Albert Kahn Bus Tour

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Detroit led the world in architectural innovation during the first half of the last century, among the most important and influential of the city’s architects was Albert Kahn. Almost single-handedly, Kahn revolutionized factory design, enabling the high-volume, mass production of automobiles, aircraft, engines, weapons, and consumer products. Albert Kahn and his engineer brother, Julius Kahn, the inventor of modern reinforced concrete, transformed factories, warehouses, and office buildings from dark and dingy fire traps, into the strong, well lit, clean, and safe modern structures.

By the late 1930s, Albert Kahn’s firm was the leading industrial architecture firm in the world, and was designing nearly 20 percent of all architect-designed industrial buildings in the United States. In Detroit, Kahn and his firm planned more than 400 structures, including The Fisher Building, General Motors Building, and The First National Bank building. From the towering smokestacks of The Ford Motor Highland Park Factory to the awe-inspiring size of The Rouge, Kahn’s team shaped the very skyline of Detroit.

Join The Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation as we visit Albert Kahn’s most significant and influential buildings during this three hour tour that proves Detroit “Kahn Do It”.

Together with your Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation guide, you’ll learn about the varying styles and constructions of Kahn’s most notable buildings, as well as the revolutionary advancements made by the firm. From the rapid growth his factories stimulated, to his struggles as a new immigrant. From telephone companies to automotive giants, country clubs to synagogues. And everything in between we humbly invite you to explore Kahn’s Detroit.