Assembly Square’s Ford factory (2024)

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Assembly Square’s Ford factory (1)

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  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (2)

    What’s in a name? Assembly Square in Somerville is named for the 52-acre Ford assembly plant that used to operate in the area. The factory closed in 1958, but the name still sticks, as the vicinity transforms into a new “Assembly Row” shopping complex, apartments, and MBTA station — all projected to be completed by 2014.

    Pictured: The Ford Motor Company’s building in Somerville from February 1958.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (3)

    Another view of the Ford assembly plant in Somerville. More than 1,100 workers lost their jobs when the factory closed in 1958.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (4)

    The Somerville plant produced multiple models, including the Ford Edsel and popular Fairlane, pictured here on Feb. 19, 1958.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (5)

    An original Edsel cost $2,878 in 1958. Ford abandoned production of the car in 1960 and swallowed a $350 million loss, according to Globe archives. It was referred to as “one of the biggest flops in automotive history.”

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (6)

    The scene as the last car rolled off the assembly line at the Ford plant. Plant manager E.J. Duquette shook the hand of the driver who took the last car — a station wagon — off the line.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (7)

    The last car off the Somerville assembly plant line got a big sendoff as workers moved on. Some went to other Ford plants in Ohio and New Jersey, the older workers retired on pension, and others tried to find new jobs.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (8)

    The Ford plant on March 2, 1927.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (9)

    Some of the 1,200 Ford engines on a conveyor at the Somerville building of Ford Motor Co. in 1927.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (10)

    Employees assembled a Ford car at an airport on March 15, 1927.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (11)

    A look at the assembly conveyor in 1927 where cars started at one end and were completed at the other end.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (12)

    In 1935, the Somerville Ford plant had a bit of a scare where robbers attempted to steal the payroll. The armored truck usually delivered money through the door at night, but on March 29, it was brought in through the gate at the end of building.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (13)

    A bare chassis with only wheel hubs attached was placed upon the chain of the Ford assembly line to grow as it moved slowly along on June 28, 1946.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (14)

    A heavy crane gently lifted a body from a feeder assembly line and dropped it upon the chassis behind the motor at the Ford Motor Co. plant in 1946.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area
  • Assembly Square’s Ford factory (15)

    On March 14, 1958, three foremen walked down the empty line after the 31-year-old plant was shut down. Ford officials said the plant was no longer profitable in this location.

    • Ikea pulls plan for Somerville store in Assembly Square
    • What’s going into Somerville’s Assembly Square?
    • Construction projects in the Boston area

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Assembly Square’s Ford factory (2024)

FAQs

What was good about working in the Ford factory with the assembly line? ›

What made this assembly line unique was the movement element. Henry Ford famously remarked that the use of the moving assembly line allowed for the work to be taken to workers rather than the worker moving to and around the vehicle. The vehicle began to be pulled down the line and built step-by-step.

What happened to the Ford plant in Atlanta? ›

The plant closed in 2006. The plant was purchased for over $40 million by Jacoby Development, Inc., in June 2008. Demolition of the plant began in August 2008 and took approximately one year.

What was the Ford moving assembly line? ›

Henry Ford combined interchangeable parts with subdivided labor and fluid movement of materials to create his moving assembly line in 1913. The resulting productivity gains and price cuts led manufacturers of every type to adopt Ford's innovative production methods.

Why is it called Assembly Square? ›

The Ford Motor Company built an assembly plant here in 1926, which would, over time, lend Assembly Square its name. Additionally, the Boston and Maine Railroad also owned large tracts of land in the district and the land was criss-crossed by spur tracks.

How did Ford treat his workers? ›

In 1914, Ford became the first to offer a $5 per day wage, more than doubling the rate of most of his workers. Not only did he pay his high performers a better wage, he instituted the 40-hour week, for the first time giving employees the weekend off.

Why did Henry Ford pay his workers $5 a day? ›

When Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line in 1913 he loved it but his employees didn't. The work was boring and relentless, and worker turnover was high. To get workers to stay, Henry more than doubled their pay, from $2.34 per day to $5 per day.

Which Ford plant shut down? ›

In an unannounced move, thousands of United Auto Workers (UAW) union members walked off the job Wednesday, shutting down Ford Motor Company's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, and ramping up the continued strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.

What plants did Ford close? ›

The Ford decision to close its Pico Rivera, Calif., factory will put 1,670 persons there out of work. Opened in 1957, the plant has produced full-sized Ford cars since 1959. Since the start of the 1980 model year, the factory has been producing only Ford's large LTD.

Where is the Ford plant now? ›

Current production facilities
VINNameCity/state
W (NA)Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle CenterDearborn, Michigan
Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing PlantDearborn, Michigan
Dearborn EngineDearborn, Michigan
Dearborn StampingDearborn, Michigan
50 more rows

Is Ford's assembly line still used today? ›

Over a century later, the modern assembly line is still the main arm of the global manufacturing industry. Ford's model has withstood the test of time and is still proving to be an efficient process.

Did Ford invent the assembly line? ›

Ford did not invent the assembly line. The first automobile maker to use assembly line technology was Ransom Olds and the Oldsmobile brand.

What inspired Ford's assembly line? ›

Ford was inspired by the meat-packing houses of Chicago and a grain mill conveyor belt he had seen. If he brought the work to the workers, they spent less time moving about. Then he divided the labor by breaking the assembly of the Model T into 84 distinct steps.

How wide is Assembly Square? ›

Not Added
Brand‎LEGO
Item dimensions L x W x H58.2 x 48 x 17 centimetres
Item weight‎4.7 Kilograms
Age range (description)‎192 months to 252 months
Size‎4002 Pieces
21 more rows

When did Assembly Square come out? ›

Assembly Square (set number: 10255) is the twelfth set in the Modular Building line. It was released on 1 January 2017.

How many pieces does Assembly Square have? ›

LEGO Creator Expert Assembly Square 10255 Building Kit, for 192 months to 252 months(4002 Pieces) We feature offers with an Add to Basket button when an offer meets our high quality standards for: Price, Delivery option, and.

What impact did Ford's assembly line have on the US? ›

Thousands of aspirants showed up at Ford, ready to work under the newly generous terms. By the end of the Model T's run in 1927, fifteen million had been built and sold. The assembly line raised the standard of living for American families and contributed to the rise of the American consumer economy after World War I.

Why was Ford's assembly line so productive? ›

To improve the flow of the work, it needed to be arranged so that as one task was finished, another began, with minimum time spent in set-up. Ford was inspired by the meat-packing houses of Chicago and a grain mill conveyor belt he had seen. If he brought the work to the workers, they spent less time moving about.

How did the assembly line impact the lives of factory workers? ›

As the assembly line spread through American industry, it brought dramatic productivity gains but also caused skilled workers to be replaced with low-cost unskilled labour.

What was unique about the assembly line workers? ›

Further, assembly lines enabled workers to develop process-specific expertise that helped full lines work more efficiently. As a result, manufacturers could finish complex products like cars, aircraft, and industrial machines at a greater rate with more precision than ever before.

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