CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Southeast Side Ford manufacturing plant celebrated a major anniversary over the weekend.
The Ford assembly plant, located at 130th Street and Torrence Avenue on the Southeast Side, just marked its 100th anniversary. Ford historian Ted Ryan said the plant has a unique distinction.
“Same plant at the same location for 100 years, and that’s the longest continuously operating vehicle plant in the Ford system,” Ryan told WBBM Newsradio.
Ford's Model-T — the first mass produced affordable car — was the first to roll off the assembly line.
“The plant opened in March of 1924,” he said. “By the end of that year, they had already manufactured 100,000 Model-Ts.”
Ryan said the plant's Southeast Side location was convenient to ship car parts by train and Lake Michigan freighter.
“We would actually ship some of the parts and pieces flat-pack — much like IKEA does today,” he said. “They would be shipped in wooden containers, and then those wooden containers would be used, in part, in the manufacturing of the vehicle itself.”
Over the years, the Torrence Avenue plant has built the Model-A, the Thunderbird, the Country Squire station wagon and the Ford Taurus.
The plant currently makes the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and police Interceptor vehicles.
Ford marked the occasion with an open house for plant employees this weekend.
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