Built in limited numbers, SD-2 drones never saw operational service (Aerojet General n.d.: 20:02).
The 1961 Downey Chamber of Commerce booklet called Aerojet General Corporation one of the “Big Three” manufacturers in town, with 4,400 employees. Aerojet was booming during the Reagan era with its defense priorities. In October 1969, Ronald Reagan visited the Aerojet General plant in Downey with his gubernatorial campaign speech (National Archives Catalog 1969). In 1989, NASA chose Aerojet and Lockheed Corporation to produce solid fuel rocket motors for the Space Shuttle program.
Aerojet General Corporation went through a series of reorganization steps in the early 1990s (Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings 2022). The Aerojet Ordnance Division in Downey was in operation until the mid- 1990s. It was gradually reducing its scale over the years – City of Downey Building Records show other users of the property. In the 1970s, Building B at 9300 Hall Road / 9301 Stuart and Gray Road belonged to Terminal Industrial Center, Ltd. Tenants included Mini Bus Inc., Boman Astrosonix (car radios, speakers, and accessories manufacturer), and Duray Inc. (sheet metal contractor).
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23 Plate 14. Blackburn, Gerald A. Downey Aerospace History: 1947-1999. P. 111.
Plates 15-16. Aerojet General Missile & Rocket Engines Film. Aerojet Downey plant.
Structural parts of the MO-1 reactor. 17:09 mark.
Missile chambers for Hawk weapon. 21:28 mark.
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24 Plate 17. Downey Chamber of Commerce. 1961. Cover.
Plate 18. Downey Chamber of Commerce. 1961.
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25 Plate 19. Downey Chamber of Commerce. 1966. P. 46.
Plate 20. Downey Chamber of Commerce. 1968. P. 56.
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26 6.0 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
The following section provides an architectural description of the portions of the subject properties evaluated in this study. An overview of the facility is provided, followed by detailed descriptions of each of the four evaluated structures and features.
6.1 OVERVIEW OF SUBJECT PROPERTIES
The project site is located in the City of Downey, at the northwest corner of the intersection of Stewart and Gray Road and Woodruff Avenue. It is bordered by Hall Road to the north, commercial buildings to the east, Stewart and Gray Road to the south, and industrial buildings to the west. The 29.165-acre irregularly shaped project site consists of five parcels (APNs 6284-019-013, 6284-019-014, 6284-019- 015, 6284-019-016, and 6284-019-017) and includes four buildings:
- Building A (9400 (9350) Hall Road and 9399 (9401) Stewart and Gray Road), built in 1951; - Building B (9300 Hall Road and 9301 Stewart and Gray Road), built in 1951-1956; - Building C (9350 (9400) Hall Road), built in 1951-1957; - Building D (9333 (9363) Stewart and Gray Road), built c. 1967.
Originally, the property included adjacent parcels to the east and to the west:
- 6284-019-010 (11711 Woodruff Avenue), original Rheem Manufacturing Company Administrative Building built in 1951;
- 6284-019-011 (11899 Woodruff Avenue);
- 6284-019-068 (9236-9244 Hall Road), original Rheem Manufacturing Company Research & Development Laboratories (demolished and replaced with a new building in 2008).
The numbering of the buildings and their parts is inconsistent between the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Portal and postal addresses used by current tenants (see Figure 1 and Plates 1 and 2). The project site has multiple canopy structures that are not considered to be permanent buildings and are not described in this section.
6.2 BUILDING ONE
The main manufacturing facility, Building A, was built in 1951 in the east portion of the current project site (parcel 6284-019-013). The north portion of the building is addressed as 9400 (9350) Hall Road; the south portion of the building is addressed as 9399 (9401) Stewart and Gray Road. The building area is 244,664 square feet (per Los Angeles [LA] County Assessor’s Portal).
The building features an irregular rectangular floor plan and consists of five aisles oriented north-south.
The width of the building is 300 feet, and the length along the longer west side is about 825 feet. The primary north elevation follows the angle of Hall Road, with each aisle stepping back by approximately 35 feet, with loading docks on the face of four aisles (excluding the west one). A pedestrian access door is present on the east elevation. A concrete loading ramp with a metal canopy runs along the southmost half of the west elevation with multiple openings.
