Rohr San Diego

Rohr Aircraft was founded on August 5, 1940. With promises of contracts with Consolidated Aircraft Corporation and Lgeockheed, Fred Rohr and four partners (J. E. Rheim and E. M. Lacey - two engineers from Ryan, and two lawyers Frank H. Nottsbusch and Frank H. Nottsbusch, Jr.) incorporated Rohr Aircraft Corporation in San Diego, California, using the garage in Fred Rohr's backyard as their first workplace. There they designed drop hammers and heat treatment tanks.

It's first office was in a rented three story 15,000 square foot building located in San Diego's wholesale district. The location was easily accessible to Western Metals Company where employees could pick up tools and metal supplies. As business increased Rohr moved to land located in Chula Vista where the first Rohr building was built. Rohr moved into the new 37,500 square foor building on January 15, 1941. Within three years Rohr grew to 600,000 square feet (Houser, Summer 1965, p. 16-17).

REFERENCES:

Houser, S. B. Summer 1965. “25 Years of Growth: Meeting Industry Demands Is Constant Challenge.” Rohr Magazine 15, no. 2: 16–19.