The Ford Motor Company will soon say goodbye to the place it has called its headquarters for almost 70 years.
The Detroit Free Press reported on Monday that the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker will move from its familiar World Headquarters later this year to a new, inclusive campus in west Dearborn.
Ford Chairman Bill Ford and Ford President and CEO Jim Farley confirmed the move in a letter sent to employees.
"We are proud to announce that a new Ford World Headquarters will be at the heart of our upgraded and reimagined Dearborn product development campus, the new Henry Ford II World Center," wrote Ford and Farley. "This is more than just a new building; it’s a catalyst for innovation and a physical symbol of our Ford+ transformation. To win in this new era, we must work more closely together than ever before."
The sprawling, 2.1-million-square-foot development is located on Oakwood Boulevard at Village Road, across the street from the west entrance to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village.
The complex will more than double the space currently available at the "Glass House", which has been the centre of Ford's worldwide operations since 1956.
The current building received its nickname for its imposing glass box-like appearance at the corner of Michigan Avenue and the Southfield Freeway. A line of flags representing the nations where Ford does business is in front. It is in a key location, a short distance away from the museum and village, Fairlane Town Center shopping mall, and the historic Fair Lane estate of the company's founder, Henry Ford.
Bill Ford said the new complex will help streamline operations by bringing key people together in one area.
"Our team is working hard to wrap construction as hundreds of employees are collaborating in the building already," wrote Ford and Farley. "While the majority of the facility will be complete this year, work will continue through 2027 on a final section of the site. When that’s done, up to 4,000 people can work from our HQ with a total of 14,000 employees within a 15-minute walk of the new World Headquarters building, enabling greater collaboration in practice and proximity."
The plan is for the Glass House to be vacated completely by spring 2026 and all employees assigned there moved to the new location. Soon after, a controlled demolition of the old building will begin.
Ford isn't the only Big Three automaker to shift its nerve centre. General Motors has announced plans to move its headquarters from the Renaissance Center in Detroit to the new J.L. Hudson's Tower a short distance away.
