The Ford Rotunda

At 900 feet long by 213 feet wide and 12 stories tall, it dwarfed other exhibits. The most interesting design element was the Rotunda. The gear shaped center section was lit by 9,000 flood lights. One would naturally think it would take years to build something of this magnitude, but Henry Ford completed it in a little over three months.

The outside featured a test track, park and “Symphony Gardens” amphitheater. Inside there were exhibits showing an 1850’s workshop, soybean production, the progression of transportation and various displays of manufacturing operations. The inside of the Rotunda was open above and featured a large 90-foot, lighted, electrically-driven rotating globe highlighting Ford’s activities around the world. Large murals adorned the walls above the exhibits showing much of Ford’s history to date.

In late 1934, after the World’s Fair closed, Henry Ford decided to move the Exposition Building to Dearborn. He wished it to serve as a visitor center and a place from which tours of the Rouge complex could be started. Albert Kahn was dispatched to Chicago to see if the building could be moved. Kahn stated that it indeed could, with the exception of the long wing. He redesigned the Rotunda and specified that it be made of much more permanent materials.

Initially Henry Ford thought of positioning the building within Greenfield Village. Edsel Ford convinced Henry to place it on a 13-acre field directly across from the Ford Administration Building on Schaefer Road. Just north of the River Rouge complex and Detroit Industrial Expressway (Now I-94).

While the original Rotunda exterior was made primarily of plasterboard, the rebuilt one would be constructed of steel and Indiana Limestone. The original murals were reinstalled and a new south wing constructed which contained a 388 seat theater. The work to reconstruct the Rotunda started in the spring of 1935 and was completed in early 1936. It was open to the public on May 14, 1936, with over 22,000 people in attendance.

This photo was taken from the Ford Administration Building looking across Schaefer Road at the front of the Rotunda. Rare for its time the Rotunda was air conditioned and received steam heat via an underground passageway from the Administration Building. On the side and backside was “The Roads of the World” test track that duplicated the road surfaces of some 17 countries. Demonstration rides in new Fords were provided to visitors on this track. The Rotunda had become one of the greatest attractions of the Detroit area. Over 1,000,000 people per year visited the Rotunda before the war.

Detroit automakers were told on February 9, 1942 to cease production of civilian vehicles. With that the Rotunda was also closed to the public and during the war was used by the military for office space. Barracks were constructed behind the Rotunda for servicemen attending the Ford Service School.

After the war the Rotunda was used for business meetings, press briefings and dealer meetings.

In the above three pictures we see crews cleaning the globe in the center of the Rotunda in 1944, and as it appeared in 1948 and 1950 respectively.

A decision was made by Henry Ford II in 1952 to completely remodel, update and renovate the Rotunda in anticipation of celebrating Ford’s 50th Anniversary in 1953.

For additional enclosed floor space the open air center was covered with a Geodesic Dome created by R. Buckminster Fuller. The lightweight dome was 93-feet in diameter with aluminum struts and tinted plastic panels. It was the first commercial use of this type of unique structure.

As mentioned earlier, Ford was interested in displaying to the public the importance of styling and how its various elements came together. These displays were created in 1951 to be installed in the remodeled Rotunda.

Ford celebrated its 50th year anniversary on June 16, 1953 and the Rotunda was once again opened to the public the following day. Note the entirely new front facade. The buses were used to take guests to tour the River Rouge complex which included Dearborn Assembly.

In addition to the center court and theater the floor plan was organized into four major sections.
• Research in Chemistry and Electronics
• Manufacturing Progress and Quality Control
• Design and Engineering
• Better Life and More Jobs Through the Auto Industry

The one yearly display that was most popular was “A Christmas Fantasy.” The previous five pictures were taken during the first Christmas Fantasy in December of 1953. Just inside the front door was a 40-foot tall Christmas tree adorned with some 17,000 lights. There were numerous Christmas themed displays and was highlighted by Santa’s Castle. Over a half a million people visited that year. From 1953 to 1961 over six million people visited “A Christmas Fantasy.”

Naturally, Ford used the Rotunda to highlight the current product offerings. Over the years numerous themes were also highlighted such as a Hawaiian Display and an Alaskan Display in 1958. Note the entry to the Alaskan display behind the ’59 Edsel in the last picture.

