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Ford River Rouge complex

The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the River Rouge, upstream from its confluence with the Detroit River at Zug Island. Construction began in 1917, and when it was completed in 1928, it was the largest integrated factory in the world, surpassing Buick City, built in 1904.

Ford River Rouge complex
Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 1927
LocationDearborn, Michigan, United States
Coordinates42°18′32″N 83°09′43″W / 42.309°N 83.162°W / 42.309; -83.162
Area900 acres (360 ha) (landmarked area)
Built1917–1928
ArchitectAlbert Kahn
Visitation148,000 (2017)
NRHP reference No.78001516
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 2, 1978[1]
Designated NHLDJune 2, 1978[2]
Designated MSHSDecember 14, 1976

It inspired the Île Seguin Renault factory in 1920,[3] the GAZ factory built in the 1930s in the Soviet Union, the Volkswagen factory near Fallersleben in Germany from 1938, as well as the later Hyundai factory complex in Ulsan, South Korea, which was developed beginning in the late 1960s.[4] Designed by Albert Kahn, River Rouge was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978 for its architecture and historical importance to the industry and economy of the United States.[5]

Structure edit

The Rouge complex measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide by 1 mile (1.6 km) long, including 93 buildings with nearly 16 million square feet (1.5 km2) of factory floor space. With its own docks in the dredged Rouge River, 100 miles (160 km) of interior railroad track, its own electricity plant, and integrated steel mill, the titanic Rouge was able to turn raw materials into running vehicles within this single complex, a prime example of vertical-integration production.[6]

Some of the River Rouge buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn. His Rouge glass plant was regarded at the time as an exemplary and humane factory building, with ample natural light provided through windows in the ceiling. Since the late 20th century, several buildings at the Rouge complex have been renovated and converted to "green" structures with a number of environmentally friendly features.

In the summer of 1932, through Edsel Ford's support, Mexican artist Diego Rivera was invited to study the facilities at the Rouge. These studies informed his set of murals known as Detroit Industry.[6]

Production edit

 
Interior of the Rouge Tool & Die works, 1944

The plant's first products were Eagle Boats, World War I anti-submarine warfare boats produced in Building B. The original Building B, a three-story structure, is part of the legendary Dearborn Assembly Plant, which started producing Model A's in the late 1920s and continued production of Ford full-sized coupes and sedans through 2004. After the war, production turned to Fordson tractors. Although the Rouge produced nearly all the parts of the Model T, assembly of that vehicle remained at Highland Park. It was not until 1927 that automobile production began at the Rouge, with the introduction of the Ford Model A.

During World War II the Rouge complex produced jeeps, aircraft engines, aircraft components and parts, tires and tubes, armor plate, and tractors.[7]

Other Rouge products included the 1932 Model B, the original Mercury, the Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Capri, and four decades of Ford Mustangs. The old assembly plant was idled with the construction and launch of a new assembly facility on the Miller Road side of the complex, currently producing Ford F-150 pickup trucks.

The River Rouge complex manufactured most of the components of Ford vehicles, starting with the Model T. Many of the vehicles were compiled into "knock-down kits", then sent by railroad to various branch assembly locations across the United States in major metropolitan cities to be locally assembled, using local supplies as necessary.[6] After the 1960s, Ford began to decentralize manufacturing, building several factories in major metropolitan centers. The Rouge was downsized, with units (including the famous furnaces and docks) sold off to independent companies, many still operating independently to this day.

On May 26, 1937, a group of workers attempting to organize a union at the Rouge were severely beaten, an event later called the Battle of the Overpass. Peter E. Martin's respect for labor led to Walter Reuther, a UAW leader, allowing Martin to be the only Ford manager to retrieve his papers or gain access to the plant.[8]

 
Lake freighters maneuver in the canal to unload ore at the plant, 1973

The Rouge was one of only three locations where Ford manufactured the Mustang; the other sites were Metuchen Assembly in Edison, New Jersey, and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas, California.

