Inside the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant

[thelakelander]

This email was just sent to Metro Jacksonville and I'd thought I'd share the link.  The image is pretty impressive.

I just ran across your great pictorial web page of Fairfield showing the old Ford Assembly plant. My father worked at the plant and lived on Parker street where my older brother was born. By the time I came along, they had moved to Springfield.

I have a web page containing a full size image of a 9 x 40 photograph of all the employees standing in front of the plant. It is at: http://www.woodenshipsironmen.com/Ford.htm 

J. G. (Jerry) Braddock Sr
http://www.woodenshipsironmen.com/Bradhome.htm

[billy]

Incredible photo.
I wonder what the wooden structure to the south was?

[untarded]

Fantastic image!!

[Dog Walker]

Wow!  I had always heard that the plant was for Model T & A pickup trucks.  Obviously not!  If the plant opened in 1928, then my father was 18 or 19 when he started selling homemade wine to the workers.  Naughty boy!

[BridgeTroll]

Very cool!

[BridgeTroll]

Model T




Model A

[stjr]

Great photo.  It brings to life an old building and shows just how great these buildings could look if restored to their "like new" condition.  Lot's of potential.  Would be criminal to lose it.  I wonder if Ford would have any interest in partnering in its preservation.  Maybe a "Ford Museum -South" for part of the building.  Would be a great marketing tool.

[ftrosset]

Does anyone know who currently owns this building? I can not find it on the GIS map, the lot is there, but no building number or anything like that. I am interested in possibly buying the building but have had a hard time finding much info about it.

Thank you

[stjr]

Does anyone know who currently owns this building? I can not find it on the GIS map, the lot is there, but no building number or anything like that. I am interested in possibly buying the building but have had a hard time finding much info about it.

Thank you

ftrosset, welcome to MJ.

Per the property tax rolls, the owner is:

HILL STREET LLC
  P O BOX 1851
  BAINBRIDGE, GA 39818

Property Site Address currently is shown as:

  1900 WAMBOLT ST
  Jacksonville FL 32202

Official Record Book/Page
10149-01373

I guess Wambolt St. was once called Hill Street since the MJ article says that's the historic address and the property owner references the same name.

According to the deed, Hill Street is a Florida corporation.  Per Florida's Division of Corporations:

Registered Agent Name & Address
DAWS, SONYA K
2878 REMINGTON GREEN CIRCLE
TALLAHASSEEE FL 32308 US

Name Changed: 10/11/2006

Address Changed: 01/27/2009

Manager/Member Detail
Name & Address
Title MGRM
REDMOND, N.D. JR.
1709 SHOTWELL ST.
BAINBRIDGE GA 39818

I guess if you can't find a phone number, you can send a letter to one of the addresses above and hope they answer.

Good luck.  Let us know how it turns out.

[billy]

I have some information if you are interested...

[billy]

are you associated with UNF?

[longhaul]

According to Jacksonville’s Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Amendment (2/5/10):
“In 1999, William Stephenson, on behalf the Rowe Corporation, filed a land use amendment for the subject site to change its land use designation from WD/WR to GDC in order to accommodate a mixed use project including residential lofts.  The PUD for the subject site in 1999 was never filed, and the mixed use project was never developed.  As such, the subject site has been out of compliance with the current industrial use of the property, having a land use amendment attempts to remedy the compliance issue and return the subject site to its original WD/WR land use category”

The Planning Commission has recommended approval of this “re-change” in land use on 2/5/10.

http://citycirc.coj.net/coj/COJbillDetail.asp?F=2010-0016\Reports

[longhaul]

Friday, April 9, 2010
UF students design cruise terminal for old Ford site
Jacksonville Business Journal - by Christian Conte Staff Writer

Read more: UF students design cruise terminal for old Ford site - Jacksonville Business Journal:

The former Ford assembly plant that sits at the base of the Mathews Bridge could one day be a cruise ship terminal and destination port, according to a study conducted by a group of students at the University of Florida.

A group of 16 students in the university’s College of Design, Construction and Planning department of interior design created design possibilities for the 86-year-old building that include 60,000 square feet of cruise ship terminal space, 50,000 square feet of boutique hotel space, 10,000 square feet of restaurant/lounge space and 40,000 square feet of what the students termed “wild card” space that included a variety of possible uses including a cinema, convention space and art display space.

Preliminary cost estimates for the project from cruise ship consultants are around $30 million.

The Jacksonville Port Authority is considering moving the cruise terminal at Dames Point to Mayport or two other unnamed sites east of the Dames Point Bridge. The authority needs a new terminal because the site of the present cruise terminal at Dames Point will become home to Hanjin Shipping Co.’s new container terminal.

About 80 percent of major cruise line ships can’t pass under Dames Point bridge and nearby wires, said port authority CEO Rick Ferrin.

