The former Ford Assembly Plant in Richmond, California stands as a rare survivor of America’s wartime mobilization and a model of successful adaptive reuse. Completed in 1931, the half‑million‑square‑foot “daylight factory” was designed at the height of the Great Depression, when Kahn’s mastery of reinforced concrete, natural illumination and efficient workflow planning helped define a new architectural language for modern manufacturing. Its later transformation into the Richmond Tank Depot during World War II placed the building at the center of the nation’s industrial response. It is the only one of the country’s three wartime tank depots still standing.
Today, the Richmond plant embodies the resilience of Kahn’s work and the value of preservation‑minded stewardship. After decades of industrial use, wartime service, postwar decline — and considerable damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake — the structure was stabilized, restored and reactivated through a public–private partnership that recognized both its historical significance and its architectural integrity. The building now houses a mix of commercial tenants and cultural uses, including the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center in the historic Oil House, ensuring that the stories of the workers who powered the “Arsenal of Democracy” remain accessible to the public.
The Richmond Assembly Plant illustrates how thoughtful preservation and adaptive reuse can honor industrial heritage while sustaining contemporary community life. The narrative below (from the U.S. National Park Service) explores its full history and ongoing role in Richmond’s evolving waterfront landscape:
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