Author Topic: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway  (Read 15876 times)

Offline Jim

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Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« on: 03/22/2012 06:31 pm »
!

It shows up at 1:17 into the video and it is the still showing before you start the video.

Where is it located?  This question is for the everyday members and not for Art, Ed, Zerm and any other spaceflight history expert.
« Last Edit: 03/22/2012 06:35 pm by Jim »

Offline HMXHMX

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #1 on: 03/22/2012 09:31 pm »
!

It shows up at 1:17 into the video and it is the still showing before you start the video.

Where is it located?  This question is for the everyday members and not for Art, Ed, Zerm and any other spaceflight history expert.

Do I qualify as a "history" expert?  I walked up and down it many times....

Offline zerm

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #2 on: 03/22/2012 09:52 pm »
Hummmmm.... I've seen that in a NASA Reports video. Now I'll have to go through them all and try and find it again.

Offline kirghizstan

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #3 on: 03/22/2012 10:27 pm »
convair

http://www.modernsandiego.com/PereiraLuckman.html

that definitely took a lot of work to get the right wording for google to find this.
« Last Edit: 03/22/2012 10:31 pm by kirghizstan »

Offline Rocket Science

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #4 on: 03/22/2012 10:32 pm »
convair

http://www.modernsandiego.com/PereiraLuckman.html

that definitely took a lot of work to get the right wording for google to find this.
You get a cookie ;D
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Online catdlr

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #5 on: 03/22/2012 10:33 pm »
convair

http://www.modernsandiego.com/PereiraLuckman.html

that definitely took a lot of work to get the right wording for google to find this.

and it no longer exist???

Convair Astronautics (1958)
Kearny Mesa (demolished)
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Offline kirghizstan

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #6 on: 03/22/2012 10:35 pm »
convair

http://www.modernsandiego.com/PereiraLuckman.html

that definitely took a lot of work to get the right wording for google to find this.
You get a cookie ;D

i would love one.  chocolate chip or thin mint please

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #7 on: 03/23/2012 03:48 am »
convair

http://www.modernsandiego.com/PereiraLuckman.html

that definitely took a lot of work to get the right wording for google to find this.

and it no longer exist???

Convair Astronautics (1958)
Kearny Mesa (demolished)

That is my understanding, that the building was demolished, to the dismay of local architecture fans.

 - Ed Kyle

Offline psloss

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #8 on: 03/23/2012 10:17 am »
Re: Convair/General Dynamics Kearny Mesa

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22602.msg632366#msg632366

From the referenced story (almost five years old):
Quote
General Dynamics closed its complex in Kearny Mesa, demolishing the facility between 1994 and 1996. Homes and offices now occupy the site.

Kearny Mesa has come up several times in threads here.

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #9 on: 03/23/2012 02:31 pm »
Here's a photo that shows some "VIPs" walking in front of Building 1 at Kearny Mesa in 1959.  Six of them, but there should have been seven.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/6521928111/in/photostream/

Condos, generic office park, and hotels now where these men trod.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 03/23/2012 05:23 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #10 on: 03/23/2012 04:25 pm »
Here's a photo that shows some "VIPs" walking in front of Building 1 at Kearny Mesa in 1959.  Six of them, but there should have been seven.

Are you implying they had the right stuff or something ;)
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Offline psloss

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #11 on: 03/23/2012 04:44 pm »
Condos, generic office park, and hotels now.
Used to go by there once in a while, especially after lunch at Montgomery Field, but that was way after everyone was let go and the General Dynamics facilities were razed.

Offline Art LeBrun

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #12 on: 03/23/2012 04:50 pm »
Deke was the group photographer on that tour to KM....... :D
1958 launch vehicle highlights: Vanguard TV-4 and Atlas 12B

Offline simonbp

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #13 on: 03/23/2012 09:12 pm »
Well damn, that's what I would have guessed but I though since Jim posted it must be NASA.

Convair/GD San Diego really did have nice aesthetic; even their Apollo proposal documents looked great: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19790076966

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #14 on: 03/23/2012 11:39 pm »
Here's a link to a terrific aerial photo of the Kearney Mesa plant during its heyday. 
http://www.siloworld.net/MISSILE%20BUILDERS/GDA-Kearney%20Mesa%20Plant.JPG

I'm not sure, but I suspect that the spiral staircase was in Building 2, which was the short building positioned between the two office towers (which were Buildings 1 and 3, from right to left in this image).

 - Ed Kyle

Offline psloss

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #15 on: 03/24/2012 12:20 am »
Here's a link to a terrific aerial photo of the Kearney Mesa plant during its heyday. 
http://www.siloworld.net/MISSILE%20BUILDERS/GDA-Kearney%20Mesa%20Plant.JPG

I'm not sure, but I suspect that the spiral staircase was in Building 2, which was the short building positioned between the two office towers (which were Buildings 1 and 3, from right to left in this image).

 - Ed Kyle
Nice.  B&W one here looking more north to south, with helpful context (maybe just for me):
http://www.johnfry.com/pages/PhotoRozelle36.html
« Last Edit: 03/24/2012 12:21 am by psloss »

Offline simonbp

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #16 on: 03/24/2012 01:58 am »
And for completeness, the General Atomics facility across town (which was part of GD at the time):

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.893412,-117.234383&spn=0.00337,0.005284&sll=32.893606,-117.233906&sspn=0.009531,0.021136&t=h&gl=us&z=18

Apparently, the diameter of the inner building is supposed to match that of Project Orion pusher plate...

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #17 on: 03/24/2012 02:43 pm »
In his "Atlas the Ultimate Weapon" history, Chuck Walker included a description of the spiral staircase.  The main lobby or lobby building was apparently called the "Centrum", which is interesting since the modern development at the site is called "Sunroad Centrum" or some-such. 

The staircase, according to the book, "spiraled around and above a pool.  The pool continued outside, going out under the glass front wall as part of a large rectangular outside reflective pool that was beautiful architecturally, and also served as a big reservoir for the fire main system - a requirement of the building code."

Workers hustled to install the staircase prior to a grand open house on May 28, 1958.  The staircase consisted of a five-inch-thick ramp hung on one-quarter inch diameter stainless steel rods that were spaced about one foot apart along the ramp edges.  The rods attached to points on the ceiling of the second floor.  The spiral made one complete turn.

When the staircase was assembled the first time, it failed to match up with the second floor level.  Workers took it apart and started again, all of this occurring the night before the open house (or so the story goes).  They finished, but did not have time to load test it.  At 8:30 they could only watch and hope as a large crowed rushed across the lobby to walk up the ramp, packing it solid with people.  Needless to say, it held - and continued to hold for nearly four decades until after the Cold War ended.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 03/24/2012 02:57 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline Art LeBrun

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #18 on: 05/06/2012 04:41 am »
Worm's eye view of Kearney Mesa lobby with spiral staircase. Typical of Convair photos there is no date.
1958 launch vehicle highlights: Vanguard TV-4 and Atlas 12B

Offline Danderman

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Re: Famous Spiral Staircase/Walkway
« Reply #19 on: 05/08/2012 12:44 am »
My understanding is that the building was demolished to obviate any requirement for Russian inspection for INF. That was the rumor of the day, since cruise missiles were developed there, just getting rid of the building would save a lot of headaches.

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