Albert Kahn’s Architectural Office in Times of War | September 10, 2026 | 6 PM | Ann Arbor District Library — Malletts Creek Branch
While little could match the battlefield courage and bravery shown in the two world wars of the early 20th century, victory was made possible by those rising to unprecedented production demands at home. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the production of Allied victory.
In 1914 and again in 1939, while the world slid into war, many the United States attempted to ensure its neutrality through deliberate unpreparedness. When this proved futile, American industry was called upon to close the technology gaps between it and history’s greatest war machines.
Detroit architect Albert Kahn and his firm were in a unique position to rise to the challenge of creating, on a rushed basis, immense industrial incubators for products such as warships, long-range bombers and tanks in southeast Michigan and beyond. They played a key role in America’s ability to close the technology gaps between it and history’s greatest war machines.
