Preserving the Legend:
Celebrating 120 Years and Motor City History
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is one of the oldest surviving automotive factories in the world. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a global pilgrimage destination for visitors. The first of 15 million Model Ts was produced in 1908 at this iconic Ford Motor Company facility. An unprecedented and revolutionary machine, the Model T helped make Detroit the Silicon Valley of its era and influenced automotive trends into the current century.
Read more about how this legendary place changed the world here.
The Piquette Plant needs significant infrastructure investment to preserve it for future generations. Gifts of all sizes are needed.
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum urgently needs updated facilities for accessibility, preservation and long-term sustainability. The museum houses more than sixty-five of the oldest automobiles in the world, including the only complete set of Ford’s “Letter” cars – the models leading up to and including the T – that can be viewed in one room, in the factory where they were made. With an increasing number of visitors each year, this fragile building faces serious threats from outdated or non-existent mechanical systems.
Ongoing capital projects at the museum include installing a new electrical system to ensure a fully operational fire suppression system and safe wiring throughout the facility’s 67,000 square feet. The estimated cost of this project is $1.4 million. Funding to date includes a “Save America’s Treasures” grant from the National Park Service in the amount of $500,000, a $40,000 grant from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, and gifts of all sizes from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
A second project is underway with support from a $500,000 Infrastructure & Capacity Building Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This initiative will provide facility upgrades that address accessibility and historic preservation. For example, the museum’s 98-year-old freight elevator will get significant relief through the construction of a new, modern passenger elevator. New inclusive restrooms will be installed on all floors of the museum that are not reliant on 1904 plumbing. This phase of revitalization will cost approximately $2 million. The museum has until 2026 to identify $1.5 million in matching funds to complete the NEH challenge.
Additionally, the museum does not have central heating or cooling. Only some areas of the building have temperature control, but that means visitors experience severe temperature swings as they pass through areas of the building that are not fully restored. It is also far from ideal for the museum’s many artifacts comprised of wood and natural fibers. This project and others will be tackled in later phases of revitalization.
The museum has engaged the architectural firm Albert Kahn Associates to design the enhancements to the landmark building. This partnership is fitting since legendary architect and founder of the firm, Albert Kahn, collaborated with Henry Ford to revolutionize industrial architecture.
For more information about Preserving the Legend contact Jill Woodward at
jwoodward@fordpiquetteplant.org.