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27 North elevation from Hall Road, loading docks
(southeast perspective)
East elevation, pedestrian entrance
(southwest perspective)
West elevation, southern half of the building
(southeast perspective)
West elevation, northern and southern portions meet
(east perspective)
Interior, roof view
(south perspective)
West elevation, loading ramp
(north perspective)
Plates 21-26. Building A. 9400 (9350) Hall Road.
The walls are built of red brick (painted white in the interior). The upper portion of the walls (besides a rear part of the west elevation) is clad with non-original golden-tone corrugated metal. The southern part of the building reveals narrow horizontal windows in the upper part of the wall filled in with glass blocks. In the southmost part of the building, original glass blocks are replaced with new windows.
The height of the building is 19’ 8”. A saw-tooth roof is comprised of five ridges covering individual aisles, with west slopes glazed to admit daylight. The corrugated metal roof is supported by metal trusses resting on steel I-beams and posts. The interior is divided into two parts by a demising wall.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
28 6.3 BUILDING TWO
The manufacturing/warehouse facility, Building B, was built in 1951 in the west portion of the current project site (parcel 6284-019-015). The north portion of the building is addressed as 9300 Hall Road; the south portion of the building, added by 1956, is addressed as 9301 Stewart and Gray Road. The building area is 153,884 square feet (per LA County Assessor’s Portal).
The building features a rectangular floor plan and consists of three aisles oriented north-south. The width of the building is 180 feet, and the length along the west side is about 830 feet. The northern portion of the building facing Hall Road accommodates two-story offices. The primary north elevation is clad with red brick veneer and smooth stucco on the upper part. A wide horizontal stucco parapet screens the roof gables. Two rows of square windows are divided by fluted partitions to create a feeling of transparency. The windows have narrow steel frames with divided lights.
The central portion of the façade features a projecting entry area with glass doors and an overhanging canopy. Originally, the sides of the entry area were open, and the canopy was supported by round posts; the sides were filled in with brick later. The 1961 Downey Chamber of Commerce booklet called it an “entry to one of Aerojet-General’s handsome buildings” (see Plate 17).
The side elevations past the front area feature brick walls on the bottom and steel ribbon windows with divided lights on the upper part (mostly, painted over). The east elevation is relatively unremarkable.
The west elevation features multiple openings, loading docks with rolling doors, ramps, temporary canopies, and sheds. The south (rear) elevation features large sliding barn doors under three roof gables.
A saw-tooth roof is comprised of three ridges covering individual aisles, with west slopes glazed to admit daylight. The corrugated metal roof is supported by metal trusses resting on steel I-beams and posts.
The interior is divided into two parts by a demising wall. The rear (southern) portion of the building features a two-story built-in wood office structure.
North elevation from Hall Road
(south perspective)
North elevation, entry area
(southwest perspective)
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
29 East elevation, looking from the front
(southwest perspective)
West elevation, metal shed
(northeast perspective)
West elevation, loading ramp
(northeast perspective)
South elevation
(northeast perspective)
Interior, middle part, roof view
(south perspective)
Interior, rear part, built-in office
(southwest perspective)
Plates 27-33. Building B. 9300 Hall Road and 9301 Stewart and Gray Road.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
30 6.4 BUILDING THREE
The warehouse facility, Building C, was built in 1951 in the central portion of the current project site (parcel 6284-019-013). The south portion of the building was added by 1957. The building is addressed as 9350 or 9400 Hall Road. The building area is 24,788 square feet (per LA County Assessor’s Portal).
The building features a rectangular floor plan and a gabled roof. The height of the building is 19’ 8”. The width of the building is 61 feet, and the length is 341 feet. The walls and the roof are made of corrugated metal; the roof is supported with steel trusses. A pedestrian access door and several random openings are present on the east elevation.
A large metal shed with paper pulp recycling equipment is present on the west side of the rear portion of the building. The shed is not original to the project site.
East elevation, older part of the building
(northwest perspective)
East elevation, later addition
(west perspective)
Interior
(south perspective)
South elevation, metal shed to the west
(north perspective)
Plates 34-37. Building C. 9350 (9400) Hall Road.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
31 6.5 BUILDING FOUR
The office facility, Building D, was built circa 1967 in the south portion of the current project site (parcel 6284-019-017). The building is addressed as 9333 or 9363 Stewart and Gray Road. The building area is 6,924 square feet (per LA County Assessor’s Portal). One of the 1980s site plans indicates that the building was used as a hospital and a fire house.
