View source for Ford River Rouge complex

{{Short description|Historic automobile manufacturing complex in Dearborn, Michigan, USA}}
{{Redirect|Rouge Plant|the subshrub|Rivina humilis}}
{{redirect|The Rouge|other topics|Rouge (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                   = Ford River Rouge complex
| nrhp_type              = nhld
| nocat                  = yes
| image                  = Ford Dearborn Factory Aerial (45574999515).jpg
| image_size             = 325px
| caption                = Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 2015
| location               = [[Dearborn, Michigan]], United States
| locmapin               = Michigan
| coordinates            = {{Coord|42.305|-83.165|region:US-MI_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| area                   = {{cvt|900|acre|ha}} (landmarked area)
| built                  = 1917–1928
| architect              = [[Albert Kahn (architect)|Albert Kahn]]
| architecture           = 
| visitation_num         = 148,000
| visitation_year        = 2017
| designated_nrhp_type   = June 2, 1978<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1760&ResourceType=District |title=Ford River Rouge Complex |access-date=June 27, 2008 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006235141/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1760&ResourceType=District |archive-date=October 6, 2012 }}</ref>
| added                  = June 2, 1978<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a }}</ref>
| designated_other1      = Michigan State Historic Site
| designated_other1_date = December 14, 1976
| refnum                 = 78001516
}}
[[File:River Rouge aerial 4a25915r.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 1927]]
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 (Michigan)|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.

The comprehensive factory would ultimately inspire Renault's 1920 [[Île Seguin]] factory,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Île Seguin Renault Factory |url=http://architectuul.com/architecture/the-ile-seguin-renault-factory |website=Architectuul |access-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121011921/http://architectuul.com/architecture/the-ile-seguin-renault-factory |url-status=live }}</ref> [[GAZ]]'s 1930s factory in the [[Soviet Union]], Volkswagen's 1938 Wolfsburg factory in Germany, [[FIAT]]'s  1939 ([[Fiat Mirafiori| Mirafiori factory]]) in Italy as well as the later [[Hyundai Heavy Industries|Hyundai]] factory complex in [[Ulsan]], South Korea, which was developed beginning in the late 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Link |first=Stefan J. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1159626809 |title=Forging global Fordism : Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the contest over the industrial order |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-691-20798-8 |location=Princeton, New Jersey |oclc=1159626809 }}</ref>  With some of its buildings designed by architect [[Albert Kahn (architect)|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.<ref name="nhlnom">{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/78001516_text |title=NHL nomination for Ford River Rouge Complex |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 30, 2017 |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130174144/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/78001516_text |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Structure==
The Rouge complex measures {{convert|1.5|miles|km}} wide by {{convert|1|mile|km}} long, including 93 buildings with nearly {{convert|16|e6sqft|km2}} of factory floor space.  With its own [[Dock (maritime)|docks]] in the [[Dredging|dredged]] [[River Rouge (Michigan)|Rouge River]], {{convert|100|miles|km}} of interior railroad track, its own [[Power station|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 [[Mass production#Vertical integration|vertical-integration]] production.<ref name="MyLifeandWork" />

Some of the River Rouge buildings were designed by architect [[Albert Kahn (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 building|"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 [[mural]]s known as ''[[Detroit Industry]]''.<ref name="MyLifeandWork" />

==Production==
[[Image:River Rouge tool and die8b00276r.jpg|left|thumb|325px|Interior of the Rouge Tool & Die works, 1944]]

