Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant (Atlanta, Georgia)
Encyclopedia
The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant at 699 Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Poncey-Highland
neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia
was the headquarters
of the Ford Motor Company
's southeastern US operations from 1915 to 1942. As a result of good sales in Atlanta, and a desire to decentralize production, Ford established a combined assembly, sales, service and administration facility on Ponce de Leon Avenue, selling a peak of 22,000 vehicles per year. The assembly plant produced Model T
s, Model As and V-8s until 1942, when the plant was sold to the War Department
and a new plant
was opened in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville
.
The 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) building was designed by Ford's in-house architect
, John Graham. An office block in the front was backed by a multi-story loft-style assembly plant
.
The War Department used the building as a storage depot and as administrative offices. Sold for development in 1979, the building is presently known as Ford Factory Square and is occupied by apartment
s and retail
shops. Architects for the adaptive reuse
project were Bradfield Associates.
.
Poncey-Highland
Poncey-Highland is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, located south of Virginia-Highland. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930,...
neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
was the headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's southeastern US operations from 1915 to 1942. As a result of good sales in Atlanta, and a desire to decentralize production, Ford established a combined assembly, sales, service and administration facility on Ponce de Leon Avenue, selling a peak of 22,000 vehicles per year. The assembly plant produced Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
s, Model As and V-8s until 1942, when the plant was sold to the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
and a new plant
Atlanta Assembly
Atlanta Assembly was an automobile factory owned by Ford Motor Company in Hapeville, Georgia. Harbour Consulting rated it as the most efficient auto plant in North America in 2006...
was opened in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville
Hapeville, Georgia
Hapeville is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States, located directly adjacent to the city of Atlanta. The population was 6,373 at the 2010 census. It is named for Dr...
.
The 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²) building was designed by Ford's in-house architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, John Graham. An office block in the front was backed by a multi-story loft-style assembly plant
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
.
The War Department used the building as a storage depot and as administrative offices. Sold for development in 1979, the building is presently known as Ford Factory Square and is occupied by apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s and retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
shops. Architects for the adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
project were Bradfield Associates.
Photo gallery
The Kroger supermarket at the Ford Factory is inspiration for a meme, Murder KrogerMurder Kroger
Murder Kroger is a pop culture theme and Internet meme in the Atlanta area based on the Kroger supermarket on Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Ford Factory complex. The store itself is considered a local landmark known for its nickname "Murder Kroger"...
.