91 Manchester Avenue (at Woodward Avenue)
Detroit, Wayne County

Designation and Designation Date

• National Register, listed March 29, 1989
• National Historic Landmark, listed February 10, 1989
• Marker, erected May 11, 1956
• State Register, listed April 17, 1956

Architect, Builder, or Designer(s)

• Albert Kahn, architect

Associated Person(s)

• Henry Ford

Significant Date(s), Notes

• 1913, mass production of automobiles on a moving assembly line begins in these factories

Significance Statement

The Highland Park Ford Plant is considered the birthplace of the moving assembly line. Designed for the most part by noted industrial architect Albert Kahn, the plant from 1910 to 1927 was the scene of numerous advances in the development of mass production techniques.

Although most Americans probably remember Henry Ford best for his Model T, Ford was instrumental in tremendous advancements in organizing newer, cheaper ways to make millions of one kind of automobile. After the founding of the Ford Motor Company in 1903, Ford and his engineers made significant breakthroughs in improving and speeding up auto assembly methods by developing new machinery and placing men and materials on the factory floor in such a manner that bottlenecks were eliminated and production was increased.

For information about any of the programs described on this site, write the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, Michigan Historical Center, P.O. Box 30740, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI 48909-8240, or call us at (517) 373-1630.