The one-story building features a rectangular floor plan and a flat roof. The width of the building is 38 feet, and the length is 190 feet. The walls are stucco. The primary east elevation features an entry door, two windows, and a rolling garage door. Three cast concrete benches of Mid-century design are present at the front of the building.
East elevation
(west perspective)
East elevation, benches
(west perspective)
Southeast corner and south elevation
(northwest perspective)
Northeast corner and north elevation
(southwest perspective)
Plates 38-41. Building D. 9333 (9363) Stewart and Gray Road.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
32 7.0 EVALUATION
This section includes historical significance evaluations for the property under the NRHP and CRHR significance criteria, as well as integrity considerations.
7.1 SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA A/1
NRHP Criterion A: Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history
Criterion 1: It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history and cultural heritage
The subject property does not appear eligible under Criteria A/1. Although Rheem Manufacturing Company and Aerojet General Corporation were important for the development of the aerospace industry in Downey, their role was secondary in comparison with the role of a much larger industrial site – Vultee Aircraft Division / North American Aviation / Rockwell International plant, once located only two blocks away. Being the ordnance plant closely connected with the U.S. Army, Rheem / Aerojet facilities remained more secretive and censored than their famous neighbor. Aerojet Ordnance Division ceased its activity by the mid-1990s; the original equipment and memorabilia were removed from the property. During the redevelopment of the Vultee / North American Aviation site, none of the structures have been considered valuable or designated as historic landmarks. The City of Downey chose to commemorate its aerospace industry history by creating Columbia Memorial Space Sciences Learning Center. The structures on the subject property also do not appear significant to the broad patterns of national or state history.
Therefore, the property does not appear eligible for listing in the NRHP or CRHR under Criteria A/1.
7.2 SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA B/2
NRHP Criterion B: Is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
Criterion 2: It is associated with the lives of persons important in our past.
The subject property does not appear eligible under Criteria B/2. Research conducted for this study did not suggest that the subject properties, either in whole or in part, are significant for an association with important individuals who made significant contributions at the local, state, or national level. Richard S.
Rheem and Donald L. Rheem, founders of Rheem Manufacturing Company, were prominent businessmen and residents of the Bay Area; however, they do not appear to be historically significant individuals on the state or national level, and they did not play a significant role at the local level.
Therefore, the property does not appear eligible for listing in the NRHP or CRHR under Criteria B/2.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
33 7.3 SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA C/3
NRHP Criterion C: Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of installation, or represents the work of a master, possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.
Criterion 3: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values.
The subject property does not appear eligible under Criteria C/3. Buildings A and B were designed by an Oakland architect, Alben Randolf Froberg. Froberg specialized in industrial structures; his early projects represent features of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles. Froberg was a member of the AIA and the President of the East Bay Chapter in 1946. Despite his active work in the Bay Area, Froberg is practically unknown in Southern California and has not been recognized as a local master architect in any historic context statements for the area. Rheem’s Downey plant seems to be his only commission in Southern California.
Although buildings A and B incorporate characteristic elements of industrial architecture from the early 1950s (stepped floor plan, brick walls, saw-tooth roof with steel trusses, windows with divided lights and glass blocks), its design and construction method are typical of industrial buildings of similar age in the region. They are neither distinctive nor representative enough to render the buildings as important examples of properties of their type. They do not reflect outstanding or distinctive design, the work of a master, method of construction, or possess high artistic value. Additionally, both buildings have undergone significant alterations compromising their integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling. Buildings C and D are utilitarian structures and do not possess any architectural value.
Therefore, the subject property does not appear eligible for listing in the NRHP or CRHR under Criteria C/3.
7.4 SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA D/4
NRHP Criterion D: It has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Criterion 4: It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.
The subject property does not appear eligible under Criterion D/4. This Criterion is most relevant for archaeological sites, but it can be applied to historic built-environment resources if further study has the potential to yield information that cannot be obtained from other sources. However, historical information about industrial buildings operating after 1951 is prevalent, and further study of the property would not add any new information to the historic record.
