I was born on the south side of the tracks...in fact, in a paper bag, in the middle of Highway 395. Well, not really, but Highway 395 does run past what this post is about. The Ford Building in San Diego's Balboa Park, now known as the home of the Air and Space Museum.
The Ford Building was originally built for the Ford Motor Company, one of a few buildings built around the country to showcase their cars, this one was built for San Diego's California Pacific International Exposition held during 1935 and 1936. Throughout the Exposition, Ford was assembling automobiles along the outer rings and used the courtyard area as a showroom to display the latest models. The newly assembled vehicles were rolled out the large doors on the west side. There was also a test track called
"Roads To The Pacific" set up down the hill behind the building which overlooks Highway 395 where visitors could take one of the latest models for a test drive.
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Streamlined Moderne architectural style of the 1930s. Of the five exposition buildings built specifically for the Ford Motor Company, the San Diego site is the last remaining and perhaps the only important exposition building of that style in the nation. |