Ford River Rouge complex
The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the River Rouge, upstream from its confluence with the Detroit River at Zug Island. Construction began in 1917, and when it was completed in 1928, it was the largest integrated factory in the world, surpassing Buick City, built in 1904.
Ford River Rouge complex | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark District | |
Michigan State Historic Site | |
Aerial view of the Rouge complex in 1927 | |
| Location | Dearborn, Michigan, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42.309°N 83.162°W |
| Area | 900 acres (360 ha) (landmarked area) |
| Built | 1917–1928 |
| Architect | Albert Kahn |
| Visitation | 148,000 (2017) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001516 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 2, 1978 |
| Designated NHLD | June 2, 1978 |
| Designated MSHS | December 14, 1976 |
It inspired the Île Seguin Renault factory in 1920, the GAZ factory built in the 1930s in the Soviet Union, the Volkswagen factory near Fallersleben in Germany from 1938, as well as the later Hyundai factory complex in Ulsan, South Korea, which was developed beginning in the late 1960s. Designed by Albert Kahn, River Rouge was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978 for its architecture and historical importance to the industry and economy of the United States.