Therefore, the subject property does not appear eligible for listing in the NRHP or CRHR under Criterion D/4.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
34 8.0 CONCLUSION
As noted previously, the proposed project would include the demolition of the existing four buildings (totaling approximately 433,000 square feet) and the construction of an approximately 535,110-square- foot industrial concrete tilt-up building for warehouse/logistics uses.
As a result of this intensive-level evaluation, the subject property does not appear eligible for federal or state listing. Historical background research demonstrates that industrial buildings at 9300, 9350, and 9400 Hall Road and 9301, 9333 (9363), and 9399 (9401) Stewart and Gray Road are not associated with any significant historic events or person(s). The buildings were not designed by master architects nor are they exemplary embodiments of an architectural style. All four buildings were found not historically significant and, therefore, not eligible for the NRHP/CRHR. Therefore, the buildings at 9300, 9350, and 9400 Hall Road and 9301, 9333 (9363), and 9399 (9401) Stewart and Gray Road do not qualify as historical resources for the purposes of CEQA.
A copy of this report and DPR 523 forms documenting the subject buildings will be placed on file at the SCCIC for inclusion in the California Historical Resources Information System. The DPR forms are attached as Appendix A.
Based on the results of the current study, no historic properties will be affected by the Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
35 9.0 REFERENCES
Aerojet General
n.d. Aerojet General Missile & Rocket Engines Film. Theodore Von Karman. Electronic resources available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-blMxK8TX0Q, accessed September 15, 2022.
Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings
2022 Aerojet Rocketdyne Company History Timeline. Electronic resources available at:
https://www.zippia.com/aerojet-rocketdyne-careers-269/history/?src=sp-popout- timed, accessed September 15, 2022.
Air Corps News Letter
1953 Air Corps News Letter. Vol. 36. July & November 1953. Accessed via Google Books.
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Historical Directory of American Architects 1953 Alben Randolf Froberg. Architect’s Roster. Electronic resources available at:
https://content.aia.org/sites/default/files/2018-09/FrobeAlben_roster.pdf, accessed September 5, 2022.
Army Magazine
1958 Army Magazine. Association of the United States Army. Vol. 9. August 1958. Accessed via Google Books.
Arts & Architecture
1950 P-F Built-Up Roofs! Arts & Architecture. December 1950. P.2. Electronic resource available at: https://usmodernist.org/AA/AA-1950-12.pdf, accessed September 6, 2022.
Blackburn, Gerald A.
2009 Downey Aerospace History: 1947-1999. Aerospace Legacy Foundation. Arcadia Publishing.
Brady, Cyrus Townsend
1905 Famous American Duels. Munsey’s Magazine Vol 33, No. 1. Electronic resource available at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/
Munsey_s_Magazine_for/sy0AAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=flake+merced&pg=PA60 8&printsec=frontcover, accessed April 14, 2022.
Bruce, Bobbi
2017 Things You Didn’t Know About Downey: Downey Train Station. The Downey Patriot.
Electronic resource available at: https://www.thedowneypatriot.com/articles/things- you-didnt-know-about-downey-downey-train-station, accessed April 15, 2022.
Buena Park Historical Society
2006 The Spanish Colonization. Electronic resource available at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080907222324/http:/www.historicalsociety.org/pages/ page2.asp, accessed April 14, 2022.
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Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023 36 California Digital Newspaper Collection
2022 E
lectronic resource available at: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/. Accessed August-October 2022.
City of Downey
n.d. City History and Profile. Electronic resource available at:
https://www.downeyca.org/our-city/city-profile, accessed April 14, 2022. 2005 General Plan (Vision 2025), Chapter 8: Design. Electronic resource available at:
https://www.downeyca.org/home/showpublisheddocument/148/63697720179210000 0, accessed July 12, 2022.
2022 Innovators & Explorers: The Past Inspires the Future. City of Downey - Columbia Memorial Space Center. Electronic resource available at:
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/OwVBj9tTa0KNLQ?hl=en, accessed August 25, 2022.
City of Downey Planning Department
Building Records, 1951-2015.
