Detroit has many famous addresses, but few carry as much happy history as 461 Piquette Avenue. Behind the red-brick walls of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant stands the birthplace of the Model T, the car that put the world on wheels — and today this 121-year-old U.S. National Historic Landmark welcomes visitors as a nonprofit museum celebrating Detroit’s spirit of innovation.
Inside, the original wooden floors, brickwork and rows of sturdy columns still frame the factory floor where Henry Ford’s team developed the Model T in 1908. More than 65 rare vehicles fill the plant, from Ford’s early “letter” cars to elegant examples of the brands that competed with them, including Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Studebaker, Dodge, Packard and Detroit Electric. Photographs, film, exhibits and original artifacts bring to life the industrial, cultural and social story of the early Motor City, when this neighborhood helped make Detroit the Silicon Valley of its era.
Visitors can explore at their own pace or join one of the guided tours offered at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The museum, at the corner of Piquette and Beaubien, three blocks east of Woodward Avenue, is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free parking and the QLine’s Amsterdam station just two blocks away. It is an essential, joyful stop for anyone who wants to stand exactly where the Motor City got its start.
Photo: Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum
