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Mid-Century May Company Icon Designated
January 2016
 The May Company building in the Mission Valley Shopping Center (1702 Camino Del Rio North), a well-known Mid-Century icon designed by William S. Lewis, Jr., is a most exciting designation to kick off the new year. Adding to the excitement is the recognition of Lewis as a master architect, whose work over the years illustrates "a greatness in the field of architecture," according to the historic report. Over his long career, Lewis led his firm's design of such notable buildings as the San Diego Convention Center, Torrey Pines High School, the UCSD Humanities Library, and another freeway icon, the Mormon Temple. When Irwin Jacobs' plan for Balboa Park was proposed, Lewis, who was then semi-retired, voluntarily designed an alternative intended to preserve the historic heart of the park.
Designated under Criteria A, C, and D, the May Company building is significant to the economic development of Mission Valley, an excellent example of Mid Century architecture, and reflects the notable work of a master architect. Completed in 1961, this controversial addition to then a rural landscape reflects special elements of the city's development. This development forever changed Mission Valley and signified new priorities: the auto, suburbia, and a freeway system. Distinctive architectural features include the angular massing, pre-cast concrete panels with a hexagonal pattern, pre-case pebble tile cladding, and two plate glass window stories with a folded plate roof. As a significant early work of William S. Lewis, Jr., the May Company building established him as a popular commercial architect, represented a new and successful model for commercial design, and began a new phase in the design of shopping centers.
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