By 1987, only Mustang production remained at the Dearborn Assembly Plant (DAP). In 1987 Ford planned to replace that car with the front wheel drive Ford Probe, but public outcry quickly turned to surging sales. With the fourth-generation Mustang a success, the Rouge was saved as well. Ford decided to modernize its operations. A gas explosion on February 1, 1999, killed six employees and injured two dozen more, resulting in the idling of the power plant. Michigan Utility CMS Energy built a state-of-the-art Power Plant across Miller Road to replace the electricity and steam production, as well as the blast furnace waste gas consumption of the original power plant.[9] As it ended production, Dearborn Assembly Plant was one of six plants within the Ford Rouge Center. The plant was open from 1918 to May 10, 2004, with a red convertible 2004 Ford Mustang GT being the last vehicle built at the historic site. Demolition of the historic DAP facility was completed in 2008. All that remains is a 3000 place parking lot to hold light truck production from the new Dearborn Truck Plant.

Ford Rouge Center edit

Today, the Rouge site is home to Ford's Rouge Center. This industrial park includes six Ford factories on 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land, as well as steelmaking operations run by Cleveland Cliffs, a U.S. steelmaker. The new Dearborn Truck factory famously features a vegetation-covered roof and rainwater reclamation system designed by sustainability architect William McDonough. This facility is still Ford's largest factory and employs some 6,000 workers. Mustang production, however, has moved to the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.

Tours of the Rouge complex were a long tradition. Free bus tours of the facility began in 1924 and ran until 1980, at their peak hosting approximately a million visitors per year. They resumed in 2004 in cooperation with The Henry Ford Museum with multimedia presentations, as well as viewing of the assembly floor. The Ford Rouge Factory Tour had 148,000 visitors in 2017.[10]

 
President Joe Biden during his visit to the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in 2021

Hourly workers from both Ford and AK Steel facilities at the complex are represented by UAW Local 600.[citation needed]

A fleet of three Ford-owned Great Lakes freighters initially named for the Ford grandsons and later renamed for top company executives, was based at the River Rouge Plant. The deckhouse of the SS Benson Ford was transported by crane barge to Put-in-Bay, Ohio and placed on an 18-foot cliff as a private home above Lake Erie.[11]

In September, 2020 Ford announced construction[clarification needed] of the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where their electric vehicles will be produced.[12] In 2021, the vehicle center[clarification needed] opened, and Ford's first all electric truck, the Ford F-150 Lightning, will be the first vehicle model produced there.[13]

 
Green roof in 2019

Renovated architecture edit

In 1999, architect William McDonough entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company to redesign its 85-year-old, 1,212-acre (490 ha) Rouge River facility.[14] The roof of the 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) Dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with more than 10 acres (4.0 ha) of sedum, a low-growing groundcover. The sedum retains and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal temperature of the building, saving energy.

The roof is part of an $18 million rainwater treatment system designed to collect and clean rainwater annually, sparing Ford from a $50 million mechanical treatment facility.[15]

Current product made edit

Former products made edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ . National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  3. ^ "The Île Seguin Renault Factory". Architectuul. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Link, Stefan J. (2020). Forging global Fordism : Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the contest over the industrial order. Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 978-0-691-20798-8. OCLC 1159626809.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ "NHL nomination for Ford River Rouge Complex". National Park Service. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Ford, Henry; Crowther, Samuel (1922). My Life and Work. Garden City Publishing. pp. 81, 167. Retrieved June 8, 2010. Ford 1922 My Life and Work.
  7. ^ "US Auto Industry in World War II- - Ford". www.usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/Ford/forddatabase.htm.
  8. ^ Bryan, Ford: "Henry's Lieutenants", page 214, Wayne State University Press, 1993
  9. ^ "Ford River Rogue". franklillandson.com.
  10. ^ Frank, Annalise (January 26, 2018). . Crain Communications. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  11. ^ Spilman, Rick (August 18, 2014). "From Lakes Freighters to Lake Houses — Benson Ford & John W. Boardman". The Old Salt Blog. Old Salt Press. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  12. ^ "Ford Announces Construction Of The New Rouge Electric Vehicle Center". Ford Authority. September 17, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Ford completes Rouge Electric Vehicle Center construction, awaits electric F-150 tooling – MarkLines Automotive Industry Portal". www.marklines.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
  15. ^ "Architectural Record - News, Continuing Ed, Products, Green Bldg". archrecord.construction.com. Retrieved April 6, 2018.

