One hundred years ago, the Ford Twin Cities assembly plant opened its doors. Bordering the Mississippi River, the plant was powered by a hydroelectric dam. Most recently, the facility was responsible for production of the Ford Ranger until it shuttered in 2011. Since then, some of it has been demolished to make way for housing developments while other parts of the former plant have fallen into a state of disrepair. It’s a well-known haunt for urban explorers, but the site’s crumbling condition makes it risky, and unfortunately, a teenager learned that the hard way after getting injured at the abandoned plant.
According to report from local outlet Fox9, the teen reportedly fell through a grate at the Ford Twin Cities plant in St. Paul. Authorities did not disclose why the teenager was on site, or if they were accompanied by anyone else at the time of the accident. The teen fell 20 feet when the grate gave way and was unable to walk after falling.
St. Paul Fire rescue teams arrived on the scene at just after 8 p.m. on April 5th, 2025, finding that the teenager was conscious but injured. They were transported to the hospital where they received treatment and are expected to recover.
People are strongly discouraged from venturing into the abandoned plant because of its dilapidated state. Concerns stem from an incident that occurred in 2021, when three people who were part of a group became trapped in the same part of the building. One person was hospitalized. Firefighters warn that beyond the crumbling building and threat of falling, visitors can be exposed to dangerous substances such as asbestos.
The former Ford factory is steeped in controversy beyond its dangerous premises. Economic issues that have dragged on from the COVID 19 pandemic, along with rent control policies imposed by the city of St. Paul, have caused several construction delays over the past few years, stalling out plans to demolish and repurpose the rest of the campus.
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So why do all the pics show new development and not the old plant site of the accident? I tell ya.
The photo was likely supplied by the developer, who wouldn’t show pics of the abandoned rail yard, which hasn’t been cleaned up yet.
The assembly plant itself is long gone and being redevelopment into housing now. However down the bank on the river, the original dam and hydroelectric plant continues to operate. There’s also an old steam plant that is abandoned, been heavily trafficked by kids and explorers for years. That’s where this occured
Minnesota is a dump run by far left pinkos. Nothing surprises me there.
They might be referring to the old glass plant which had access to tunnels underneath the plant where they mined sand to make the glass. That operation ceased in 1959, but the hydro electric power plant is in full operation still. It powers the lock and dam and the excess power is sold to the grid.
The glass plant was part of the the main campus on top of the bank. This is the steam plant
Here’s an idea…. With some of the infrastructure still in place, open an assembly plant !
Oh no, wait, some believe China is better to open a plant.
How about those 5 or so plants built when Mark Fields was CEO. What ever happened to those?
There’s basically 0 infrastructure in place, nor the land to build one here anymore. The hopes of a new assembly plant in the north are very low due to the liklihood of a union. Any new American plants are typically going in southern states.
What plants did Mark Fields build?