Since this is the time of year many neighborhood residents consider buying a new car, it’s interesting to note that Fords once rolled off an assembly line in East Dallas.
Between World War I and World War II, our neighborhood experienced steady growth, especially around Lakewood Country Club and White Rock Lake. The development of Lakewood, Hollywood Heights and Mount Auburn in the early 1920’s – along with a rapid increase in population – attracted businesses seeking a solid economic climate and strong customer base.
One such business was the Ford Motor Company, which opened its plant Aug. 5, 1925, at 5200 East Grand.
Ford first came to Dallas in 1909, when Henry Ford opened a two-man sales office on Commerce across from the present location of the Dallas Grand Hotel. There was some production at this location, but it dramatically increased when the first Ford assembly plant opened at Canton and Williams in 1914. The East Grand plant replaced this operation.
During World War II, growth stopped in East Dallas for more than four years as Americans focused on the war. In East Dallas, Ford Motor Company revamped its operations in order to manufacture reconnaissance cars – vehicles referred to as “Jeeps” by the military. The first model rolled off the assembly line on Feb. 13, 1942. During the war, 95,345 Jeeps and 6,286 military trucks were manufactured at the East Grand Plant.
The plant continued to operate until Feb. 27, 1970, when it closed its doors because it could no longer compete with more modern car-building operations within the company. At the time of its closing, the East Grand plant had built more than 3 million cars and had a production capacity of 43 cars per hour.
The former Ford plant is now a multi-tenant commercial property.
