Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie
Post Number: 1079 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 9:32 pm: | |
There are so many ruins around to write about, but one of the most frustrating and inexcusable is the Ford office building in Highland Park. The office building's condition is of particular concern, because most of the other remaining buildings at the complex are still in use for storage or other purposes. How could Ford just walk away from that building in 1981 and leave it to rot? I've read that Henry Ford's office was in it. I don't know whether that's true (there was another office building on the site, torn down ca. 1956), but either way, the condition of the surviving office building is a travesty! It, the adjacent surviving stub of the original, Woodward-facing "Crystal Palace," and the additions on Manchester have my vote for the most historically important buildings in Michigan. Why was it asking so much that Ford could have at least kept the office building in good shape? Is the company ashamed of it? I know the company is in very rough shape now, but that doesn't excuse its indifference regarding the Highland Park office building back in a year such as 1987, when it raked in $4.63 billion in profits. What about the Ford family? Why can't it spare some of its millions to at least pay for a security guard at that historically sacred space, for crying out loud? What about the Henry Ford? Couldn't some of its resources have been better directed towards preserving the HP offices or other remnants there, instead of the new Rouge tour? What about the historic preservation community? There hasn't been much of an outcry over the HP office building condition. I don't know of any current news with the building; viewing some photos on Flickr just stirred up my emotions about it all over again. I don't like to ramble too much, but it's difficult to sum up everything wrong about the state of that office building in one post! |
6nois Member Username: 6nois
Post Number: 375 Registered: 11-2006
| Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 9:36 pm: | |
Considering the condition of many vacant buildings the Ford offices on Woodward are in fairly good shape. The building seems to be secure and not open, all of the windows are in place, so I would venture to say that it could be worse. I think the worse thing going for the building is the awful strip malls to the South and across the street on Woodward. It just looks funny. |
Detroithabitater Member Username: Detroithabitater
Post Number: 23 Registered: 10-2006
| Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - 10:25 pm: | |
...Ford still uses the building to store files and old prototype parts. I'm positive that it is secure. |
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie
Post Number: 1080 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 5:45 pm: | |
The office building is NOT secured. Go to Flickr and type in "ford AND highland." You'll find a series of pictures taken by two women who found their way in through a broken window. One of the pictures shows a staircase in the office building, with a bannister that's falling apart. Since two people have gotten in, you can bet there have been others. |
Michigan Member Username: Michigan
Post Number: 755 Registered: 04-2007
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 7:17 pm: | |
great photos by those ladies. What aneat building, what a sad state of affairs! |
Patrick Member Username: Patrick
Post Number: 4698 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 9:39 pm: | |
I think the preservation of this place is pretty low on the list of priorities for the citizens of HP. They hardly have any city services at all. |
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie
Post Number: 1082 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 10:08 pm: | |
I'm not asking the citizens of Highland Park to save the office building. They aren't the ones that let it go to hell. The responsibility rests with whoever owns it now, and Ford & the Ford family for abandoning it. It's not a legal responsibility, to be sure, but an ethical and moral one. |
Supersport Member Username: Supersport
Post Number: 11637 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 10:55 pm: | |
So, while Ford struggles to stay afloat as a company, their main focus should be on old buildings in which they have history with? I think perhaps they have bigger issues at hand personally. |
Ray Member Username: Ray
Post Number: 949 Registered: 06-2004
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 11:12 pm: | |
What is the name of the photographers? I couldn't find it. |
Tiberius Member Username: Tiberius
Post Number: 28 Registered: 06-2007
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 11:17 pm: | |
It is sad and at the same time a metaphor for the the area to include Detroit. Maybe they could preserve the office and let the rest go. Hard to imaging that the building will ever be functional. This was actually the 4th place Ford was at. We should all smile that the Piquette site is in good shape and being taken care of. |
Ray Member Username: Ray
Post Number: 950 Registered: 06-2004
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 11:24 pm: | |
Never mind.. I found her artsyt. What a cool and petty lady. I wonder if that building would be for sale... |
Quozl Member Username: Quozl
Post Number: 966 Registered: 07-2005
| Posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 11:44 pm: | |
