Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 41 of 95

EXPLORE DETROIT

MILWAUKEE JUNCTION & NEW CENTER

Milwaukee Junction & New Center a

To the north of Midtown extends a succession of districts whose once clearly distinct activities have become blurred as urban renovation has advanced. Places where you get to encounter the history of music, the automobile, and architecture, in a changing landscape, a mix of industrial wastelands and majestic skyscrapers. � Getting there: By car or via the Q Line for some sites. Local Map p. 42. Detachable Map CE1-2. � Tip: Look up and feast your eyes! Push open the doors at the entrance to sublime office buildings to see what’s left of their original decor. Wander through the streets with their ever-changing faces, to discover murals and buildings in the throes of development, particularly at Milwaukee Junction. T Addresses, p. 77.

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Visit Detroit

Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.

site (1910, A. Khan - 91 Manchester St - not open to visitors ), where a mobile assembly line was installed, a major milestone in the history of productivity in the capitalist era ( T p. 73) . In 1911, the premises were sold to Studebaker, another car manufacturer, before changing ownership several times. Restored to its original appearance, the factory opened its doors to the public on September 27, 2008, the hundredth anniversary of the production of the first Model T Ford. An interesting example of industrial architecture, the museum covers an area of over 6,000 m 2 and contains treasures galore, including one of the seven B models (1904) that have survived to this day. After watching

space to achieve its full potential. In 1904, on this site close to the railway line, Henry Ford had a set of red brick buildings built, which bore something of a resemblance to the English textile factories of the Victorian era. They were equipped with innovative safety systems such as fire doors, water extinguishers, and a power plant. This is where the “ Alphabet ” Cars were developed and assembled, named after a letter of the alphabet. While some 1,700 Ford A's were built at Mack Avenue, the B, C, F, K, N, R and S models were built at Piquette Avenue. It was here, above all, that the first Model T Fords (1908) were assembled, before their production was transferred to the Highland Park

MILWAUKEE JUNCTION a DE1 Bounded by Woodward Ave and the I-75, Piquette Ave and E. Grand Blvd, Milwaukee Junction was the site of one of the two major railway interchanges which, in the early 1890s, helped Detroit’s economic development and urged several of the city’s auto manufacturers to set up their factories here, followed by showrooms. As the district changes, older structures can still be observed, which have been restored and repurposed, while others have been demolished, such as the Packard complex (E. Grand Blvd/Concord Ave) in 2024. It had been designed by Albert Kahn (1901–1910),

marking the first location in Detroit of a major automotive plant. Ford Piquette

Avenue Plant aa D1-2 461 Piquette Ave -

Q Line Amsterdam St - t 313 872 8759 - www.fordpiquetteplant.org - Wed.-Sun. 10am-4pm - $18 (child $10). Whether you’re into economics or automobiles, this site is a must, because it’s here that the famous historic Model T Ford was conceived. The Ford factory on Piquette Avenue opened after the one in Mack Avenue (quickly abandoned and then demolished) and before the one in Rouge River at Dearborn ( T p. 74) , and would give the auto giant the