Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant
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Why it's listed
Built on reclaimed bayfront land beside the Santa Fe Channel in Richmond, California, this Ford assembly plant was designed by Albert Kahn and dedicated in 1931. The main building holds about 496,000 square feet under one roof, with a two-story section, a single-story section, a craneway, a boiler house and a rail shed canopy. Steel windows and sawtooth skylights light the interior, and the craneway extends onto a pile-supported dock where finished vehicles could be loaded onto ships or trains. A detached oil house also contributes. The plant was the largest Ford assembly facility on the West Coast and the only Kahn-designed building in the Bay Area. During the Depression it supplied Ford vehicles across the western states and supported a large local payroll. In 1942 it became a tank depot that processed military vehicles for shipment overseas. Car assembly ended in 1953 and the plant closed in the mid-1950s. A later warehouse, guard house and tugboat building do not contribute.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the plant is significant for its architecture and its history. It is the only Albert Kahn building in the San Francisco Bay Area and uses his "daylight factory", all-under-one-roof design. It was the largest assembly plant on the West Coast, a major driver of the local economy and harbor development, and it converted to military vehicle processing in World War II.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000919, listed June 23, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1414--1422 Harbour Way, S., Richmond |
|---|---|
| County | Contra Costa County |
| Listed | June 23, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000919 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1930 - 1938 |
| Architect / builder | Kahn, Albert |
| Architectural style | Other: Industrial |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as half vacant at the time of the form; grounds and exterior wood members need repair, and the railroad trestle was removed in 1986. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Coordinates | 37.91124, -122.35707 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000919.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5467856
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.