| Ford World Headquarters | |
|---|---|
 The headquarters in 2007 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Henry Ford II World Center The Glass House |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Location | One American Road near Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°18′55″N 83°12′37″W / 42.31528°N 83.21028°W |
| Construction started | 1953 |
| Completed | 1956 |
| Owner | Ford Motor Company |
| Height | |
| Roof | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 12 (+ penthouse) |
| Floor area | 950,000 sq ft (88,258 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
| Main contractor | Bryant & Detwiler |
| Website | |
| corporate.ford.com/dearborn | |
The Henry Ford II World Center, also commonly known as the Ford World Headquarters and popularly known as the Glass House,[1][2] is the administrative headquarters for Ford Motor Company, a 12-story, glass-faced office building[3] designed to accommodate a staff of approximately 3,000. The building is located at 1 American Road at Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan, near Ford's historic Rouge plant, Greenfield Village, the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn's Henry Ford Centennial Library, and Fair Lane, Henry Ford's personal estate.[1]
In 2008, columnist George Will said the building opened at "the peak of American confidence"[4] and described the headquarters as having a "sleek glass-and-steel minimalism that characterized up-to-date architecture in the 1950s, when America was at the wheel of the world and even buildings seemed streamlined for speed".[4]
While under design and construction, the building was called the "Central Staff Office Building" and was later referred to as the "New Central Office Building" to distinguish it from the company's prior headquarters nearby, known as the Administration Building, which was located at 3000 Schaefer, directly across from the Ford Rotunda building.[5] The building was later referred to as the "Ford Motor Company Administrative Center" and was formally renamed the Henry Ford II World Center in June 1996.[2][5]
In early 2016, Ford announced a redesign of the headquarters building and its surrounding campus, scheduled to begin in 2021 and projected to connect the Glass House to a series of new and existing buildings, parking decks, soccer fields and an arboretum.[6]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
FWH5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
FWH8was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ford Heritage: Ford Celebrates Groundbreaking for New World Headquarters Location". @Ford Online. Ford Motor Company. September 27, 2012.
- ^ a b Will, George (December 18, 2008). "Seeking a Ford in our Future". Real Clear Politics.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
FWH2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Boudette, Neil (April 12, 2016). "Ford's Planned New Headquarters Borrow Some Silicon Valley Sheen". The New York Times.