(WWJ) A century-old building that celebrates a lot of Ford Motor Company history, is getting a new life following a complete renovation.
“Don’t tell all of Ford, but I think this is the best project we’ve done, to date,” said Jennifer Kolstead, the company’s Global Design and Brand Director, in charge of renovating a number of office buildings.
In this case it’s an Albert Kahn-designed masterpiece with a very humble name: The Ford Engineering Laboratory.
From the outside, the building — located just north of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn — looks like a library or museum. Inside, it houses teams that work on hybrid and other electrified vehicles, as well as the Ford archives.
This is the fifth time the building has been renovated. The earlier renovations had left the building's interior almost unrecognizable.
Kolstead said this time around they removed dropped ceilings that covered a beautiful atrium, and added modern amenities, while returning the building to its classic feel.
“Our strategy is a delicate touch,” she said. “So we really honor the architecture, in this case this incredible Kahn building. Then we delicately insert the elements that allow it to function today.”
Desks are aligned in open spaces, but fitted with modern computers. There are conference rooms put into areas that will allow changes in the future, without making massive changes to the buildings personality.
“This building definitely has a distinct personality and feel,” said Ciera Casteel, Senior Collections Archivist for Ford Motor Co. Archives. “I think the renovations that they were able to do over the past couple of years have really helped to highlight a lot of those features.”
The building houses Ford’s massive archives in a large area with climate- controlled rooms. Casteel brought out some artifacts that reflect the history of the building and the company, including blueprints and vinyl records. The records were pressed in a studio within the building, and used for dance lessons that were once held inside the atrium.
A favorite artifact is “Freddy Ford,” a robot that was used at auto shows in the sixties. There are also model tractors, as the building is on the site of a plant where Ford once built tractors.
The mix of past and future is evident throughout the building. There are paintings done by current Michigan artists. Then there is a girder that top executives — including Henry Ford–used to compare their heights. On the second floor is an empty vault. It once held cash that was used to pay employees.
The renovation of the Engineering Laboratory is part of Ford’s efforts to update 90% of its employee work spaces. The headquarters building has also been overhauled, and workers are moving into the new Michigan Central Station. Down the street, construction is progressing on “The Hub,” which is on the site of what used to be Ford’s Product Development Building.
Back in the 1930s and 40s, Ford did not have a headquarters building. Henry Ford and his son Edsel had their offices in this building.
Those offices are displayed as they were in the 30s, in a renovated area called “Mahogany Row,” because of the rich wood that lined the offices. The office furniture is original, on loan from the Henry Ford Museum.
Kolstead said she feels the history every time she walks into the building.
“I think there’s no other place at Ford Motor where employees will feel as connected to Henry Ford as they will here.”