External links edit

  • River Rouge Factory Tour
  • Photos from the Rouge Steel mill
  • "Big Generator for Auto Plant Adds to Giant Power". Popular Mechanics: 374. September 1937.
  • A film clip "The Source of the Ford Car Part 1 ca. 1932" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
  • A film clip "Tour Through The Rouge Plant ca. 1939" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
  • Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation, filed under 3001 Miller Road, Dearborn, Wayne County, MI:
    • HAER No. MI-325, "Rouge Steel Company", 57 photos, 7 photo caption pages
    • HAER No. MI-356, "B Building", 49 photos, 4 photo caption pages

ford, river, rouge, complex, rouge, plant, redirects, here, subshrub, rivina, humilis, rouge, redirects, here, other, topics, rouge, disambiguation, commonly, known, rouge, complex, river, rouge, rouge, ford, motor, company, automobile, factory, complex, locat. Rouge Plant redirects here For the subshrub see Rivina humilis The Rouge redirects here For other topics see Rouge disambiguation The Ford River Rouge complex commonly known as the Rouge complex River Rouge or The Rouge is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn Michigan along the River Rouge upstream from its confluence with the Detroit River at Zug Island Construction began in 1917 and when it was completed in 1928 it was the largest integrated factory in the world surpassing Buick City built in 1904 Ford River Rouge complexU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic Landmark DistrictMichigan State Historic SiteAerial view of the Rouge complex in 1927LocationDearborn Michigan United StatesCoordinates42 18 32 N 83 09 43 W 42 309 N 83 162 W 42 309 83 162Area900 acres 360 ha landmarked area Built1917 1928ArchitectAlbert KahnVisitation148 000 2017 NRHP reference No 78001516Significant datesAdded to NRHPJune 2 1978 1 Designated NHLDJune 2 1978 2 Designated MSHSDecember 14 1976 It inspired the Ile Seguin Renault factory in 1920 3 the GAZ factory built in the 1930s in the Soviet Union the Volkswagen factory near Fallersleben in Germany from 1938 as well as the later Hyundai factory complex in Ulsan South Korea which was developed beginning in the late 1960s 4 Designed by Albert Kahn River Rouge was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978 for its architecture and historical importance to the industry and economy of the United States 5 Contents 1 Structure 2 Production 3 Ford Rouge Center 4 Renovated architecture 5 Current product made 6 Former products made 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksStructure editThe Rouge complex measures 1 5 miles 2 4 km wide by 1 mile 1 6 km long including 93 buildings with nearly 16 million square feet 1 5 km2 of factory floor space With its own docks in the dredged Rouge River 100 miles 160 km of interior railroad track its own electricity plant and integrated steel mill the titanic Rouge was able to turn raw materials into running vehicles within this single complex a prime example of vertical integration production 6 Some of the River Rouge buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn His Rouge glass plant was regarded at the time as an exemplary and humane factory building with ample natural light provided through windows in the ceiling Since the late 20th century several buildings at the Rouge complex have been renovated and converted to green structures with a number of environmentally friendly features In the summer of 1932 through Edsel Ford s support Mexican artist Diego Rivera was invited to study the facilities at the Rouge These studies informed his set of murals known as Detroit Industry 6 Production edit nbsp Interior of the Rouge Tool amp Die works 1944 The plant s first products were Eagle Boats World War I anti submarine warfare boats produced in Building B The original Building B a three story structure is part of the legendary Dearborn Assembly Plant which started producing Model A s in the late 1920s and continued production of Ford full sized coupes and sedans through 2004 After the war production turned to Fordson tractors Although the Rouge produced nearly all the parts of the Model T assembly of that vehicle remained at Highland Park It was not until 1927 that automobile production began at