Ford Piquette Avenue Plant
Former car factory in Detroit, Michigan. Added to the National Register in 2002, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is a former automobile factory located within the Milwaukee Junction area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Built in 1904, it was the second center of automobile production for the Ford Motor Company, after the Ford Mack Avenue Plant. At the Piquette Avenue Plant, the company created and first produced the Ford Model T, the car credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United States. Prior to the Model T, several other car models were assembled at the factory. Early experiments using a moving assembly line to make cars were also conducted there. It was also the first factory where more than 100 cars were assembled in one day. While headquartered at the Piquette Avenue Plant, Ford Motor Company became the biggest U.S.-based automaker, and it remained so until the mid-1920s. The factory was used by the company until 1910, when its car production activity was relocated to the new, larger Highland Park Ford Plant.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 411 Piquette Ave., Detroit, MI |
| County | Wayne County |
| Listed | Feb 22, 2002 |
| Listed for | Industry |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 02000041 |
| Architect | SmithGroup |
| Type of place | assembly plant |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
| Standing | Yes |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 411 Piquette Ave., Detroit, MI |
| Website | fordpiquetteplant.org ↗ |
| Coordinates | 42.3686° N, 83.0656° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Detroit | 302 listed places in Detroit → · walking tours → |
| Nearest national park unit | River Raisin National Battlefield Park · 35 miles · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Drawings & photographs
Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 4 records ↗
Map
Nearby in Wayne County
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Local history books for Detroit
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Michigan travel guides
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Ford Piquette Avenue Plant listed on the National Register?
Feb 22, 2002. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Who designed Ford Piquette Avenue Plant?
SmithGroup.
Source: Wikidata
Can I visit Ford Piquette Avenue Plant?
Probably. Places of this type are usually open to the public, but the record lists no hours; the official website will have them.
Source: Official website
Where is Ford Piquette Avenue Plant?
411 Piquette Ave., Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. The nearest national park unit is River Raisin National Battlefield Park, 35 miles away.
Are there historic photographs or drawings of Ford Piquette Avenue Plant?
Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.
Source: Library of Congress
Where is the nomination form for Ford Piquette Avenue Plant?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Is there cell service at Ford Piquette Avenue Plant?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 02000041. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.