FIRMS & SITES

Consider reviewing the Early Industry page before looking at any other site. Then survey sites in this order of sites as you explore the Guide:

Clark St. / Michigan Ave. Companies

Clark / Fort Street Companies

Lincoln Motor Company

Fisher Body Fleetwood & Ternstedt Plants

Michigan Central Railroad Depot

Woodmere Cemetery

MNP (Formerly Federal Screw Works)

Review Baker Street Trolley, Graham Paige, Historic Fort Wayne and other pages at your leisure. Note that “Clark St. / Fort St. Companies” include discussions of James Group International - Renaissance Global Logistics and the former site of Blomstrom Motors & Studebaker. “Clark St. / Michigan Ave. Companies” includes: the former sites of American Car & Foundry and Cadillac Clark St. plant as well as firms that are part of the Clark Street Technology Park.

Look for profiles of the Ford Rouge and other sites to be posted in the months ahead.

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Click here for an introduction to Southwest Detroit’s 19th century industrial roots 

Early Industry

Railway Cars, Bricks, and Salt: The Industrial History Of Southwest Detroit Before Auto by Dr. Thomas Klug

Click on any link to access a site of interest

Clark Street / Michigan Avenue Companies

Clark / Fort Street Companies

GM Fisher Body Fleetwood  

GM Ternstedt Plants

Historic Fort Wayne

Lincoln Motor Company

Michigan Central Station 

Former MNP site - 1938 site of Federal Screw Works

Woodmere Cemetery

Click here for a list of the other sites we have begun to research and hope to develop in a subsequent phase of work

We “Auto” Know More: Other Sites of Interest

Individual Members 2019

Organizational Members 2019

New MotorCities Automotive Themed Tours Now Available!

MotorCities is partnering with seven Detroit-area tour operators to offer public tours related to the automotive or labor heritage of Michigan.  The partnerships are intended to serve as a pilot program that can be expanded in future years both in metro Detroit and in other communities around the 16-county National Heritage Area. 

Tour experiences available vary from riding in a vintage Ford Model A to pedaling a bicycle or even kayaking in the Detroit River – all while visiting key automotive historical sites and learning the story of how the region put the world on wheels.

We are proud to offer the following experiences:
 

Antique Touring Company - Tinkerers to Titans in the Auto Age Tour
Hop in a Ford Model A and explore the "coming of age" story of the automobile during the first decades of the 20th Century from the vantage point of Detroit’s Woodward Corridor. Tours are offered every day, except Tuesdays, May 1 through October 31. Additional information can be found on their website: https://antiquetouring.com/book/


City Tour Detroit - MotorCities Car Culture Tour   
A walking/Detroit People Mover/QLine tour showcases Detroit’s automotive heritage in the Downtown and Midtown areas. The four- hour tour begins in Hart Plaza and will stop by many significant sites in the city. These tours will be offered on a seasonal basis once a week mid-June through September. https://citytourdetroit.com/

Detroit Experience Factory - MotorCities Auto Heritage New Center Walking Tour 
On this walking tour, guests will experience the past, present and future of the Detroit area, going back in time with a visit into the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant and speak with some of the innovators who now call these neighborhoods home. The tours are offered monthly May through September. For more information, please visit http://detroitexperiencefactory.org/public-tours

Magical Michigan Tours - Henry Ford: From Farm to Factory Tour 
This bus tour connects visitors to actual historic sites that reveal Henry Ford’s life from his farming roots to becoming an industrial magnate. Guests will visit locations important to his story and gain a personal view of his life and impact on society in the 20^th century. The tour is available year-round. https://magicalmichigantours.webs.com/

Preservation Detroit - MotorCities Downtown Auto History Tour  
The two-hour walking tour, offered the second Sunday of each month May through September, will explore the early automotive history right in downtown Detroit, from the site of Henry Ford’s shed, where he built his famous Quadricycle, to the Dodge Brothers’ Greektown bicycle building roots. The MotorCities Auto History tour is also available as a private tour to groups from five to 50 guests. 

Normally, the tour will be a 2.5 hour walking experience, however it can also be conducted via the People Mover if requested by private groups. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preservation-detroit-motorcities-auto-history-tour-tickets-62649004860

Riverside Kayak Connection - MotorCities Detroit Historical Canal Tour  
Explorers are going to kayak through Detroit’s Eastside. Highlights of this tour include the Fisher Mansion, stories of prohibition and the Purple Gang, the friendly residents of Detroit’s “Little Venice” and a view of the Motor City’s downtown. Tours are two hours long and are available seasonally on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday availabilities and more information can be found on their website: https://riversidekayak.com/tours/detroit-historical-canal-tour/

Wheelhouse Detroit - Auto Heritage Bicycle Tour 
On this 15-mile tour, guests will discover how Detroit became the center of industry. The tour takes in the Globe Building, Dequindre Cut, Packard Plant, the GM Detroit-Hamtramck (Poletown) Assembly Plant, Milwaukee Junction, New Center (old GM Headquarters and Fisher Building), and TechTown, where we will learn how industry is evolving with advanced technology. Tour dates are available seasonally one day each month. For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/WheelhouseDetroit/events/