Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant
The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant is a five-story factory built from concrete and brick in Seattle, completed in 1914. The building was designed with wide windows and sturdy walls to house assembly lines where Model T cars were put together in the early 20th century.
The factory began producing about 600 vehicles monthly in 1914 at its South Lake Union location. After relocating to a new site in 1932, the original building was purchased by the W.P. Fuller Paint Company and converted to paint manufacturing.
The building sits in an area with modern structures, but the old factory stands out through its massive size and historic style. The interior was later adapted for storage purposes, so the layout today differs greatly from its original factory function.
The building was constructed with concrete rather than brick because engineers wanted to make it more earthquake-resistant, making it one of the earliest large concrete structures in Seattle. This structural innovation was a modern approach at the time for protecting factory buildings from natural disasters.
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