Inside the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant

[Lunican]

October Tour Offers Rare Chance To Visit Jacksonville Landmark
Jacksonville, Florida, September 27, 2010.

DOCOMOMO US/Florida is sponsoring a tour of Jacksonville’s former Ford Motor Company assembly plant at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, October 9, 2010.

The 1924 structure was commissioned by Henry Ford and designed by architect Albert Kahn (1869-1942), renowned for his design of factories and industrial buildings around the world. In more recent years, the 160,000-squre-foot Ford building has been used for industrial purposes supporting nearby port activity in Talleyrand.
The Ford plant is on the Jacksonville Historical Society’s list of Most Endangered Historic Buildings. As with many of Kahn’s other industrial buildings, it is characterized by massive scale, use of modern materials, simplicity, and a form clearly dictated by function.

The tour will be part of the Fourth Annual Tour Day sponsored by DOCOMOMO US. Building on the success of Tour Day 2009, Tour Day 2010 expects to bring together over 600 participants, including architecture enthusiasts, historians, architects, designers, preservationists, and students from across the country. (For more information, please visit http://www.docomomo-us.org/tour_day_2010.)

DOCOMOMO US/Florida will be organizing two other tours for the weekend, in Ft. Lauderdale and Gainesville.

The Jacksonville tour will be free, but limited to the first 50 participants to
sign up. Those who wish to participate should send an email to
info@docomomofl.org or telephone organizer Richard Shieldhouse at
(904) 881-9475.

The building, at 1903 East Adams Street, is easily accessible by
proceeding north on Talleyrand Ave. from the stadium area. Three blocks
past the Mathews Bridge, head right on Wambolt Street, which dead ends
at the Ford plant.

DOCOMOMO US is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting
the study, interpretation, and protection of the architecture, landscape, and
urban design of the Modern Movement. Founded in 1998, DOCOMOMO
US is part of a 20-year-old international network of 54 international
chapters. DOCOMOMO US/Florida was founded in 2007 and has already
organized numerous educational events across the state, including three
symposiums and tours in partnership with the Jacksonville chapter of the
American Institute of Architects.

[Ethylene]

Lunican, thanks for posting this announcement. I'm on the list! I thought I was already on the DOCOMOMO mailing list anyway but I heard it here first and indicated that in my request to Richard Shieldhouse. Thanks MJ!

[jaguarjody]

Our company is located inside this building. We manufacture pallets. It is an interesting place to work! The windows are long gone but the open area where they were keep the building cool in the summer yet shade it from the sun.

[jaguarjody]

Our company is located inside this building. We manufacture pallets. It is an interesting place to work! The windows are long gone but the open area where they were keep the building cool in the summer yet shade it from the sun.

[Ernest Street]

So...security guards will keep the public out? Is this some kind of blanket insurance policy/waiver that only covers 50 people?

[NavyGuyAN]

So it been 9 months since any one has reply to this post...is the building still sitting vacant downtown or have they decided to do something with it?

[thelakelander]

It appears that it houses a couple of small industrial companies.  There's a pallet company and a barge operator on site.  I've also heard rumors of a small shipyard company from Green Cove Springs considering relocating to the Ford site.  Nevertheless, the building is still in pretty bad shape.

[billy]

Would the shipyard company use the building, or just the yard?

[Timkin]

I have never visited the Ford plant  ( would love to sometime) but on the Matthews Bridge going Westbound into the City, it is visually obvious that the Bulkhead is collapsing. That alone looks like pretty dangerous and costly to fix. 

As with all of our remaining landmarks, I hope one day the Ford Plant will be renovated for some use.

[KenFSU]

Sold for $4.4 million (with surrounding land) to owner of Everbank Center, who sees a lot of growth potential in the area:

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=544933

[Dapperdan]

They want part of it to be a cruise ship terminal. That would be a wonderful place for one. They will have access to The Shipyards, perhaps an Aquarium, The  USS Adams, downtown, etc. We could actually start seeing people come down a day or more in advance and being able to enjoy our amenities.

[ChriswUfGator]

I knew something was going on with it when construction equipment showed up on the property. Being Jacksonville, naturally, I thought they were going to tear it down, glad to be pleasantly surprised (for once).

[coredumped]

That would be great, but the Dames Point won't allow for any modern ships. The carnival that is at Jax port barely fits underneath and it's considered small. I've also heard that it's going out of commission this year or next due to its age and amenities.
In order to compete we'll need much larger ships and a much larger Dames Point.

[edjax]

They want part of it to be a cruise ship terminal. That would be a wonderful place for one. They will have access to The Shipyards, perhaps an Aquarium, The  USS Adams, downtown, etc. We could actually start seeing people come down a day or more in advance and being able to enjoy our amenities.

That is not want I read in the story.  I believe it states the seller of the property had originally bought it 14 years ago in hopes of making it a cruise terminal. I do not see in the story anything regarding what the purchasers intent is for the property.

[ChriswUfGator]

That would be great, but the Dames Point won't allow for any modern ships. The carnival that is at Jax port barely fits underneath and it's considered small. I've also heard that it's going out of commission this year or next due to its age and amenities.
In order to compete we'll need much larger ships and a much larger Dames Point.

Hard to believe a bridge they just built is already obsolete but I guess it is what it is...