The plant's first products were [[Eagle class patrol craft|Eagle Boat]]s, [[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 [[Ford Model A (1927-1931)|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 tractor]]s. Although the Rouge produced nearly all the parts of the [[Ford Model T|Model T]], assembly of that vehicle remained at [[Highland Park Ford Plant|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=US Auto Industry in World War II- - Ford |url=https://www.usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/Ford/forddatabase.htm |website=www.usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/Ford/forddatabase.htm |access-date=March 21, 2020 |archive-date=March 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321163736/https://www.usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/Ford/forddatabase.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other Rouge products included the [[Ford Model B (1932)|1932 Model B]], the original [[Mercury (automobile)|Mercury]], the [[Ford Thunderbird]], [[Mercury Capri]], and four decades of [[Ford Mustang]]s. 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 kit]]s", 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.<ref name="MyLifeandWork">{{cite book |last1=Ford |first1=Henry |last2=Crowther |first2=Samuel |year=1922 |title=My Life and Work |publisher=Garden City Publishing |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4K82efXzn10C/page/n87 81], 167 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4K82efXzn10C |quote=Ford 1922 My Life and Work. |access-date=June 8, 2010 }}</ref> 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 [[Trade union|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 [[United Auto Workers|UAW]] leader, allowing Martin to be the only Ford manager to retrieve his papers or gain access to the plant.<ref>Bryan, Ford: "Henry's Lieutenants", page 214, Wayne State University Press, 1993</ref>
[[File:RIVER ROUGE PLANT OF THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY COVERS 1200 ACRES OF LAND IN DEARBORN - NARA - 549725.jpg|thumb|325px|[[Lake freighter]]s 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 [[Edison Assembly|Metuchen Assembly]] in [[Edison, New Jersey]], and [[San Jose Assembly Plant|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ford River Rogue |url=http://www.franklillandson.com/app-projects/ford-river-rouge |website=franklillandson.com |access-date=May 1, 2018 |archive-date=May 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502135926/http://www.franklillandson.com/app-projects/ford-river-rouge |url-status=live }}</ref> 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==

Today, the Rouge site is home to Ford's Rouge Center. This [[industrial park]] includes six Ford factories on {{convert|600|acres|km2}} of land, as well as [[steelmaking]] operations run by [[Cleveland-Cliffs]], a U.S. steelmaker. The new Dearborn Truck factory famously features a [[Green roof|vegetation-covered roof]] and [[Rainwater harvesting|rainwater reclamation system]] designed by [[Sustainable architecture|sustainability architect]] [[William McDonough]]. This facility is still Ford's largest factory and employs some 6,000 workers. [[Ford Mustang|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|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frank |first=Annalise |date=January 26, 2018 |title=The Henry Ford's Attendance Down Slightly in 2017 |url=http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20180126/news/651141/the-henry-fords-attendance-down-slightly-in-2017 |publisher=[[Crain Communications]] |access-date=May 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127101316/http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20180126/news/651141/the-henry-fords-attendance-down-slightly-in-2017 |archive-date=January 27, 2018 }}</ref>
[[File:President Joe Biden at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center.jpg|alt=President Joe Biden, Ford CEO Jim Faley, and two other men are seen talking to one another during Bidens visit to the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on May 18, 2021.|thumb|right|[[President Joe Biden]] during his visit to the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in 2021]][[File: Boat House1.jpg|thumb|left|The MV ''Benson Ford'' as it sits today on a cliff on [[South Bass Island, Ohio]]]]

A fleet of three Ford-owned [[Lake freighter|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 [[MV Benson Ford|SS ''Benson Ford'']] was transported by crane barge to [[South Bass Island, Ohio]] near the village of [[Put-in-Bay, Ohio]], and placed on an 18-foot cliff as a private island retreat above [[Lake Erie]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2014/08/from-lakes-freighters-to-lake-houses-benson-ford-john-w-boardman/ |title=From Lakes Freighters to Lake Houses — Benson Ford & John W. Boardman |last=Spilman |first=Rick |date=August 18, 2014 |website=The Old Salt Blog |publisher=Old Salt Press |access-date=February 12, 2019 |archive-date=February 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212190422/http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2014/08/from-lakes-freighters-to-lake-houses-benson-ford-john-w-boardman/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2020 Ford announced construction{{clarify|was this a new building on virgin land? or a rebuild of an existing factory structure? or something else?|date=June 2021}} of the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where their electric vehicles will be produced.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2020 |title=Ford Announces Construction Of The New Rouge Electric Vehicle Center |url=https://fordauthority.com/2020/09/ford-announces-new-rouge-electric-vehicle-center-where-it-will-build-the-all-electric-f-150/ |access-date=May 27, 2021 |website=Ford Authority |language=en-US }}</ref> In 2021, the vehicle center{{clarify|how many m2 or sq ft is the new production facility?|date=June 2021}} opened, and Ford's first all electric truck, the [[Ford F-150 Lightning (electric pickup)|Ford F-150 Lightning]], will be the first vehicle model produced there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ford completes Rouge Electric Vehicle Center construction, awaits electric F-150 tooling – MarkLines Automotive Industry Portal |url=https://www.marklines.com/en/news/251704 |access-date=May 27, 2021 |website=www.marklines.com |date=March 30, 2021 }}</ref>
[[File:Ford Rouge Plant green roof 2019.jpg|thumb|275px|[[Green roof]] in 2019]]

