The Ford River Rouge complex, officially called the Ford Rouge Center, is also known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge. It is a car factory owned by Ford Motor Company. The factory is located in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, along the River Rouge. It is near where the River Rouge meets the Detroit River at Zug Island. The complex was completed in 1928. In 1978, it was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Site and buildings

In 1915, Henry Ford bought the land where the Rouge complex is now located. He originally planned to create a bird sanctuary, but later changed his plans after the Ford Motor Company was asked by the federal government to build warships. The first building on the site, called "Building B," was constructed to meet this request.

The Rouge complex covers an area 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide and 1 mile (1.6 km) long. It includes 93 buildings and nearly 16 million square feet (1.5 km²) of factory space. The complex has its own docks along the Rouge River, 100 miles (160 km) of railroad tracks, an electricity plant, and an integrated steel mill. These features allowed the Rouge to turn raw materials into finished vehicles within the same location, an example of vertical-integration production.

Some buildings at the Rouge were designed by architect Albert Kahn. For example, the glass plant built in 1925 replaced Ford’s glass production site in Highland Park, Pittsburgh. This building is 760 feet long and 240 feet wide, with large glass panels on its walls. Kahn also designed the tire plant, completed on January 30, 1938. This building is 802 feet long and 240 feet wide, and it has a butterfly roof and large glass panels on its walls.

In the second quarter of 1932, with support from Edsel Ford, Mexican artist Diego Rivera was invited to study the Rouge facilities. His observations inspired the Detroit Industry Murals, which are now displayed at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Charlie Chaplin visited the Rouge in 1936 to study the site for his film Modern Times.

From 1924 to 1980, the Ford Company offered free bus tours of the Rouge. At their peak, these tours welcomed about a million visitors each year. Tours were restarted in 2004 in partnership with The Henry Ford Museum, including multimedia presentations and views of the assembly floor. In 2017, the Rouge received 148,000 visitors.

The Rouge once had a power plant to supply energy to the facility. On February 1, 1999, the power plant exploded, killing six workers and seriously injuring fourteen others. The explosion was linked to Ford’s failure to follow safety regulations, and Ford was fined $1.5 million. Bronze plaques were placed to honor the six workers who died. In 2024, the abandoned power plant was explored by The Proper People, a YouTube group that explores urban areas.

The Rouge campus also includes Rouge Steel, which Ford sold to another company in 1989. The mill is now owned by Cleveland-Cliffs.

On May 10, 2004, Ford closed the Dearborn Assembly Plant (formerly Building B), which had operated since 1918. The last car produced there was a red 2004 Mustang GT convertible, driven off the line by Fred Galicki, a 21-year Ford employee.

In September 2020, Ford announced the construction of the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, costing $700 million. This facility produces the Ford F-150 Lightning, an electric vehicle. On May 18, 2021, President Joe Biden visited the plant, drove an F-150 Lightning, and supported electric vehicles during a speech there.

In 1999, architect William McDonough worked with Ford to redesign the Rouge River facility. The roof of the Dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with over 10 acres of sedum, a type of low-growing plant. This helps clean rainwater, reduce building temperatures, and save energy. The sedum is part of an $18 million rainwater treatment system, which saves Ford $50 million annually by avoiding the need for a mechanical treatment facility.

Production history

The plant's first products were Eagle-class patrol crafts for the United States Navy, which were not used during World War I. Making warships caused the River Rouge to be widened, allowing lake freighters to pass through. Ford made tractors at the plant from 1921 to 1927. After a five-month shutdown, the plant began producing the Model A. Most parts of the Model T were made at the plant, while the final assembly of the vehicles happened in Highland Park.

During World War II, the Rouge complex produced jeeps, aircraft engines, aircraft parts, tires, tubes, and armor plates.

The Rouge made most parts for Ford vehicles, starting with the Model T. Many vehicles were assembled into "knock-down kits," then sent by railroad to other assembly locations across the United States. These kits were finished locally using supplies available in those areas.

Over four decades, the Rouge produced many different Mustang models. It was one of only three places where Ford made the Mustang; the other locations were Metuchen Assembly in Edison, New Jersey, and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas, California.

In 2019, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Rouge Plant's opening, Ford made the Mustang Shelby GT500 for the 2020 Ford Motor Show. With 700 horsepower, it is the most powerful street-legal car. At the time of its centennial, the Rouge was the oldest automobile plant still in operation.

As of 2019, the Rouge produced F-150s, and as of 2022, it produced F-150 Lightnings.

Employment and unionization

At its highest point, the Rouge had as many as 100,000 workers. In March 1932, after many workers were fired, 4,000 to 5,000 former employees of the Rouge went without food and marched to protest. This event became known as the Ford Hunger March. On May 26, 1937, members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) planned to hand out leaflets, which led to an attack by Ford. This event is called the Battle of the Overpass. The UAW was officially accepted by the Rouge on June 20, 1941, with a contract. By 1947, the union at the Rouge plant was led by James E. Jackson, an official of the Communist Party USA. In 1949, a group within the union formed to protect African American workers, who made up about 25% of the workforce. The group’s requests were not accepted because they were accused of supporting communism. By 1960, 65% of the plant’s workers were African American, with 3.5% classified as skilled laborers. In September 2024, the tool and die makers at the Rouge went on strike because of disagreements about their contract.

Architectural influence

The Rouge complex influenced Renault's 1920 Île Seguin factory, GAZ's 1930s factory in the Soviet Union, Volkswagen's 1938 Wolfsburg factory in Germany, FIAT's 1939 Mirafiori factory in Italy, and the later Hyundai factory complex in Ulsan, South Korea, which began in the late 1960s. Some buildings at Rouge were designed by architect Albert Kahn. In 1978, Rouge was named a National Historic Landmark District because of its architecture and its importance to the industry and economy of the United States.

During the early years of the Soviet Union's industrial growth, Ford helped create an automobile production complex in Nizhny Novgorod. This project was influenced by the River Rouge complex.

Former products made

• Eagle-class patrol craft (1918–1919)
• Fordson tractor (1921–1928)
• Ford Model T (1920s; parts)
• Ford Model A (1927–1932)
• Ford Model B (1932–1934)
• Ford Model 48 (1935–1936)
• 1937 Ford (1937–1940)
• 1941 Ford (1941–1942, 1946–1949)
• 1949 Ford (1949–1951)
• 1952 Ford (1952–1954)
• Ford Fairlane (1955–1961)
• Ford Thunderbird (1955–1957)
• Ford Mustang (1964–2004)
• Ford F-150 Lightning (2022–2025)
• Mercury Capri (1979–1986)
• Mercury Cougar (1966–1973)