the Rouge with the introduction of the Ford Model A During World War II the Rouge complex produced jeeps aircraft engines aircraft components and parts tires and tubes armor plate and tractors 7 Other Rouge products included the 1932 Model B the original Mercury the Ford Thunderbird Mercury Capri and four decades of Ford Mustangs The old assembly plant was idled with the construction and launch of a new assembly facility on the Miller Road side of the complex currently producing Ford F 150 pickup trucks The River Rouge complex manufactured most of the components of Ford vehicles starting with the Model T Many of the vehicles were compiled into knock down kits then sent by railroad to various branch assembly locations across the United States in major metropolitan cities to be locally assembled using local supplies as necessary 6 After the 1960s Ford began to decentralize manufacturing building several factories in major metropolitan centers The Rouge was downsized with units including the famous furnaces and docks sold off to independent companies many still operating independently to this day On May 26 1937 a group of workers attempting to organize a union at the Rouge were severely beaten an event later called the Battle of the Overpass Peter E Martin s respect for labor led to Walter Reuther a UAW leader allowing Martin to be the only Ford manager to retrieve his papers or gain access to the plant 8 nbsp Lake freighters maneuver in the canal to unload ore at the plant 1973 The Rouge was one of only three locations where Ford manufactured the Mustang the other sites were Metuchen Assembly in Edison New Jersey and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas California By 1987 only Mustang production remained at the Dearborn Assembly Plant DAP In 1987 Ford planned to replace that car with the front wheel drive Ford Probe but public outcry quickly turned to surging sales With the fourth generation Mustang a success the Rouge was saved as well Ford decided to modernize its operations A gas explosion on February 1 1999 killed six employees and injured two dozen more resulting in the idling of the power plant Michigan Utility CMS Energy built a state of the art Power Plant across Miller Road to replace the electricity and steam production as well as the blast furnace waste gas consumption of the original power plant 9 As it ended production Dearborn Assembly Plant was one of six plants within the Ford Rouge Center The plant was open from 1918 to May 10 2004 with a red convertible 2004 Ford Mustang GT being the last vehicle built at the historic site Demolition of the historic DAP facility was completed in 2008 All that remains is a 3000 place parking lot to hold light truck production from the new Dearborn Truck Plant Ford Rouge Center editToday the Rouge site is home to Ford s Rouge Center This industrial park includes six Ford factories on 600 acres 2 4 km2 of land as well as steelmaking operations run by Cleveland Cliffs a U S steelmaker The new Dearborn Truck factory famously features a vegetation covered roof and rainwater reclamation system designed by sustainability architect William McDonough This facility is still Ford s largest factory and employs some 6 000 workers Mustang production however has moved to the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock Michigan Tours of the Rouge complex were a long tradition Free bus tours of the facility began in 1924 and ran until 1980 at their peak hosting approximately a million visitors per year They resumed in 2004 in cooperation with The Henry Ford Museum with multimedia presentations as well as viewing of the assembly floor The Ford Rouge Factory Tour had 148 000 visitors in 2017 10 nbsp President Joe Biden during his visit to the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in 2021 Hourly workers from both Ford and AK Steel facilities at the complex are represented by UAW Local 600 citation needed A fleet of three Ford owned Great Lakes freighters initially named for the Ford grandsons and later renamed for top company executives was based at the River Rouge Plant The deckhouse of the SS Benson Ford was transported by crane barge to Put in Bay Ohio and placed on an 18 foot cliff as a private home above Lake Erie 11 In September 2020 Ford announced construction