Architectural Materials from Former Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Company Available for Preservation

Tuesday, 09 February 2010
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222

The Port of San Diego will soon begin demolishing the former Teledyne Ryan (TDY) site located adjacent to San Diego International Airport.

As part of the project's mitigation measures, the Port is making architectural materials available for donation to museums, archives, non-profit organizations and the public.

A preliminary list of items with photos (PDF) and other information are available for download. Individuals and organizations may submit a Statement of Interest (PDF) identifying which items they are interested in and how they propose to use the items to preserve, interpret and display the history of the Ryan Aeronautical Company.

Statements of interest should be mailed to:

Attention: Engineering/Construction Department
TDY Site Statement of Interest
San Diego Unified Port District
3165 Pacific Highway
San Diego, California 92101

The deadline for statements to be submitted is March 11, 2010; statements received after this date may not be accepted. A specific Statement of Interest (PDF) form must be used and submitted to the Port.

Those statements which best demonstrate the ability to highlight the history of the Ryan Aeronautical Company will be given priority in determining the recipients of the items. Also, priority will be given to museums, historical archives and other such facilities which have the potential to offer the greatest long-term public benefit and preservation opportunities.

The District reserves the right to make the final determination for the disposition of each item and to reject Statements of Interest which do not appear to be consistent with the intent of the salvage activities.

Additional mitigation measures the Port will be implementing are contained in the project's Final Environmental Impact Report (PDF 22.69 MB), which was certified at the August 2009 Board of Port Commissioners meeting.

The Port is planning on developing a display or interpretive website that will contain data and information to highlight the site's history. Photographs and other materials of historic interest will be utilized to feature the historical elements of the buildings and manufacturing operations that were conducted at the facility.

The TDY site is a 46-acre parcel upon which aviation manufacturing operations were conducted from approximately 1939 to 2002 by the former tenant, TDY, also known as Allegheny Industries. The site is leased to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. The majority of buildings and structures are potentially contaminated with hazardous materials and wastes. The project will allow for the removal and disposal of contaminated building materials in compliance with federal, state and local regulations.

The first phase of the demolition project includes demolition and removal of approximately 50 buildings. Demolition of the buildings and structures is planned to begin in June or July of 2010 and is anticipated to be completed by spring of 2011. Additional demolition will include the removal of asphalt paving, utilities and other infrastructure.

The Port of San Diego is a public benefit corporation and special government entity. Created in 1963 by an act of the California legislature, the Port manages San Diego harbor and administers the public lands along San Diego Bay. The Port has operated without tax dollars since 1970 and has been responsible for $1.5 billion in public improvements in its five member cities – Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego. With a $10.6 billion economic impact on the San Diego region, the Port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, a cruise ship terminal, 16 public parks, various wildlife reserves and environmental initiatives, a Harbor Police department and the leases of over 600 tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.