Pittsburgh's Historic Ford Motor Co. Assembly Plant Evolves with the City

The Assembly. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

For over a century the corner of Baum and Morewood in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield and Shadyside neighborhoods has been a site for innovation. In 1908 Henry Ford transformed the manufacturing process with the design of the Ford Model T. He created a one-stop shop for assembly, sales, and service housed in one location. The Baum and Morewood Ford Assembly Plant was one of 31 locations across the country and locally, it was situated on "Automobile Row". Designed by Ford's corporate architect, John H. Graham Sr, the facility opened in 1915 and was constructed from reinforced concrete. The 8-story main building housed the assembly areas and a vehicle showroom. Behind the main building was a 6-story crane shed which unloaded parts delivered via the adjacent Pennsylvania Railroad Tracks directly to the appropriate level for assembly. The building served this function until 1935 when it transitioned to vehicle and parts sales until 1953. It then housed a variety of light industrial uses until 2006 when it was purchased by The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). It was subsequently purchased by the University of Pittsburgh in 2018, the same year it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The University of Pittsburgh collaborated with Wexford Science & Technology, LLC to transform the building, in line with its surrounding neighborhoods, into a hub for biomedical research and innovation. Wexford is a real estate company specialized in partnering with universities, academic medical centers, and research institutions to develop vibrant, mixed-use, amenity-rich "knowledge communities". ZGF Architects furthered their vision into a 524,366 ft^2 space comprised of the renovated main building, a new complementary building, and the renovated crane shed. The new facility opened May 5, 2022. The University of Pittsburgh will lease approx. 245,000 ft^2 with approx. 110,000 ft^2 in new construction for lease by other tenants. The space includes facilities for labs, R&D, offices, a 250+ seat auditorium, a restaurant, a café, a 324 space car park, a bicycle room, and conference & event spaces. James Berens, founder and chairman of Wexford Science and Technology said, "Much like Ford's vision for an interdisciplinary facility in which to build cars, the assembly similarly merges the talents of the University, growth companies, startups, the city and its citizens into an environment that is unique in character and integrated into the fabric of the community and functions as a center of the regional innovation ecosystem." University of Pittsburgh Chancellor, Patrick Gallagher, stated, "The Assembly is more than a facility. Its a confluence of Pittsburgh's storied past, relentless evolution, and astonishingly bright future. And I am excited to watch this space fill with world-renowned talent from the University of Pittsburgh who will make quick work of pushing medicine's frontiers forward for society's gain."