Ford Piquette Avenue Plant | |
 Exterior of the Piquette Avenue Plant | |
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 Interactive map | |
| Location | 461 Piquette Avenue Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°22′9″N 83°3′56″W / 42.36917°N 83.06556°W |
| Built | 1904 |
| Architect | Field, Hinchman & Smith |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Visitation | 31,018 (2018) |
| Part of | Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District (ID04000601) |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000041 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 2002 |
| Designated CP | 2004 |
| Designated NHL | 2006 |
| Designated MSHS | 2003 |
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is a former factory located within the Milwaukee Junction area of Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. Built in 1904, it was the second center of automobile production for the Ford Motor Company, after the Ford Mack Avenue Plant. At the Piquette Avenue Plant, the company created and first produced the Ford Model T, the car credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United States. Prior to the Model T, several other car models were assembled at the factory. Early experiments using a moving assembly line to make cars were also conducted there. It was also the first factory where more than 100 cars were assembled in one day. While it was headquartered at the Piquette Avenue Plant, Ford Motor Company became the biggest U.S.-based automaker, and it would remain so until the mid-1920s. The factory was used by the company until 1910, when its car production activity was relocated to the new, larger Highland Park Ford Plant.
Studebaker bought the factory in 1911, using it to assemble cars until 1933. The building was sold in 1936, going through a series of owners for the rest of the 20th century before becoming a museum in 2001. The Piquette Avenue Plant is the oldest purpose-built automotive factory building open to the public. The museum, which was visited by over 31,000 people in 2018, has exhibits that primarily focus on the beginning of the United States automotive industry. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, became a Michigan State Historic Site in 2003, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.