The Teledyne-Ryan facility played an important role in San Diego aviation history. Established by T. Claude Ryan in 1935 on a 10-acre site on the south central part of the airport along North Harbor Drive, the facility has a long aviation history, beginning as a flight school and evolving into an aircraft manufacturing facility containing offices, aircraft hangars and engineering buildings. At this site, many different kinds of aircraft were manufactured during the company’s period of operations. Initially, the aircraft were made by hand, but as technologies improved, the assembly-line was used to build airplanes during World War II.  The company made important contributions to the nation’s war efforts during World War II, through the Korean War and into the Cold War.

The Ryan Aeronautical District contains 47 buildings, of which 17 are considered historically significant resources for their contribution to aircraft manufacturing from 1939 to 1969 at Lindbergh Field, and are also considered important for their industrial architecture during the period.

Each of the buildings and structures included with the boundaries of the site were documented according to the National Park Service Historic American Building Survey (HABS) standards. HABS documentation combines drawings, history, and photography to produce a comprehensive, interdisciplinary record. HABS documentation conveys what is most important about the buildings and structures, both historically and architecturally.

This website is designed to offer a glimpse into the history of the Teledyne-Ryan facility so that visitors can grasp its historic significance and come away with a new appreciation of the role that this company played in San Diego’s aviation history.