The History of Ford's Assembly Plant in Des Moines, Iowa
The Central Campus building of Des Moines Public Schools, located at 1800 Grand Avenue, is a historic six-story brick-and-masonry structure that was originally built by the Ford Motor Company in 1917–1918 as a Model T assembly plant . It was designed to serve as a massive factory, with dimensions equivalent to six football fields, and later retooled to produce aircraft engines during WWII. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] Key Historical Milestones 1917-1918: Constructed by Ford Motor Company. 1920-1932: Served as an assembly plant for Model T, Model A, and later models. 1932-1943: Operated as a Ford sales service branch and warehouse. WWII Era: Retooled for Solar aircraft engine manufacturing. 1953-1986: Transformed into Des Moines Technical High School (known as "Tech High"). 1986-Present: Became Central Campus, a regional magnet career-technical academy serving high school students throughout central Iowa. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] Educational Evolution - In 1982, the district began the t...