Ford Piquette Plant Gets $500k Grant Amid 120th Anniversary

March 18, 2024 11:50 am

The Ford Piquette plant in Detroit – birthplace of the Model T – hasn’t produced anything in a very long time, but the historical site remains a popular tourist attraction that recently displayed a host of vintage Blue Oval models including the Model A and Model T, as well as the Models B, C, F, K, N, R, and S as part of the Larry Porter Collection. Following a year-long renovation project, the first floor of the Ford Piquette plant officially opened to the public for the first time in decades just last year, giving visitors a look back at the history of all-electric vehicles. Now, as the Ford Piquette plant celebrates 120 years since it was erected, the site has received a $500,000 Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), according to Hagerty.

This substantial federal grant will match a total of one dollar for every three dollars the non-profit Model-T Automotive Heritage Complex Inc. museum raises, which will be used for “crucial infrastructure projects and increased accessibility for the many thousands of visitors who tour the historic structure each year.” According to the non-profit, the museum needs around $10 million to address a variety of needs related to everything from plumbing to wiring to an elevator that’s 100 years old itself.

The funds matching effort from NEH is part of a larger $33.8 million in grants that were recently announced, which will go toward a number of different projects across the U.S. “It is my great pleasure to announce NEH grant awards to support 260 exemplary humanities projects undertaken by scholars, higher education institutions, and organizations of every size,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “This funding will help preserve and expand access to community histories, strengthen the ability of small museums and archives to serve the public, and provide resources and educational opportunities for students to engage with history, literature, languages, and cultures.”

Those interested in making a matching donation to the Ford Piquette plant and its “Preserving the Legend” fund can do so by visiting www.fordpiquetteplant.org.

We’ll have more on the Ford Piquette plant soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.