South Gate Assemblywas aGeneral Motorsautomobile plant located at 2720 Tweedy Boulevard in the Los Angeles suburb ofSouth Gate, California.[1]It opened in 1936[2]to build B-O-P (Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac) cars for sale on the West Coast.[3]It was the first GM plant to build multiple car lines,[2]resulting from a Depression-spawned move to cut production costs by sharing components and manufacturing.[3]South Gate was the first of several B-O-P "branch" assembly plants (the second being the Buick-operatedLindenplant), part of GM's strategy to have production facilities in major metropolitan cities. The originally Pontiac operated South Gate plant was part of GM's Southern California Division through 1942.
| South Gate Assembly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Operated | 1936- March 23, 1982 |
| Location | South Gate, California |
| Coordinates | 33°56′43″N118°13′27″W/ 33.9454059°N 118.2241301°W |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Address | 2720 Tweedy Boulevard |
| Owner(s) | General Motors |
DuringWorld War IIthe plant builtStuart M-5and M5A1light tanksat 500 per month.[2][1][3][4]
The location was under the management of GM's newly-createdBuick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Divisioncreated in 1945.
These "branch" plants built cars for distribution to a specific region, in South Gate's case the US West Coast.[3]By 1949 it was producing full-size cars from the Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick brands. During the mid-1950s it was General Motors' highest-output plant. Vehicles included theOldsmobile 98,Pontiac Streamliner,and theBuick Special.
It added production of thePontiac Tempest,Oldsmobile F-85,andBuick Specialcompact cars alongside the full-size cars for 1961. When the compacts became intermediates for 1964, their production ceased at South Gate, andChevrolet Impalafull-size production was added. Chevrolet production by the Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division led to it being renamed the GM Assembly Division (GMAD) in 1965.
The plant was converted from full-size car production to the subcompactChevrolet Vegafor 1975. This arrangement was short-lived, and GM returned the factory to building full-size Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and BuickB-bodyvehicles for 1977. The Oldsmobile and Buick were dropped and theCadillac DeVilleadded for 1979. Due to decreasing sales of the Chevrolet B-body cars, the plant was idled in March 1980.[5]It was then retooled for subcompacts, building the 1982Chevrolet CavalierandCadillac Cimarron.Slow sales and efforts to reduceair quality issuesresulted in plant closure, with production ending on March 23, 1982.[6]
The plant site was laterenvironmentally remediatedand used as the location for new schools, includingSouth East High School(opened 2005), which were built by theLos Angeles Unified School Districtto relieve severe congestion in the existing schools of South Gate.[7][8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abPhotos of South Gate Assembly plant.
- ^abcNicolaides, Becky M. (2002).My Blue Heaven.University of Chicago Press.ISBN978-0-226-58301-3.
- ^abcdRubenstein, James M(1992).The Changing US Auto Industry.London: Routledge.ISBN978-0-203-03452-1.
- ^Southern California Division of General Motors Corporation in World War Two, South Gate, CA, 1936-1943
- ^Stark, Harry A., ed. (1981).Ward's Automotive Yearbook 1981.Ward's Communications, Inc.
- ^Stark, Harry A, ed. (1982).Ward's Automotive Yearbook 1982.Ward's Communications, Inc.
- ^Southeast Area New HS No. 2/MS No. 3 (19370369)atCalifornia Department of Toxic Substances Controlwebsite. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^Enriquez, Susana (March 2, 2005)."New Schools a Mixed Blessing for South Gate".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2009-09-22.