quote:So, while Ford struggles to stay afloat as a company, their main focus should be on old buildings in which they have history with? Sorry Rocketman, I mean Sporto, FOMOCO does NOT even own ANY of their Highland Park buildings anymore, and the ones they do utilize, they LEASE. Carry on super cop wannabe, keep schlepping them boxes at the GT casino... |
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie
Post Number: 1084 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 8:29 am: | |
Tiberius wrote, "...We should all smile that the Piquette site is in good shape and being taken care of" It's nice that the Piquette site is secured, but HP is just as important, if not moreso. Decisions made in that office building made the Model T truly affordable, and changed the world. Supersport wrote, "...while Ford struggles to stay afloat as a company, their main focus should be on old buildings in which they have history with?" The company had more ethical responsibility to do something about the building when it was raking in record profits and when it initially walked away from the structure. Again I ask, where are members of the Ford family when it comes to this issue? The office building certainly isn't of un-manageable size to preserve, and for its historical value, why is it asking too much that its condition at least be stabilized and a guard provided? I know they don't own it, but it wouldn't be digging too deep into their pockets to buy the building and at least secure it. |
Michigan Member Username: Michigan
Post Number: 760 Registered: 04-2007
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 9:08 am: | |
I think you meant "pretty" Ray. I doubt the fords will step up. They were angry when their dividends were cut. |
Gistok Member Username: Gistok
Post Number: 4887 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 3:02 pm: | |
Quozl... what you said doesn't contradict what Supersport said... so what's your point at getting Ad Hominem on him? |
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 271 Registered: 05-2004
| Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 2:12 pm: | |
I'd be more concerned about the Ford Auditorium. |
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie
Post Number: 1087 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 5:35 pm: | |
Paulmcall-- The Ford Auditorium is a fine mid-century design. But the Ford HP office building is more historically important, because of the decisions made there. |
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 286 Registered: 05-2004
| Posted on Thursday, July 26, 2007 - 9:46 pm: | |
Hey Tiger Stadium has historic value too but it's going to bite the dust soon. It's only a building and not a very lovely one. I used to love my old car but I'm not going to keep it around for sentimental reasons. If people aren't using it, it's not doing anyone any good. |
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie
Post Number: 1097 Registered: 11-2003
| Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 8:13 am: | |
"If people aren't using it, it's not doing anyone any good." If that's your argument, it could also be used against Ford Auditorium, which you profess to be "more concerned" about. You mention Tiger Stadium in comparison. That's comparing apples and oranges. The Ford HP offices do NOT constitute a huge, unworkable site such as Tiger Stadium, Hudson's, or the MC Depot. It's even smaller than the less historically important Madison-Lenox, of which there was no shortage of people rallying for re-use. The HP offices form a relatively modest-sized building, and that's part of what makes its abandonment so inexcusable. You mention "sentimental reasons" as not being sufficient to keep a building around. I'm not being merely "sentimental" about the Ford HP offices. It's one of the most historic buildings in the state, if not the country. You can't seriously argue with that. Its historic value is why it must be saved and reused. (Message edited by Burnsie on July 27, 2007) |
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies
Post Number: 2712 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 10:54 am: | |
Ford Does own the buildings in HP. But it's the Ford Land company that owns them, not the motor car company. Both the car company and the land company are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Ford Corporation. Ford land owns a majority of the buildings Ford uses. Anything that is called Fairlane in Dearborn is also owned by Ford Land. They are a huge commercial real estate firm. the new strip malls at the old VA site in Allen park are also Ford Land. The Lions practice facility is a Ford Land building. Ford Motor Company leases their buildings from Ford Land. This is a typical scenario for a large corporation. There are accounting, tax and insurance reasons for doing this. If Ford Land cannot lease out the building they are not getting any rent. No rent no upgrades. Just like any other landlord they are not going to fix up a building that doesn't have any possibility of being leased out. |
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 289 Registered: 05-2004
| Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 5:40 pm: | |
Whoa big fellow. I don't think it is more important than some of the buildings in Boston, New York. Philadelphia or Washington DC that represent the birth of the country. If it is so important, then have it moved to Green Field Village. Henry Ford didn't seem to think it was that important. |
Michigan Member Username: Michigan
Post Number: 827 Registered: 04-2007
| Posted on Friday, July 27, 2007 - 5:42 pm: | |
I just think it is a cool building |