Old Timer

The Ford Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit may be the most significant auto-heritage site in the world. Built in 1904, the plant is the birthplace of the Model T. The New England mill-style structure is the first building built for Ford Motor Company. Here is where Henry Ford and his team built the first 12,000 Model Ts.

Prior to the Model T, Henry Ford produced a series of "letter" cars including the Model N - perhaps the most underrated car in Ford Motor Company history. The Model N made the three-year old firm the highest volume producer in America. And it served as the prototype for the Model T.

The plant is located in an area known as Milwaukee Junction, the emerging auto industry's central location after the turn of the last century. By the 1920's, Milwaukee Junction was Detroit's industrial heartbeat.

Henry Ford was 40 years old when he built his Piquette Avenue plant. He was a simple, friendly man, who spent most of his time in the shop, the experimental department, the drafting room or the power plant. He was at work frequently before eight and would return after supper, often laboring late into the night on mechanical problems.
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