The Rotunda was also a vehicle used for introducing brand new models to the public such as the Continental Mark II. First introduced at the Paris Auto Show in October 1955. That introduction was recreated at the Rotunda under a 100-foot high Eiffel Tower replica on a Parisian street scene.

The new ’58 Edsel was also highlighted shortly after its September 1957 introduction to the public. This picture taken December 17, 1957.

These two pictures, taken in May of 1956, help define the location of the Rotunda. That’s Schaefer Road running north-south bisecting the first photo. On the back side is Rotunda Drive which curves around and crosses Schaefer with a bridge. The Administration Building is clearly visible across Schaefer. Once the new “Glass House” headquarters were opened in 1957, the building was then known as The Lincoln-Mercury Building.

Note that the Geodesic Dome is clearly visible in both pictures.

As mentioned before, styling and manufacturing operations were very popular displays at the Rotunda. Guests could actually watch a stylist at work at his desk. Displays such as the Edsel clay buck and numerous drawings highlighted the necessary steps in designing a car. Show cars were also on display such as the 1961 Palomar.

Note all the testing equipment surrounding this ’58 Edsel. Even that funny looking radiator snorkel was on display. It was also seen in my June 21, 2024 posting in Dean’s Garage attached to a ’57 Ford at Ford’s Michigan Proving Ground.

One of the very most popular displays was the simulated body drop. By pushing a few buttons a guest could lower into place this ’56 Crown Victoria’s Y-Block V-8 engine and then mate the body to the chassis. This was part of the “Making a Ford” display.

At times the Rotunda was also used for business functions such as press and dealer briefings. This 1958 Edsel stage was also used in promotional films.

The end of this story is not a happy one. Early on November 9, 1962 contractors were on the roof repairing and resealing the Geodesic Dome. The tar like substance was heated on the ground by a propane fueled heater. It was then pumped to the roof and into a secondary barrel heated by an additional propane fueled heater to keep the substance liquefied. Hand signals between the worker on the ground and workers on the roof were miscommunicated. At around 1:00 p.m. the substance overflowed the barrel on the roof and vapors were ignited by the heater.

The workers on the roof attempted to put out the fire, but it apparently grew too quickly. They called the front desk who in turn evacuated the building and called the fire department. The clear panels of the Geodesic Dome, being plastic, burned quickly and that hot plastic fell upon the Christmas decorations being constructed below. By the time the fire department arrived at 1:20 p.m. heavy black columns of smoke were rising from the structure. It’s reported that the building collapsed at 1:55 p.m. Thankfully only one Ford engineer was injured while trying to turn on some roof water valves. The 70 remaining people in the building escaped uninjured.

The Rotunda was a total loss with one major exception. In 1957 Ford decided to move the company archives from the Henry Ford Fairlane Estate to the north wing of the Rotunda. Favorable north winds and instructions to the fire department saved them from destruction. Many of the images you see in this story and previous ones posted on Dean’s Garage were in that north wing during the fire. The loss of some nine million images, papers and documents would have been truly tragic.

Ford received countless calls and letters from the public wondering if and when the Rotunda was to be rebuilt. Sadly, it was not to be and in March of ’63 Ford announced that the remaining portion of the Rotunda would be demolished and not rebuilt. I wish Henry Ford II had made a different decision!

It’s been said that some million plus people a year visited the Rotunda from 1953 to 1962. It was fifth of the list of top ten attractions in the country through that time period and had an attendance greater than The Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone, Mount Vernon and The Washington Monument. Only Niagara Falls, The Great Smokie Mountains National Park, The Smithsonian, and The Lincoln Monument drew bigger crowds.

The Rotunda was so endeared that even Village Ford in Dearborn modeled their dealership showroom architecture after the Rotunda. (See comment by Chris from 11/18/24.)

The land sat empty till 2000 when the Michigan Technical Education Center was built on the site. The old Administration Building was also torn down and is now a storage lot for newly built F-150’s. Thankfully the name Rotunda Drive still exists.

There is one remaining element from the Rotunda which can be seen today. The big sign out front. It currently resides in front of the Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum in Auburn, Indiana. A wonderful museum worthy of a special trip!