Downey Chamber of Commerce
1958 Downey: Gracious Living, Future Unlimited.
1961 Downey, California.
1966 Downey, California.
1968 Downey, California.
Downey Historical Society
n.d. Downey Historical Chronology. Electronic resource available at:
http://downeyhistoricalsociety.org/chrono1a.htm#City, accessed April 14, 2022.
Dyson, Verne
1927 The Old Ranchos That are Buried in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, December 18:12-13, 23. Los Angeles. Electronic resource available at:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=25458857, accessed April 14, 2022.
Harrison, Katrina
2006 NASA Industrial Plant, Manufacturing & Testing Facility (Building No. 11). Historic American Engineering Record (HAER No. CA-310-T).
Huntington Digital Library
2022 The Huntington Digital Library, Map Collection. Electronic resource available at:
https://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/, accessed February 16, 2022.
Gittelhough, Trevor, and Mary Robbins-Wade
2023 Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project. Cultural Resources Study. HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc., La Mesa, California. Prepared for the City of Downey.
La Habra Star
1953 Lowell Cubs Take Trip. La Habra Star, Volume XXXVII, Number 31, 29 January 1953.
Accessed via Newspapers.com.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
37 Latimer, Larry
2010 Downey: Images of America. Downey Historical Society. Arcadia Publishing.
Long Beach Press Telegram
1951 Rheem Will Make Parts for Lockheed. Long Beach Press Telegram. 28 February 1951.
Los Angeles Daily News
1951 From Drums to Scorpions. Los Angeles Daily News, 20 April 1951. Accessed via Newspapers.com.
Moraga Historical Society
2022 Donald Laird Rheem, “father” of the Rheem Valley. Electronic recourse available at:
https://moragahistory.org/moraga-history/people/people-donald_laird_rheem/, accessed September 10, 2022.
National Archives Catalog
1966 Ronald Reagan Campaign Speech at Aerojet General in Downey, California. October 14, 1966. Electronic recourse available at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/169488045, accessed September 15, 2022.
NETR Online
2022 Historic Aerials. Nationwide Environmental Title Research, LLC. Electronic recourse available at: https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer, accessed in February-November 2022.
Nelson, Lee F.
1988 Preservation Brief 17. Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character. Electronic resource available at:
https://home1.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/17-architectural-character.htm, accessed in September, 2022.
Nichols, Chris
2015 The First Taco Bell Will Be Saved from Demolition! Los Angeles Magazine. Electronic resource available at: https://www.lamag.com/askchris/the-first-taco-bell-will-be- saved/, accessed April 15, 2022.
OAC (Online Archives of California)
2022a Becket (MacDonald) Papers Documenting the Work of Wurdeman and Becket.
Electronic resource available at:
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c82b93f2/?query=Wurdeman+and+Becket+, accessed September 7, 2022.
2022b Ruth Patricia Shellhorn papers, 1909-2006. Electronic resource available at:
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt5n39s1pg/?query=Ruth+Patricia+Shellhorn+, accessed September, 7 2022.
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
38 Olds, William Lee
1931 Georgian Living Room in Piedmont Residence. Architect and Engineer. May, 1931.
P. 69-71.
Parker, Dana T.
2013 Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II.
Cypress, California.
Parvini, Sarah
2015 Adios, Taco Bell: Original store moves from Downey to Irvine in late-night run. The Los Angeles Times. Electronic resource available at:
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-original-taco-bell-move-20151120- story.html, accessed April 15, 2022.
Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD)
2022 Alben Randolf Froberg. Electronic resource available at:
https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/6691/, accessed September 5, 2022.
Pierce, Eric
2010 Looking Back On Gallatin Elementary School. The Downey Patriot. Electronic resource available at: https://www.thedowneypatriot.com/articles/looking-back-on-gallatin- elementary-school?format=amp, accessed April 15, 2022.
Rheem
2022a A History of Comfort. Electronic resource available at: https://www.rheem.com/about, accessed August 8, 2022.
2022b Rheem Manufacturing Company. Electronic resource available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheem_Manufacturing_Company, accessed August 8, 2022.
2022c Rheem Manufacturing Company Historical Time Line. Electronic resource available at:
https://ashraemadison.org/downloads/Company_Histories/rheem_history.pdf, accessed August 8, 2022.
