FORD’S iconic Glass House headquarters, which has been in use for nearly 70 years, is set to be demolished.
The Blue Oval’s famous Michigan headquarters will be no more by the end of 2027 or mid-2028, as they look to move their world operations to a newly developed innovation hub – located near the Henry Ford Museum.
Ford bids farewell to the iconic Glass House as the Henry Ford II World Center ushers in a new era[/caption]
Ford’s modern headquarters will double capacity and drive sustainable innovation[/caption]
Built in 1956, Ford’s Glass House served as a symbol of their might in the car industry[/caption]
According to USA Today, the car giant is looking to modernise – with plans to replace the Glass House with the Henry Ford II World Center, a modern facility designed for sustainability and innovation.
The Glass House, built in 1956, was Ford’s global headquarters for nearly 70 years, spanning 950,000 square feet across 12 floors, housing some 2,000 employees.
While it included eco-friendly features like solar panels and an arboretum, it is now considered outdated and will be demolished within 18 months after teams vacate.
Ford is collaborating with the city of Dearborn to redevelop the site, possibly with open spaces and parks.
The New Henry Ford II World Center, the new headquarters, is set to open in November.
Described as a modern facility designed for sustainability and efficiency, it has only four floors – but reportedly spans 2.1 million square feet, accommodating up to 4,000 employees.
Features include studios, garages, fabrication shops, a net-zero energy design, water-saving strategies and waste reduction methods.
It is also within walking distance of Ford’s Research and Engineering facilities, which has 14,000 employees.
The new building, with its glass-heavy modern aesthetic, aligns with Ford’s long-term strategy, serving as the hub for designing and developing the next generation of Ford vehicles for decades to come.
Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Ford executive chair Bill Ford said: “When we’d recruit people, we’d have to show them everything but where they were going to work.
“It was really bad. So we knew we needed to upgrade our whole product development area and that kind of quickly morphed into our executives should be there, too, because we really want to get the product and the people making product decisions together on a more real-time basis.”
Ford also said he had visited Apple‘s world headquarters in California and was inspired by its beauty.
He did, however, also say the move will be an emotional one for him – having worked at the Glass House for nearly 50 years.
This comes as, back in August, Ford admitted President Donald Trump’s tariffs have hit the company hard.
It has paid $800 million in tariff-related expenses during the second quarter of 2025 – posting their first quarterly loss since 2023.
It expects the tariffs to reduce annual profits by about $3 billion.
Ford’s CEO Jim Farley also recently revealed that the brand was forced to shut down some factories thanks to an industry-wide issue plaguing automakers.
Top Ford recalls in 2025
FORD has issued a historic number of recalls so far this year.
Here’s a look at some of the most significant safety announcements that affected millions of the brand’s vehicles.
- In August, 355,000 models, including the F-550 SC, F-450 SD, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, and the 2025 F-150, were recalled over issues with the instrument safety panel
- Just days prior, over 103,000 F-150s were recalled over an axle fault
- In July, Ford announced that 700,000 vehicles were at risk of having a fuel leak problem
- In the same month, over 850,000 Ford cars were found to potentially have a fuel pump defect that could put them at risk of a crash
- Also in July, 200,000 Ford cars were found to potentially have a software glitch affecting rearview cameras
- In June, four new Ford recalls were announced over several issues, including brake malfunctions
- In May, Ford recalled 273,000 cars over a potentially dangerous brake issue
- In April, 148,000 Ford cars were recalled over fears of a fire risk
- And in March, the brand recalled one model over gearbox problems
