Piquette Plant

In 1904, after just 1 year of operation, the board of the Ford Motor Company approved construction of a New England mill-style building, on a lot at the corner of Piquette and Beaubien Streets in Detroit. The structure served the new firm for only 5 years, yet it played a most important role in realizing Henry Ford's dream of an affordable car for the masses.

During 1907, in a room at the northwest corner of the third floor of the "Piquette Plant (http://www.tplex.org)", Henry Ford and a small team of dedicated engineers developed the Model T, the car that would change the world.

The first production Model T was built at Piquette on September 27, 1908. Only 11 cars were built there the following month. However, demand quickly grew, and it soon became apparent that the facility could no longer keep up with increasing output. In 1910, after assembling nearly 12,000 Model Ts, Henry Ford moved production to his new Highland Park complex. There,with the use of modern assembly line techniques, over 15 million more "Tin Lizzies" would eventually be produced.

Piquette Plant (http://www.tplex.org)