Our presenter on the 17th was Mark Heppner, President and CEO of the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House.
Mr. Heppner is very excited about the improvements at the Ford House, which includes a 48,000 square foot visitor center. The center will contain a museum store, education classrooms, a destination restaurant called The Continental, with 80 indoor seats and 40 outdoor, and a grab-and-go food/beverage counter called The Speedster. There will also be event space with the Lakeshore Room able to seat 200 people.
There will be two exhibition galleries. One will be permanent with film, photos, and letters about the Ford family. There will be a focus on Edsel Ford’s car designs and his impact on the auto industry. The second will be rotating, featuring local and national traveling exhibits.
The second new structure is a 17,000 square foot administration building. These new offices allow the staff to be separate from visitor areas.
The renovations focused on sustainability with the buildings generating more energy than they use. Both have solar panels and basins to collect and clean rainwater and the restaurant tables are made from trees that have been cut down on the property.
Mr. Heppner’s hope is to attract many new visitors while still satisfying the regular ones. He is confident of a Spring, 2021 re-opening. To learn more, visit www.fordhouse.org.