JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville City Council voted to approve the demolition of the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, a historic downtown property.
City council members say the owner of the property is allowing the building to be photographed and documented as a part of the city’s history before it is demolished.
The Historic Ford Motor Assembly Plant opened in 1924 to produce the Ford Model T and eventually the Model A. It churned out hundreds of cars a day and employed hundreds of people.
The Great Depression led to the plant’s downfall in the 1930s. Urban Planner and Jacksonville Historian Ennis Davis says despite its rich history, the building is vacant and deteriorating.
"We have a building that it's essentially near and 100 years old at this point. And if you don't maintain it, it starts to decay," Davis said. "So part of it is built over the river. The wood posts that supports the build are now in the process of failing. Unless you have significant money put into restoring, and bringing back at some point, it will fall into the river."
Davis says because it's a historic property, there was a lengthy approval process before a decision for demolishment could be made. Davis believes if the building is demolished, hundreds of more jobs can potentially be created.
"If the property can be demolished, then that property will be possibly used for shipbuilding activity. So, it's been mentioned that potentially 300 jobs could be created on the site if the building wasn't there," Davis said.
For decades, the site has also been used as Ford’s logistics and distribution center, as well as for boat manufacturing and other uses. It is unknown what the site will be once the building is demolished, and it is unknown when the timeline of when the demolition will take place.
