Ford River Rouge Plant Blast Furnaces
Henry Ford II, Benson Ford, and William Clay Ford Blast Furnaces (Blast Furnaces A3 B, and C).Two of these furnaces, the Henry Ford II and the Benson Ford, date back to Henry Ford's time. They were designed by Julian Kennedy of Pittsburg and went into operation in 1920 and 1928 respectively. The William Clay Ford furnace dates back only to 1948. Situated between the ore storage bins and the Dearborn Iron Foundry, they have their molten metal transported immediately to that building for casting. Each furnace is capable of producing castings eight times each day, and together they have a daily capacity of 6,700 tons of molten metal. The furnaces are of steel shell construction and have been lined with refractory.
View from east, showing showing facade of Henry Ford II Blast Furnace (Blast Furnace A)