Birth, Rebirth and Re-Rebirth of Historic Willow Run

This presentation will be the story of incredible manufacturing achievement and successful brownfield redevelopment, both under difficult circumstances.  It is the story of the three lives of Willow Run.  Willow Run was born in 1941 following a request from Franklin Roosevelt to Henry Ford to help make America the “Arsenal of Democracy.”  During World War II, Willow Run was the United States' primary B24 Liberator Bomber Plant, which at the time was the largest manufacturing plant under one roof and the first aircraft assembly line in the world.  In 1944 the Bomber Plant produced one B24 every 55 minutes, ultimately rolling out over 8,800 aircraft.  After the war, it was reborn as General Motors Corporation’s primary transmission manufacturing plant, until its second death in 2010.  After transfer to the RACER Trust in GM’s bankruptcy settlement, most of the then 5 million square-foot, obsolete plant was demolished.  Willow Run’s re-rebirth, one of the largest brownfield redevelopments in the country, is now underway.  Part of the historic plant and 17 acres of the 330-acre site have been preserved and are currently being restored as the future home of the National Museum of Aviation and Technology, honoring its historic legacy.  The American Center for Mobility is redeveloping the remainder of the site into one of the largest connected and automated vehicle (CAV) research centers and proving grounds in the country.  The re-rebirth story involves creative ideas, passion, and intense efforts by multiple stakeholders to overcome major regulatory, environmental, structural, and logistical barriers.