Friday, September 26, 2014

Bechtel Plaza -- September 26, 2014


In 1978, the Bechtel Corporation celebrated its 80th anniversary by dedicating a plaza to Stephen D Bechtel, Senior, son of the company's found.  I took the photo of the plaque on 07-May-2014. 

The Bechtel Museum, is located in a railroad car in the plaza.   The Bechtel family lived in a railroad car, the WaaTeeKaa, at remote job sites in the 1920s. This car, originally from the Chicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha, was restored to externally resemble the WaaTeeKaa as a gift to Steve Bechtel, Senior and his wife Laura in 1988. The exhibits are arranged along one side of the car, with partitions between the sections. The exhibits are mostly photos with captions describing the company's founding in 1898 and the many projects which it has handled, including Hoover Dam, the Bay Bridge, and BART. Each section contains a few objects, like old hard hats or models of pioneering motorized equipment.  I took the photo of WaaTeeKaa on 19-November-2011. 




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