Ford Motor Co. (F) is preparing for a historic move that marks the first time in seven decades the automaker will relocate its world headquarters. Later this year, the company will move to a newly constructed campus just three miles (5 kilometers) from its longtime home in Dearborn, Michigan, continuing its deep-rooted presence in the city that has long been synonymous with the Ford name.
The new 2.1-million-square-foot (195,096-square-meter) facility will formally be called Ford World Headquarters when it opens in November. It is part of a larger campus that will adopt the name of the current HQ: the Henry Ford II World Center. Henry Ford II, grandson of company founder Henry Ford and uncle of current executive chairman Bill Ford, represents the deep heritage embedded in the company’s operations.
Ford’s existing headquarters at 1 American Road — affectionately known as “The Glass House” — opened in 1956 and was considered one of the largest single-occupant office buildings in the nation at the time. “When we move to the new headquarters, the 1 American Road address will move with it, because we’re going to continue to develop products for the next century,” said Ted Ryan, Ford’s heritage and brand manager, highlighting the symbolic continuity between the old and new campuses.
The new headquarters is located just a five- to ten-minute drive away and is designed to enhance collaboration, innovation, and integration among corporate leadership, design, and engineering teams. With 14,000 employees positioned within a 15-minute walk of the main building, the campus is intended to create a cohesive, high-functioning work environment.
The campus will include six state-of-the-art design studios, a 160,000-square-foot (14,864-square-meter) food hall open to all employees, wellness rooms, mothers’ spaces, and over 300 tech-enabled meeting rooms. The design reflects Ford’s commitment to fostering creativity, productivity, and employee well-being.
Ford’s move mirrors similar headquarters transitions in the Detroit area. General Motors, for example, is relocating from its iconic headquarters along the Detroit River to a new office building in downtown Detroit, underscoring a regional shift toward modernized corporate campuses.
Ford’s new headquarters sits on the site of the former Product Development Center, a historic facility dedicated in 1953 with President Dwight Eisenhower participating live via one of the earliest uses of closed-circuit television. Over the decades, some of the most iconic American vehicles were developed there, including the Mustang, Thunderbird, and F-Series trucks.
“Dearborn and Ford are almost synonymous. If you think of Dearborn, you think of Ford, and if you think of Ford, you think of Dearborn,” Ryan said, standing in the shadow of the Glass House. “Henry Ford was born just a few miles from the headquarters where we sit now. Multiple members of the Ford family, when they walk in and see the blue oval on the building, are really walking into their family home.”
Soon, thousands of employees and visitors will enter a brand-new home for one of America’s most storied automakers — a modern campus that honors the company’s heritage while embracing innovation for decades to come.
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