San Bernardino Sun
1959 Riverside Rheem Plant Sold to Aerojet Corp. San Bernardino Sun. Vol. 13, 10 May 1959.
Accessed via Newspapers.com.
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n.d. Volume 7: California – A Prize Worth Taking. Electronic resource available at:
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South Gate Press
1958 Rheem Gets Contracts for $1.2 Million Job. South Gate Press. 14 September 1958.
Accessed via Newspapers.com.
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Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project | February 2023
39 Throner Jr., Guy Charles
2014 The Life and Exciting Times of Guy Charles Throner Jr. Xlibris Corporation.
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1951 Rheem Mfg. Corp Employment Ad. The Los Angeles Times, 19 September 1951.
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The Rancho Los Cerritos Site
n.d. History. Electronic resource, available at: https://www.rancholoscerritos.org/about- hub/history-hub/, accessed April 14, 2022.
University of California, Santa Barbara
2022 UC Santa Barbara Library. Aerial Photography Collection. Electronic resource available at: https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/ap_indexes/FrameFinder/. Accessed February- November, 2022.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
1985 National Register Bulletin 24: Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning. Washington, DC. Electronic document available at:
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1998 National Register Bulletin 43: Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Historic Aviation Properties. Washington D.C. Electronic document available at:
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NRB43-Complete.pdf, accessed in September, 2022.
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2022 Electronic resource available at: https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/topoexplorer/index.html.
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Western Aviation Magazine
1959 Western Aviation, including Missiles, and Space Industry. Vol. 39. January 1959.
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Western Machinery and Steel World
1952 Intricate Forming: New Defense Plant Had Heavy Equipment. Western Machinery and Steel World. Vol. 43, 1952. P. 101, 115.
Willey, H.I.
1886 Report of the Surveyor General of the State of California from August 1, 1884 to August 1, 1886. Sacramento, California. Electronic resource, available at:
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Appendix A
Department of Parks and Recreation
Series 523 Forms
DPR 523A (9/2013) *Required information
State of California - The Resources Agency Primary #:
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial:
NRHP Status Code: 6Z
Other Listings
Review Code Reviewer Date
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County : Los Angeles and
*b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Whittier Date: 1981 T 3S; R 12W; Unsectioned; S.B.B.M. c. Address: 9300, 9350, and 9400 Hall Rd and 9301, 9333, and 9399 Stewart and Gray Rd City: Downey Zip: 90241 d. UTM: Zone 11N, 396573 mE/ 3754880 mN (Approximate center of property; G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: The property is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Stewart and Gray Rd and Woodruff Ave, within APNs 6284-019-013, 6284-019-014, 6284-019-015, 6284-019-016, and 6284-019-017. Elevation: 100-110 ft AMSL. *P3a. Description:
This resource consists of the following four rectangular buildings: Building A (9400 (9350) Hall Road and 9399 (9401) Stewart and Gray Road), built in 1951; Building B (9300 Hall Road and 9301 Stewart and Gray Road), built in 1951-1956; Building C (9350 (9400) Hall Road), built in 1951-1957; Building D (9333 (9363) Stewart and Gray Road), built c. 1967.
The buildings consist of one manufacturing facility (Building A), an office facility (Building D), and two warehouse facilities (Buildings B and C). While all four structures are over the age of 50 years, none are eligible for listing on the NRHP or CRHR, and do not qualify as historical resources for the purposes of CEQA.
*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP8. Industrial Building
*P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other P5b. Description of Photo:
Overview of the south elevation of Building A,
view to the north.
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Source:
Historic Prehistoric Both
1951 to 1967 (LA County Assessor’s Portal)
*P7. Owner and Address:
Prologis Inc.
2141 Rosecrans Avenue
Suite 1151
El Segundo, CA 90245
*P8. Recorded by:
Marina Khrustaleva
HELIX Environmental Planning
7578 El Cajon Boulevard
La Mesa, CA 91942
*P9. Date Recorded:
June 10, 2022
*P10. Survey Type:
Historic Architectural Pedestrian Survey
*P11. Report Citation:
Khrustaleva, Marina, Trevor Gittelhough, and James Turner. 2023. Prologis Stewart and Gray Road Warehouse Project Historic Resources Evaluation Report. Prepared for the City of Downey by HELIX Environmental Planning.
*Attachments: