Phoenix Mill was part of Henry Ford's Village industries project and ran from 1922 to 1948 in Plymouth, Michigan.[1] Generator cutouts, voltage regulators, gauges and light switches for Ford vehicles were produced at the plant.[1]
After the original gristmill burned down, Ford bought the site and commissioned Albert Kahn to design a new mill in 1921.[1] Ford intended the factory to run entirely on a hydroelectric generator.[1]
Workers at Phoenix Mill were mostly women, with male maintenance workers and a male manager.[1] Before the union, women who were hired had to be single, widowed, or married with a husband who was not able to work.[1] Workers had limited breaks and were under pressure to keep optimum efficiency, but were paid the same or more than men who had similar jobs.[1]
Ownership of the mill eventually passed to Wayne County. The building was used only for storage for decades.[2] In 2018, it was sold by Wayne County to a developer, who began converting it into an event space. The pandemic altered the timeline and plans, but the banquet center opened in 2022. The second floor was converted into offices.[3]
The University of Michigan-Dearborn Center for the Study of Automotive Heritage