Ford Rotunda Lantern Slides Series
The Ford Rotunda was used for many purposes, including exhibit space and office space, from 1934 until it was destroyed by a fire in 1962. The Ford Rotunda Lantern Slides series contains glass lantern slides documenting Ford Motor Company's activities at the Rotunda building.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Ford Rotunda, designed by Albert Kahn, was originally built in 1934 to house Ford Motor Company product exhibits and activities at the 1933-1934 Chicago World's Fair. After the fair closed, Ford management elected to move the building to Dearborn,...
MoreThe Ford Rotunda, designed by Albert Kahn, was originally built in 1934 to house Ford Motor Company product exhibits and activities at the 1933-1934 Chicago World's Fair. After the fair closed, Ford management elected to move the building to Dearborn, Michigan. It opened to the public in 1936 as a permanent exhibit area and a hospitality center for Ford Motor Company Rouge River Plant factory tours. From 1942 to 1952 it was used as office space by successive armed services teams and by Ford executive groups. In 1953 the Rotunda was refurbished as part of Ford's fiftieth anniversary celebration. Renovation included the development of a geodesic dome for the circular inner court designed by R. Buckminster Fuller. In the next nine years the Rotunda drew two million visitors a year. A fire destroyed the building in 1962.
LessScope and Content Note
The Ford Rotunda Lantern Slides series contains glass lantern slides documenting Ford Motor Company's activities, events, and exhibits at the Ford Rotunda. The series includes images of scale models of the Rotunda and its reopening in 1953, Ford Motor...
MoreThe Ford Rotunda Lantern Slides series contains glass lantern slides documenting Ford Motor Company's activities, events, and exhibits at the Ford Rotunda. The series includes images of scale models of the Rotunda and its reopening in 1953, Ford Motor Company Rouge River Plant factory tours, Christmas displays, suppliers shows, design and engineering shows, art exhibitions, flower and garden shows, introductions of new automobiles, and visits from celebrities and dignitaries. There are also images of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, Washington; slides of a 1956 Ford Motor Company stockholder's meeting; and a visit from Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1952.
The slides in the boxes are labeled based on a numbering scheme created when they were a part of the Ford Motor Company archives. As several slides were not included in the 1974 donation to The Henry Ford, some of the numbering is non-consecutive.
LessCollection Details
Object ID: 74.300.1182.0
Creator: Ford Motor Company. Photographic Department
Inclusive Dates: 1948-1962
Size: 3.24 cubic ft. (18 card file boxes)
Language: English
Collection Access & Use
Item Location: Not Currently On Exhibit
Access Restrictions: The slides are open for research.
Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Related Objects
Digitized Artifacts From This Collection
In many cases, not all artifacts have been digitized.
Contact us for more information about this collection.
Ford Falcon Automobile and Christmas Tree Inside the Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1959
Details
Ford Falcon Automobile and Christmas Tree Inside the Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1959
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.
Creators
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.3.81
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Ford Falcon Automobile and Christmas Tree Inside the Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1959
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Ford Rotunda at Christmas, "Cathedral" Entrance, 1959
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.3.79
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Ford Rotunda at Christmas, "Cathedral" Entrance, 1959
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Puppet Show, "The Deer-Barn Four," Christmas at Ford Rotunda, 1960
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.3.94
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Puppet Show, "The Deer-Barn Four," Christmas at Ford Rotunda, 1960
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Model of Mobile Designed by Malcolm Moran for the Ford Rotunda, circa 1953
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
As part of its fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1953, Ford Motor Company refurbished the Rotunda--an exhibit area and hospitality center for Ford's Rouge factory tours. The company commissioned artists to design and install various design elements, including this mobile by sculptor Malcolm Moran, which symbolized progressive research and engineering. The completed mobile hung inside the entrance of the Rotunda.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.1.32
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Model of Mobile Designed by Malcolm Moran for the Ford Rotunda, circa 1953
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
The Mobile Designed by Malcolm Moran Suspended inside the Ford Rotunda Entrance, circa 1953
Artifact
Lantern slide
Date Made
circa 1953
Summary
As part of its fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1953, Ford Motor Company refurbished the Rotunda--an exhibit area and hospitality center for Ford's Rouge factory tours. In addition to several dedicated exhibition spaces, the new design included an auditorium, a public lounge, and a themed outdoor ride. The Rotunda drew two million visitors annually until it was destroyed by fire in 1962.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.5.19
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
The Mobile Designed by Malcolm Moran Suspended inside the Ford Rotunda Entrance, circa 1953
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Courtyard of the Ford Rotunda Building in Dearborn, Michigan, 1937
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
Ford Motor Company brought its central Rotunda building from the 1934 Century of Progress Exposition back to Dearborn and, from 1936 until a devastating fire destroyed the building in 1962, recreated the excitement of a World's Fair exposition on its home turf. This photo shows the central courtyard inside the building soon after it opened in 1937.
Creators
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.1.45
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Courtyard of the Ford Rotunda Building in Dearborn, Michigan, 1937
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Viewing the North Pole Christmas Display at the Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1957
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.
Creators
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.3.60
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Viewing the North Pole Christmas Display at the Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1957
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Viewing the Doll Display at the Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1958
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.
Creators
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.3.64
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Viewing the Doll Display at the Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1958
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Santa's Workshop and Castle Christmas Display at the Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1958
Artifact
Lantern slide
Summary
After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.
Creators
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
74.300.1182.3.77
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Santa's Workshop and Castle Christmas Display at the Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1958
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
