Jacksonville Ford Motor Co. Assembly Plant

Ford’s Early Years

Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903, with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John and Horace Dodge, who had founded their own company just a few years prior.

During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day from its factory in Detroit, Michigan. Between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S, most of which sold in the hundreds or a few thousand a year. In 1908, Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which would sell in the millions.

The Kahn System

Inspired by Packard’s assembly plant in Detroit, Henry Ford commissioned its architect, Albert Kahn, to design Ford’s Highland Park plant in Michigan. Kahn’s younger brother, Julius, a civil engineer, developed a scientifically advanced method for reinforcing concrete with steel, transforming it into a practical and cost-effective building material. Upon patenting this “Kahn System” of construction in 1903, he left his brother’s firm to launch the Trussed Concrete Steel Company (Truscon) to commercialize his invention. This innovation revolutionized industrial architecture; reinforced concrete enabled expansive, open factory interiors that traditional wood frames could not achieve, all at a lower cost than structural steel. Furthermore, the material offered superior fire resistance and significantly higher load-bearing capacities.

By 1905, the “Kahn System” had gained widespread adoption, utilized in the construction of hundreds of buildings across the United States. A milestone of this success was the nation’s first reinforced concrete automobile plant, designed for the Cadillac Motor Car Company at 450 Amsterdam Street in Detroit’s TechTown. Julius Kahn frequently collaborated with his brother, Albert, on these reinforced concrete industrial projects. Their extensive work, particularly within the booming automotive sector, established the Kahn name as a premier authority on concrete industrial architecture.

Highland Park, Michigan Plant

Completed in 1910 using the innovative Kahn system, the Highland Park plant was a massive complex encompassing dedicated offices, a power plant, and an on-site foundry. Sprawling across more than 120 acres, it debuted as the largest manufacturing facility on earth. Its remarkably open, spacious architecture broke the mold for industrial design, setting a brand-new standard for how future factories and production plants would be built.

On October 13, 1913, the Highland Park Plant became the first automobile production facility in the world to implement the moving assembly line. Due to the new assembly line, the production time of the Model T was cut down from 12 hours and 8 minutes to just an hour and a half. This also allowed them to lower the cost of the Model T from $700 to just $350 by 1917, making it a very affordable automobile for many Americans.

Due to rising demand, Ford commissioned Albert Kahn to design another auto plant, the River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan. Being 1.5 miles wide by 1 mile long, it was the largest manufacturing facility after its completion in 1928. Wanting to spread out his investment as well as the growing demand for vehicles, Kahn was also tasked with designing seventeen smaller satellite factories throughout the world, including one in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jacksonville Ford Motor Co. Plant

In 1923, Ford acquired the former Bentley Shipyards property from the city of Jacksonville for $50,000. Construction on the massive $2 million, 115,200-square-foot complex kicked off on January 23, 1924, wrapping up in a swift six months. The state-of-the-art facility featured a dedicated powerhouse equipped with two 225-horsepower boilers and a river-fed, 75,000-gallon water tower built exclusively for firefighting. Up front, the building welcomed visitors with a dedicated parts department and a sleek showroom displaying freshly assembled automobiles.

To keep pace with soaring demand, the factory expanded on November 13, 1926, adding 50,000 square feet to its east side. The investment paid off; by 1927, production had climbed to nearly 75,000 cars and 15,000 trucks. When Ford retired the Model T in 1928, the plant was quickly retrofitted to churn out the new Model A. Assembly lines ran smoothly until 1932, when the harsh economic realities of the Great Depression forced Ford to phase out its smaller satellite plants. However, the Jacksonville building remained a vital part of the company’s network, serving as a parts distribution center until 1968.

Demolition

In its later years, the building was occupied by various tenants, including a European import business and a van conversion company, before ultimately serving as a storage facility for a wooden pallet manufacturer.

In February 2015, Amkin Hill Street LLC purchased 35 acres adjacent to the Mathews Bridge, including the Ford plant, for $4.4 million. The investment firm was managed out of Miami but owned by a family based in Madrid, Spain.

The site’s fate was sealed in October 2022 when the Jacksonville City Council approved the demolition of Florida’s only historic Ford factory. Despite its 2003 landmark status, the building’s extreme disrepair led the owner to seek demolition for a new waterfront development. Efforts by preservationists to salvage a portion of the plant failed, and the historic complex was demolished in June 2023.

You can read about the Jacksonville Ford Motor Co. Assembly Plant and many other abandoned places in my books, Abandoned Jacksonville: Remnants of the River City and Abandoned Jacksonville: Ruins of the First Coast.

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