Dodge Hamtramck Plant Old Powerhouse Description and Photos
Albert Kahn designed this brick and steel powerhouse in 1910. The rectangular building was originally 102 feet wide and 128 feet long, but a 30 foot by 100 foot enclosed loading dock was built on the northern facade in the early 1950s. The building originally housed two Corliss engines tied to generators, but in 1914, they were linked to air compressors instead. The original smokestack in the middle of the building was replaced in 1916 by a new brick structure 254 feet tall, 25 feet wide at the base, and 12 feet wide at the top. This stack, located at the southeast comer of the powerhouse, was an area landmark until it was razed in August 1961. In 1926, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls designed a bridge linking the powerhouse with the nearby office building at the second floor level. The west half of the building has served as a cafeteria for office workers since the early 1950s,
OLD POWERHOUSE, EAST ELEVATION, 1980