Vintage Ford Facts Search

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Ford Rotunda & Administration Building Then & Now

The Ford Rotunda was originally used at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934 and later shipped to Dearborn for use as a display area for Ford products and holiday events such as the Christmas Fantasy in the 1950s. It burnt down in 1962 after a tar kettle spilled on the roof and set things on fire.

The Administration Building was built in 1927, designed by Albert Kahn, this building served as the main office building for Ford, Lincoln & Mercury until 1956 when the "Glass House" was built. Edsel & Henry Ford had offices in this building as well as Harry Bennett and numerous other Ford executives.
The black & white photo dates from the mid 1930s and the aerial photo dates from May 2010. If you look close you can see the shrubbery composing the rough shape of the now gone building. Structures have been built on the old Rotunda grounds.
The Administration building was demolished in 1997. Albert Kahn said the building was designed to 'stand for 1000 years" but that didn't happen unfortunately. I will be covering each building in greater detail in post in the very near future.