MinnPost: Minnesota's unique role in the Ford Motor Company

When we talk about Ford in Minnesota, we are now talking about redeveloping its Twin Cities Assembly Plant site. We’ve moved on. But author Brian McMahon says not so fast — “Let’s remember what happened there.”

McMahon_Ford coverWhen we talk about Ford in Minnesota, we are now talking about redeveloping its Twin Cities Assembly Plant site. We’ve moved on. But author Brian McMahon says not so fast — “Let’s remember what happened there.”

The popular factory tour the Ford Motor Company offered at its Highland Park Plant no doubt inspired some tour-goers to head to their local Ford dealership to take home one of the marvels they’d seen rolling down the line. For McMahon, the tour inspired him to write a book.

“I originally just wanted to see the buildings Alfred Kahn designed for Ford,” said McMahon, a trained architect and historic preservationist who has written extensively about industrial and architectural history. “It started out as a modest intention; I thought it would be fun to take the tour. Well, it was so amazing. The tour was led by a retired autoworker, and he was so informative. I was completely captivated. I wanted to learn more, so I began exploring, and talking to people, and one little bread crumb led to another, and five years later, I thought maybe I had what could become a book.”

Full article.

Published in: MinnPost
By: Amy Goetzman