clarification needed of the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center where their electric vehicles will be produced 12 In 2021 the vehicle center clarification needed opened and Ford s first all electric truck the Ford F 150 Lightning will be the first vehicle model produced there 13 nbsp Green roof in 2019Renovated architecture editIn 1999 architect William McDonough entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company to redesign its 85 year old 1 212 acre 490 ha Rouge River facility 14 The roof of the 1 1 million square foot 100 000 m2 Dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with more than 10 acres 4 0 ha of sedum a low growing groundcover The sedum retains and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal temperature of the building saving energy The roof is part of an 18 million rainwater treatment system designed to collect and clean rainwater annually sparing Ford from a 50 million mechanical treatment facility 15 Current product made editFord F Series 1948 present Ford F 150 Lightning 2022 present Former products made editEagle class patrol craft 1918 1919 Fordson tractor 1921 1928 Ford Model T parts only 1920s Ford Model A 1927 1932 Ford Model B 1932 1934 Ford Model 48 1935 1936 1937 Ford 1937 1940 1941 Ford 1941 1942 1946 1949 1949 Ford 1949 1951 1952 Ford 1952 1954 Ford Fairlane 1955 1961 Ford Thunderbird 1955 1957 Ford Mustang 1964 2004 Mercury Capri 1979 1986 Mercury Cougar 1966 1973 See also edit nbsp National Register of Historic Places portal nbsp Cars portal nbsp Michigan portal Ford Piquette Avenue PlantReferences edit National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service January 23 2007 Ford River Rouge Complex National Historic Landmark summary listing National Park Service Archived from the original on October 6 2012 Retrieved June 27 2008 The Ile Seguin Renault Factory Architectuul Retrieved January 15 2021 Link Stefan J 2020 Forging global Fordism Nazi Germany Soviet Russia and the contest over the industrial order Princeton New Jersey ISBN 978 0 691 20798 8 OCLC 1159626809 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link NHL nomination for Ford River Rouge Complex National Park Service Retrieved March 30 2017 a b c Ford Henry Crowther Samuel 1922 My Life and Work Garden City Publishing pp 81 167 Retrieved June 8 2010 Ford 1922 My Life and Work US Auto Industry in World War II Ford www usautoindustryworldwartwo com Ford forddatabase htm Bryan Ford Henry s Lieutenants page 214 Wayne State University Press 1993 Ford River Rogue franklillandson com Frank Annalise January 26 2018 The Henry Ford s Attendance Down Slightly in 2017 Crain Communications Archived from the original on January 27 2018 Retrieved May 19 2018 Spilman Rick August 18 2014 From Lakes Freighters to Lake Houses Benson Ford amp John W Boardman The Old Salt Blog Old Salt Press Retrieved February 12 2019 Ford Announces Construction Of The New Rouge Electric Vehicle Center Ford Authority September 17 2020 Retrieved May 27 2021 Ford completes Rouge Electric Vehicle Center construction awaits electric F 150 tooling MarkLines Automotive Industry Portal www marklines com March 30 2021 Retrieved May 27 2021 Think Green Metropolis Magazine August September 2001 Archived from the original on May 5 2007 Retrieved June 30 2007 Architectural Record News Continuing Ed Products Green Bldg archrecord construction com Retrieved April 6 2018 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ford River Rouge Complex River Rouge Factory Tour Photos from the Rouge Steel mill Big Generator for Auto Plant Adds to Giant Power Popular Mechanics 374 September 1937 A film clip The Source of the Ford Car Part 1 ca 1932 is available for viewing at the Internet Archive A film clip Tour Through The Rouge Plant ca 1939 is available for viewing at the Internet Archive Historic American Engineering Record HAER documentation filed under 3001 Miller Road Dearborn Wayne County MI HAER No MI 325 Rouge Steel Company 57 photos 7 photo caption pages HAER No MI 356 B Building 49 photos 4 photo caption pages Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ford River Rouge complex amp oldid 1216437500, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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