Old Model A plant now place to plug new stuff
Photo credit: BILLY HUSTACE
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When introducing new vehicles to the media, carmakers fall all over themselves trying to choose a location that will wow journalists.
But Ford outdid itself last week in launching the 2013 Escape. The company turned to its own rich history for inspiration -- a building called Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, Calif. It's a 500,000-square-foot former Ford factory built on the city's waterfront with a spectacular view across San Pablo Bay to San Francisco.
The plant, conceived by Henry Ford and designed by the great architect Albert Kahn, opened in 1931 to build Model A's for distribution on the West Coast. During World War II the factory made tanks and other armaments. Many women staffed the factory during the war years, and it is now part of a special park called the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front that was created to commemorate their efforts.
Ford shut down the factory in 1955 and moved West Coast production to Milipitas, Calif. The Richmond building fell into disrepair and was heavily damaged in a 1989 earthquake. It was restored by private investors and now it's home to several green businesses and hosts concerts and events.
Jim Farley, Ford's global sales chief and a history buff, recapped the building's history and said: "It's a special property, and the view can't be beat."
