with manufacturing plants on six continents odds are you've seen a ford on the roads hi
everyone ken here welcome to this house today we are exploring the homes of henry ford
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henry ford came from humble beginnings both of his parents had immigrated to the united states to
find a better life they established a modest farm in michigan where henry would become curious about
the interworkings of the various machines used on the farm henry never received any formal education
nonetheless he became very knowledgeable about the machines he was around repairing them and
tinkering with them he gained such a reputation as a mechanic in a small community that when he
applied for a job at the edison illuminating company he was employed as an engineer his
innate ability stood out to his manager and he was quickly promoted to the position of chief engineer
thomas edison worked closely with the young savant encouraging him to experiment with the use of
gasoline and engines an experiment that would lead henry to develop his own automobile engine within
a couple years henry left the edison illuminating company to start the ford motor company and by
1908 he had produced the model t an affordable car designed for mass production in 1911
he had manufacturing plants in three countries ford had dominated the automobile industry
and had amassed a fortune while doing so but he would never forget his humble roots
before building his dream house he made sure his workers were taken care of even though he
was opposed to unions he still integrated policies to make sure his workers were taken care of he put
a 40 hour per week work limit on each employee hiring men and women to fill any available role
he paid every worker the same amount 5 per day or adjusting for inflation the modern-day equivalent
of nearly twenty dollars per hour though adjusting for buying power across all daily commodities his
workers would have earned the equivalent of nearly thirty dollars per hour with a clear conscience
knowing that his workers could live comfortable lives he went on to enjoy his wealth together with
his wife clara the couple scouted a 1300 acre lot sitting along the rogue river in dearborn michigan
they initially hired frank lloyd wright to design their home but would end up cycling through four
different architects each working off the sketches of the last until their vision could be realized
which led to a rather eclectic mix of the prairie style and tudor revival style
composing the 56-room mansion construction started but not without respects being paid to the man who
pushed henry ford to become the businessman he was henry invited thomas edison to lay the cornerstone
before the builders got started at 31 000 square feet and with so many small rooms the house dubbed
fair lane felt cozy unlike the grand palaces associated with many of the barons of industry
the house was meant to be used as a family home and included spaces such as a bowling alley
and an indoor pool though much of the time was spent outdoors enjoying the wooded landscape
walking into the home you would pass through an anti-haul in line with frank lloyd wright's
designs you would be compressed by a low ceiling before being released into a larger space unlike
wright's designs the stair hall was heavily ornamented and shared the likeness of an english
manor house though some room stayed more true to wright's vision as we can see exposed stone
walls and the sun porch carrying the exterior of the home inside the dining room mixed elements of
classical design with frank lloyd wright's simple geometry lending the wall panels to appear as
a precursor to the art deco style the music room varied from this design practice by harkening back
to the gilded age glamour white wood panels were set below plasters capping off at the freeze below
a jacobian ceiling the oversized hearth dominated the wall with contrasting wood tones each section
boasting elaborate relief work the living room carried on the same decor theme as the music room
but with unpainted wood paneling and plasters the plaster ceiling was less geometric with simple
shapes connected by a vine motif even the smaller rooms such as the library were equally as ornate
the library contained a barrel vaulted ceiling with ornate wood trims surrounding built-in
bookcases in a stone fireplace in 1916 the ford family set out to find a vacation home in florida
they fell in love with a humble bungalow named the mangoes and promptly offered twenty two thousand
dollars to purchase the property or the modern day equivalent of about six hundred thousand dollars
the house was perfect not only was it next door to the edison's vacation home but it was more
reminiscent of henry's childhood home the family would camp on the beach make their own meals in
the kitchen and square dance in the living room they would spend 20 quaint years vacationing to
this house but fort myers florida was becoming a tourist trap the area had lost the quaint
charm that first drew them to it and they started looking for a new vacation property they found a
beautiful old plantation home in savannah georgia that had been built in 1825 it was in major need
of repair but the bricks and stones that composed it had weathered in the most elegant way the forts
could not resist the alluring aesthetic of the 100 year old brick so they purchased the
property but they did not like the location with the utmost care they had the house disassembled
with plans to reassemble it wherever they would find their ideal setting for a vacation house
continuing their property search in georgia they were shown a large tract of land and waste station
the 85 000 acre tract was not ocean front but a river wrapped around it this was the perfect
setting for their new vacation home scrapping the plans to reassemble the plantation house
they commissioned an architect to design a 7 000 square foot home that could use all the brick they
had salvaged from the plantation interestingly enough the spot they decided to build on had
formerly been a plantation house which had been burned down by general sherman's troops in 1864
during the civil war the only parts of the former plantation that were still intact were the row of
oaks lining the drive and a rice mill which henry would convert into his workshop the house would
become known as richmond plantation and would eventually see 400 more homes built on its grounds
in honor of the ford's presence in the town way station was renamed to the town of richmond hill
today all three of henry ford's houses are still standing fairlane is currently being used as a
space for a non-profit organization the mangoes is open as a museum along with thomas edison's
vacation home the richmond plantation has been placed on the national register of historic places
and is now privately owned which of these three homes was your favorite let me know down below in
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