Historical movement! Ford Motor Company is moving its worldwide headquarters for the first time in 7 decades. The company, with its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, will leave behind the iconic building known as ‘’The Glass House’’ and it will move to a new and modern campus located just 3 miles away.
The official inauguration will be in November, marking the beginning of a new era for the company without losing its strong link to the city that saw Ford Motor Company grow. So, let’s learn more about this story.
A new home for Ford in Dearborn
The new building, with a 2.1 million square feet of surface, will carry the name of ‘’Ford World Headquarters’’. That’s not the only name, the entire campus will be named Henry Ford II World Center, in honor of the company’s founder’s grandson and uncle of the current executive chairman, Bill Ford.
The space was designed to reinforce innovation and collaboration, meeting cooperative leaders, design and engineers teams all in one place. This way more than 14,000 employees will be just 15 feet from the main building.
Features of the new Ford campus
The new company’s worldwide headquarters will have new and modern facilities thought to the well-being and productivity of the company’s workers:
- Six design studios dedicated to vehicle development.
- A massive 160,000-square-foot (14,864-square-meter) food hall accessible to all employees.
- Wellness rooms and mothers’ spaces to support staff needs.
- More than 300 tech-enabled meeting rooms for seamless collaboration.
They want to make the campus a space combining tradition and modernity, respecting Ford’s history while preparing for the next challenges of the automotive industry.
‘’The Glass House’’ history
Since 1956, Ford’s headquarters has been in the building located at 1 American Road, known as ‘’The Glass House’’ because of its huge glass façade. A t that moment, Ford presented the structure as one of the biggest office buildings occupied by only one company in the U.S.
Even though the company is moving, the symbolic address of 1 American Road will be the same in the new building. As Ted Ryan, the company’s heritage and brand manager, explained: “When we move to the new headquarters, the 1 American Road address will move with it, because we’re going to continue to develop products for the next century.”
A place full of history
The new headquarters is built on land where there was a Product Development Center in 1953. Back then, President Dwight Eisenhower joined the celebration via one of the first-ever uses of closed-circuit television.
This site is legendary in the company’s history: vehicles such as the Mustang, Thunderbird, and F-Series trucks were developed there, cementing its place as a birthplace of some of America’s most iconic cars.
The company’s deep connection to Dearborn
The bond between the company and Dearborn is unbreakable. As Ted Ryan said: “Dearborn and Ford are almost synonymous. If you think of Dearborn, you think of Ford, and if you think of Ford, you think of Dearborn.”
Henry Ford himself was born just a few miles from the company’s current headquarters. For generations of the Ford family, walking into the headquarters has always felt like entering their family home. Soon, employees and family members alike will walk into a brand-new home, one that carries the same spirit into the future.
As you can see, this transition is more than just a simple move, it’s a symbol of how the company is capable of combining legacy and modernity, preparing itself for the next century of automotive innovation. Do you think the companies’ strategy is going to be positive for their future? We’ll see how everything goes.