==Renovated architecture==

In 1999, architect [[William McDonough]] entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company to redesign its 85-year-old, {{convert|1212|acre|ha|adj=on}} Rouge River facility.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0801/mcd/ |title=Think Green &#124; Metropolis Magazine &#124; August/September 2001 |access-date=June 30, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070505003056/http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0801/mcd/ |archive-date=May 5, 2007 }}</ref> The roof of the {{convert|1.1|e6sqft|m2|adj=on}} Dearborn truck assembly plant was [[Green roof|covered]] with more than {{convert|10|acre|ha}} of [[sedum]], a low-growing [[groundcover]].  The sedum [[Rainwater harvesting|retains]] and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal temperature of the building, saving energy.

The roof is part of an $18 million rainwater [[Water treatment|treatment]] system designed to collect and clean rainwater annually, sparing Ford from a $50 million mechanical treatment facility.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archrecord.construction.com/features/bwarAwards/archives/04b_fordRouge.asp |title=Architectural Record - News, Continuing Ed, Products, Green Bldg |website=archrecord.construction.com |access-date=April 6, 2018 |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515123445/http://archrecord.construction.com/features/bwarAwards/archives/04b_fordRouge.asp |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Influences ==
In the early stages of the [[Industrialization in the Soviet Union|Soviet Union's industrialization]], Ford participated in the development of an automobile production complex in [[Nizhny Novgorod]], which drew influence from the River Rouge complex .<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Hirata |first=Koji |title=Making Mao's Steelworks: Industrial Manchuria and the Transnational Origins of Chinese Socialism |date=2024 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-38227-4 |series=Cambridge Studies in the History of the People's Republic of China series |location=New York, NY}}</ref>{{Rp|page=39}}

==Current product made==
* [[Ford F-Series]] (1948–present)
* [[Ford F-150 Lightning]] (2022–present)

==Former products made==
* [[Eagle-class patrol craft]] (1918–1919)
* [[Fordson tractor]] (1921–1928)
* [[Ford Model T]] parts only (1920s)
* [[Ford Model A (1927–1931)|Ford Model A]] (1927–1932)
* [[Ford Model B (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 (Americas)|Ford Fairlane]] (1955–1961)
* [[Ford Thunderbird]] (1955–1957)
* [[Ford Mustang]] (1964–2004)
* [[Mercury Capri]] (1979–1986)
* [[Mercury Cougar]] (1966–1973)

==See also==
{{Portal|National Register of Historic Places|Cars|Michigan}}

* [[Ford Piquette Avenue Plant]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ford River Rouge Complex}}
* [http://www.thehenryford.org/rouge/index.aspx River Rouge Factory Tour]
* [http://www.stahlseite.de/rouge.htm Photos from the Rouge Steel mill]
* {{Cite journal |url={{Google books|rNoDAAAAMBAJ |page=374 |plainurl=yes}} |title=Big Generator for Auto Plant Adds to Giant Power |journal=Popular Mechanics |date=September 1937 |page=374}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip |id=gov.archives.arc.91645 |description="The Source of the Ford Car Part 1 ca. 1932"}}
* {{Internet Archive film clip |id=gov.archives.arc.93713 |description="Tour Through The Rouge Plant ca. 1939"}}
* [[Historic American Engineering Record]] (HAER) documentation, filed under 3001 Miller Road, Dearborn, Wayne County, MI:
** {{HAER |survey=MI-325 |id=mi0639 |title=Rouge Steel Company |photos=57 |cap=7 |link=no}}
** {{HAER |survey=MI-356 |id=mi0718 |title=B Building |photos=49 |cap=4 |link=no}}

{{Dearborn, Michigan}}
{{Metro Detroit}}
{{Industrial landmarks in metropolitan Detroit}}
{{MIHistory}}
{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan}}
{{Ford factories}}
{{Early Ford cars}}
{{Ford North America timeline 1946 to 1979}}
{{Ford}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1928 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Automobile culture and history in Dearborn, Michigan]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Dearborn, Michigan]]
[[Category:Albert Kahn (architect) buildings]]
[[Category:Ford factories]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Michigan]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1928]]
[[Category:Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle assembly plants in Michigan]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturing plants on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Metro Detroit]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan]]