Sonny Redmond, one of the partners in the investment group that owns the property, Hill Street LLC, said he hopes to use the students’ design suggestions as the basis for a future development plan for the site, but not unless he earns the support of the community for the idea.

“In order to have a project like this work, you have to have 100 percent support from all the stakeholders,” Redmond said.

The 165,000-square-foot facility is part of a 35-acre tract that Hill Street owns that stretches from the base of the bridge to Talleyrand Avenue. The facility was built for the Ford Motor Co. in 1924-25. It was used as an assembly plant until the mid-1930s and then for storage and shipping through the 1950s. Although the property has been through a succession of owners until Hill Street acquired it in 2001, it has continued to be leased out to various industrial users over the years.

Redmond said the group didn’t have any specific development plans for the property when it bought it, but when the president of the Florida chapter of the nonprofit group DOCOMOMO, which advocates for preserving historic structures, asked Assistant Professor Marty Hylton to have his students review the project as a possible cruise ship terminal, he decided to take him up on the offer.

The idea has already gotten the attention of some in the cruise ship industry. Mike Greve, president of the Miami cruise ship development consultation company Global Destinations, said he likes the site because of its history, because it is an existing building that would reduce the capital expense of construction and because it’s a Downtown site.

The owner of the property now plans to contract with Global Destinations to have the site evaluated and graded for its potential as a cruise ship terminal site. If it grades well, Redmond said the next step would be approaching the city about the idea.

Read more: UF students design cruise terminal for old Ford site - Jacksonville Business Journal:

[Ocklawaha]

A few period views...


Easy to see that if the surrounding ugly industrial wasteland was cleared for a vintage style mixed use park/retail/residential district, it would be a better historical fit then the mess that is there today.


The old assembly line running full tilt.


looking roughly Northeast, from the Southwest corner, one can see the old railroad siding that runs down the north side of the building, another siding runs through the large open door on the left side of the front of the building visible in this shot. Either or BOTH could easily be reactivated and with overhead electric catenary installed serve as the "CRUISE SHIP TERMINUS" of the revived "JACKSONVILLE TRACTION COMPANY" streetcar line.


Railroad cars in the background date this photo as fairly close to WWII, wood car construction with outside steel bracing was often termed "War Emergency Construction" and could date to WWI or II, however the trucks the cars are riding on put them in the more modern era. Also automobile cars changed around the time of WWII from those with small door to the larger "drive in" doors seen here. The next step were special boxcars with end doors much like modern "autorack cars". The cars were driven in and mechanically tilted on end to pack a maximum number per rail car. Beyond this in modern era we see the introduction of speciality cars built just for the auto trade.


The Jacksonville Work Force showing off their newly won production award from Ford.

Announced on MAY 2, 1924, here are some of the spec's on the FORD plant...

PLANTS IN THE MAY 2 ANNOUNCEMENT, ALL NEW OR EXPANDED: PLANT/DAILY CAPACITY/EMPLOYEES/

St Paul/750 represents a 150% capacity expansion
Chicago/600 represents a 140% capacity expansion
Charlotte/300 Brand new plant/1200 employees
Memphis/300 represents a 200% capacity expansion
Kansas City/250 added for a total capacity of 500
Jacksonville/150 Brand new plant/600 employees
Oklahoma City/50 represents a 33% capacity expansion total daily capacity of 200

All plants follow the same basic design guidelines, single level with extensive glass in walls, roof for improved lighting, ventilation and ease of material handling. All plants operated with conveyors, with freight shipments entering on one side, and parts progressing across sub-assembly area's to the final assembly line. All plants include in addition to offices and showrooms, have attractive "car delivery rooms", and attractive "quarters," for both male and female drivers who come with the dealers to drive cars back to the dealerships. All buildings will be complimenting architecturally designed with fine landscaping.

CHARLOTTE'S new plant on 72 acres, 240,800 sq ft,
MEMPHIS expanded plant on 34 acres, same capabilities as Charlotte
JACKSONVILLE'S new plant is 200' x 560' feet, for 115,000 sq ft production area. The plant was modified in 1926 to produce 200 cars a day, and under Ford's design the original building was modified adding 240' on the dock without loss of a single day of production.

All plants have their own electric plant, with steam turbine generators, completely self sufficient power and light. Energy for the production line was electricity supplied by a Ford designed generator station. Powered by steam heated by fuel oil and used water filtered from the river. The steam was also used to heat the paint drying ovens.

Only Memphis and Jacksonville will have water as well as rail transport available. All plants have rail service and Memphis has 900 feet on the Mississippi and Jacksonville 1,400 feet on the St. Johns River.

OCKLAWAHA

[billy]

There is one in Richmond California .