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Henry and Edsel Ford with
the Quadricycle and the Fifteenth Million Ford in front of
the Engineering Building. |
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Entrance
to the Ford Engineering Building
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The "EEE" building today. |
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A
Model F Home, Ford Homes Historic District.
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Model A Home, Ford Homes Historic District
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HFHA members line up to tour a Ford Home.
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Fall
2002 Field Trip Draws Large Crowd
by MIKE SKINNER
On the morning of Saturday,
November 16,2002 almost 100 HFHA members and their guests toured
the 1925 Ford Motor Company's Engineering Laboratory Building.
After lunch most returned to complete the HFHA "Early 20th
Century Ford Engineering and Housing" Field Trip by touring
Dearborn's Ford Homes Historic District.
The tour of the Engineering
Laboratory Building was led by Mike Bennett, Property Manager,
Ford Motor Company Powertrain Operations. The group squeezed into
the building's lobby to escape the chill of an unusually cold fall
morning. Then Mr. Bennett took half of the group through the
facility while Mike Skinner explained the history of the building
to the others. Afterwards the groups traded places. Todd Wilson,
Ford Motor Company Security Supervisor, Research and Engineering
Center, Executive Operations, opened the building and provided
lobby coverage. Thanks to Mr. Bennett and Mr. Wilson the group
enjoyed the rare treat of touring a building so important to Ford
Motor Company operations during Henry Ford's lifetime and beyond.
The tour of the Ford Motor
Company's original Engineering Laboratory made it obvious that
this 77 year- old facility is still an important part of the
company's engineering operations. Additionally, the building's
superb amenities, including mahogany woodwork, brass hardware,
marble, etc. has been well maintained and Henry Ford's office,
which can be viewed through a special glass door, is now
preserved in Mr. Ford's memory and is no longer used as an office.
While the skylights in the main work area are now covered, the
beam in this area on which Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Charles
Sorenson and other members of the company's 1938 management team
marked their heights is now visible under glass. On the building's
facade the names of 21 scientists and inventors are still
prominent and visible to all entering the main entrance (see the
related story concerning these names elsewhere in this
newsletter). Making the tour even more exceptional was the fact
that a number of tour participants once worked in this building
and several of them shared their stories of meeting or seeing Mr.
Ford in the facility with those in attendance.
Later that afternoon over 80 HFHA members
and their guests completed the Fall 2002 field trip by taking a
walking tour of the Ford Homes Historic District which was led by
district resident, Sylvia Tillman. This walking tour was followed
by a tour of three of the district's homes. Thanks to Sylvia and
Dave Tillman, Teresa and Kurt Klimkiewicz (the Tillman' s and the
Klimkiewicz ' s live in the homes on either side of 22516 Nona
where Mike and Sandy Skinner lived from 1987-1993) and Joel Ray
and Dr. Sue Clereman for opening their homes for our members and
guests. The 250 homes in this district built by the Dearborn
Realty Company between 1919-1921 are lovingly maintained by their
enthusiastic residents.
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