Ford Rotunda under construction across from the Central Office Building
in 1935 in Dearborn, Michigan
The Ford Rotunda was originally built as an exhibit building for the 1933
Chicago World's Fair, known as the Century of Progress Exposition
Ford Rotunda at Chicago World's Fair - 1933
Ford Motor Company originally built the Rotunda, designed by Albert Kahn,
for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, which opened in May of 1933 and ran
for two years. Known as the Century of Progress Exposition, more than 40
million people visited. After the fair closed, Ford had the Rotunda disassembled
and moved to Dearborn, Michigan, where it took 18 months to rebuild on
a site directly across from Ford Motor Company's Central Office Building,
Ford's "World Headquarters" of the time, (although Ford didn't
call it that until the building that currently houses it was built). Constructed
of a steel framework, over which Indiana Limestone was attached, the building
resembled a stack of four gears, each decreasing in size toward the top.
The Rotunda was the equivalent height of a ten story building, measured
210 feet at the base, and featured a center courtyard with a diameter of
92 feet. Two additional wing buildings anchored the center section. The
Rotunda was opened to the public in Dearborn on May 14, 1936, and immediately
became a top attraction.
During World War II, the Rotunda was closed to the public, and underwent
extensive remodeling in 1952, at which time the center courtyard section
was enclosed by the addition of a geodesic dome roof section weighing 18,000
pounds. The Rotunda reopened to the public on June 16, 1953, as part of
Ford's 50th Anniversary Celebration. A highlight of this celebration included
50 huge Birthday candles, mounted and lit along the rim of the Rotunda.
The ultra-modern Rotunda was a huge attraction, becoming the fifth most
popular United States tourist destination during the 1950s. In fact, only
Niagara Falls, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Smithsonian
Institution, and the Lincoln Memorial were more popular. Yellowstone, Mount
Vernon, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty all received
less visitors.
The annual Christmas Fantasy held during the Holiday season was partially
responsible for the Rotunda's popularity, with nearly a half million people
visiting during 1953, the very first year it was held. A giant Christmas
tree was always a spectacular thing to see, and the Christmas Fantasy became
more spectacular each year. Highlights from various years included animated
characters from children's stories, a 1/2" per foot scale 15,000-piece
miniature circus with 800 animals, 30 tents, and 435 toy figurines of circus
performers and customers. In all, nearly 6 million people visited the Christmas
Fantasy during the nine years it was held at the Rotunda.
Ford always utilized the popularity of the Rotunda to call attention to
new model introductions, and as a special place to photograph its automobiles
and hold special events. At right, the new 1958 Edsels are shown in the
Rotunda. The Edsel would become one of Ford's few marketing mistakes, being
introduced in a depressed economy in the late 1950s, at about the time
when Americans began to want smaller, more economical cars. The dawn of
the American compact car was about to begin. Ford discontinued the Edsel
shortly after the 1960 model year introductions were held, making the Edsel
available for just over 2 years.
With work well under way to make the 1962 Christmas Fantasy the best one
ever, tragedy struck. Shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday, November 9, 1962,
an employee inside the Rotunda noticed smoke and flames up near the roof.
Roof repairmen were up on the roof weatherproofing the geodesic dome panels
with a transparent waterproof sealer. The sealer was being heated to make
it easier to spray, and the flammable vapors ignited accidentally from
a propane heater that was in use on the roof. Once the sealer caught fire,
the fire spread quickly, and within minutes the entire roof structure was
on fire. The composite plastic and fiberglass materials supported by an
aluminum frame burned quickly. Workers on the roof scurried down to safety,
while the alarm was sounded and the Rotunda was evacuated. Even though
the Fire Department arrived quickly, it was too late to save the building.
The roof of the building collapsed before the firemen arrived, and several
firemen barely escaped when the tops of the walls started to fall. Once
the fire reached the highly combustible Christmas Fantasy display which
was being set up, it was out of control. Flames shot 50 feet in the air,
and thick smoke could be seen for miles.
In less than an hour, the Rotunda had burned to the ground. Little was
left, other than the foundation. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries,
although a Ford Building Engineer suffered from smoke inhalation when he
rushed up to the roof shortly after the alarm sounded.
During the period of time the Rotunda was open to the public, a total of
18,019,340 people toured the facility. The Rotunda saw the introduction
of the Lincoln Continental, the Ford Thunderbird, and both the introduction
and discontinuance of the Edsel.
All that was saved of the Christmas Fantasy was the Christmas tree itself,
which hadn't been placed in the Rotunda at the time, and the miniature
circus figurines and props, which were still packed away from the previous
year. The Nativity scene, for which Ford had received a commendation in
1958 from the National Council of Churches for emphasizing the true spirit
of Christmas, and which the Council had determined to be the largest display
of its kind in the United States, was a total loss.
Truly a very sad day in Ford history, and the sad end of a structure that
was filled with many happy memories, and was one of the most famous buildings
in the world during its time. The official report from the fire department
stated that the "Plastic dome on light aluminum construction over
interior court of building collapsed spreading fire to combustable content
(Christmas Fantasy display)." The ground where the Rotunda was located
stood vacant for many years, until the November 20, 2000 ground breaking
of the Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC).
AUTO BREVITY is a single-topic, brief look into automotive history from
Automotive Mileposts.
Ford Motor Company originally built the Rotunda, designed by Albert Kahn,
for the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, which opened in May of 1933 and ran
for two years. Known as the Century of Progress Exposition, more than 40
million people visited. After the fair closed, Ford had the Rotunda disassembled
and moved to Dearborn, Michigan, where it took 18 months to rebuild on
a site directly across from Ford Motor Company's Central Office Building,
Ford's "World Headquarters" of the time, (although Ford didn't
call it that until the building that currently houses it was built). Constructed
of a steel framework, over which Indiana Limestone was attached, the building
resembled a stack of four gears, each decreasing in size toward the top.
The Rotunda was the equivalent height of a ten story building, measured
210 feet at the base, and featured a center courtyard with a diameter of
92 feet. Two additional wing buildings anchored the center section. The
Rotunda was opened to the public in Dearborn on May 14, 1936, and immediately
became a top attraction.
During World War II, the Rotunda was closed to the public, and underwent
extensive remodeling in 1952, at which time the center courtyard section
was enclosed by the addition of a geodesic dome roof section weighing 18,000
pounds. The Rotunda reopened to the public on June 16, 1953, as part of
Ford's 50th Anniversary Celebration. A highlight of this celebration included
50 huge Birthday candles, mounted and lit along the rim of the Rotunda.
Ford always utilized the popularity of the Rotunda to call attention to
new model introductions, and as a special place to photograph its automobiles
and hold special events. At right, the new 1958 Edsels are shown in the
Rotunda. The Edsel would become one of Ford's few marketing mistakes, being
introduced in a depressed economy in the late 1950s, at about the time
when Americans began to want smaller, more economical cars. The dawn of
the American compact car was about to begin. Ford discontinued the Edsel
shortly after the 1960 model year introductions were held, making the Edsel
available for just over 2 years.
In less than an hour, the Rotunda had burned to the ground. Little was
left, other than the foundation. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries,
although a Ford Building Engineer suffered from smoke inhalation when he
rushed up to the roof shortly after the alarm sounded.