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A History of the Lincoln Motor Company

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A History of the Lincoln Motor Company
6200 W. Warren Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48210

The Lincoln Motor Company located at 6200 W. Warren Avenue, just east of Livernois on Detroit’s west side, was founded by Henry M. Leland in August of 1917.  He named the company after Abraham Lincoln, the first presidential candidate for whom he had ever voted.

Leland had been working for the Cadillac Motor Car Company at 2860 Clark Street in Detroit under William (“Billy”) Durant, founder and head of General Motors.  But when Durant, a known pacifist, refused to allow his Cadillac plant to build Liberty engines during World War I, Leland quit and formed Lincoln Motor Company specifically for that purpose.

The 400-horsepower Liberty V12 engine powered military aircraft and was considered to be America’s most important contribution to aeronautical technology during World War I.  Ford, Lincoln, Packard, Marmon, Buick, and later Cadillac produced the Liberty engine at their plants.

Leland hired prominent Detroit architect George D. Mason to design the buildings of the Liberty factory complex that would span a remarkable 600,000 square feet, approximately the size of Windsor Castle in England, or about 13.8 acres.  He hired the renowned firm of Walbridge Aldinger to construct them.  “By the end of the war, the plant complex contained the Administration Building and Garage (Building A), the machine shop (Building B), the main Factories (Buildings C and D), a power house, a heat treatment plant, a motor testing building, and other minor structures.” 1/

What was important was that the plant had the capacity to produce Liberty engines, and by the end of World War I, employees there had generated 6,500 of them.  Many of those employed by Lincoln Motor Company during the war years were women, and they most likely lived in the neighborhoods surrounding the plant.

After World War I, on August 26, 1920, Lincoln Motor Company was reorganized as an automobile manufacturer, and its factory was overhauled to produce cars.  On September 16, 1920, the first automobile, the Lincoln Model L, rolled off the Lincoln Motor Company assembly line.

On February 4, 1922, Henry Ford purchased the struggling Lincoln Motor Company for $8 million (more than $145 million in 2024 dollars) after it had gone into receivership.  The post-war recession of 1920 had negatively impacted the production of automobiles, but Ford saw this as an opportunity to produce a luxury automobile line.  While the company was valued at much more, there were no other bids for it.  “The purchase of Lincoln created a stand-alone luxury vehicle brand for Ford as Cadillac did for GM.” 2/

Leland remained with Lincoln Motor Company in a management position after Ford’s purchase of the company, but due to his strong-willed nature, he was at constant odds with Ford.  After only a few months with the new company, Leland resigned.

Immediately after purchasing the company, Ford began revamping both the plant layout and its manufacturing operations.  He expanded the complex and added over 300,000 square feet to the plant.  He hired renowned architect Albert Kahn, who had designed Ford’s Highland Park Model T plant, to design some of the buildings that spanned Livernois Avenue.  The plant began manufacturing both the Lincoln Zephyr and the Lincoln Continental.

Numerous automobile plants in Detroit and its suburbs revamped their operations during World Wars I and II to allow for the production of military vehicles, aircraft, and parts.  Women were a large part of the labor force in those plants during both wars.

During World War II, the Lincoln Motor Company plant was overhauled to produce munitions for World War II.  Sophia (Gomulka) Martin (December 10, 1913 – January 21, 2003) was one of the neighborhood women who worked at the Lincoln Motor Company plant during World War II.  In 1943, Sophia had two young children and was living with her husband, Roy Martin (January 21, 1912 – December 28, 1994), her mother, Anna (Korzeniowska) Gomulka Redzej (1883 – December 18, 1965), and her father-in-law, Jacob Redzej.  Anna and Jacob’s house was located at 3663 Clippert, south of Michigan Avenue and west of Livernois, approximately two and one-half miles from the plant.  According to a 1999 interview, Sophia walked to the plant and assembled airplane motors and propellers during the day while Anna watched her children.

A search of the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press newspapers covering the time period did not reveal any articles regarding women working in the plant during World War II.

After the War, the plant returned to its previous automobile manufacturing operations.  The Lincoln Zephyr and the Lincoln Continental were manufactured at the plant until 1952, at which time production was transferred to Wayne, Michigan.  Later, in the fall of 1957, production was relocated to the brand new Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Michigan.

After production of automobiles ceased at the plant, Ford retained some of the office space there.  After production was relocated to the Wixom Assembly Plant, some portions of the office space were leased to other companies.

In 1955, Detroit Edison purchased the complex for $4,500,000 and renamed it the Detroit Edison Warren Service Center.  Many of Detroit Edison’s services were consolidated and relocated to the Service Center.  Later, Detroit Edison used the site primarily for storage.

On June 2, 1978, due to its historical significance to the automotive industry, the Lincoln Motor Company complex was named a National Historic Landmark.  However, the National Historic Landmark designation was later withdrawn on April 4, 2005, after the demolition of many of the buildings.  In December 2002 and January 2003, many of the original buildings were razed, including the main Buildings A, B, C, and D.  Only a small portion of Factory G and some residual support buildings were retained.  The “loss of historic integrity” was substantial and led to the designation being withdrawn. 3/

In 2020, Building H was demolished.  It previously had been located along Warren Avenue adjacent to the former Building A.

As of 2024, the Warren Service Center serves as DTE Energy’s main distribution warehouse and as an equipment storage site, as well as the site of DTE Energy’s fabrication shop.

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Motor_Company_Plant
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Motor_Company
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Motor_Company_Plant

Sources:

Photos:

  1. The administration building at the Lincoln Motor Company plant.  The sprawling plant, situated on 50 acres, was located at 6200 W. Warren Avenue, just east of Livernois, in Detroit.  The administration and other buildings were designed by architect George D. Mason and built by  the Walbridge Aldinger firm.  Source:  https://historicdetroit.org/galleries/lincoln-motor-co-old-photos
  2. Aerial view of the Lincoln Motor Company plant complex at 6200 W. Warren Avenue in Detroit, ca. 1945.  Source:  https://www.motorcities.org/locations/lincoln-motor-car-company
  3. Women at the Lincoln Motor Company plant working on the Liberty engine during World War I, 1917-1918.  Source:  https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/152242#:~:text=During%20World%20War%20I,%20American%20women
  4. A female welder working on a Liberty engine at the Lincoln Motor Company during World War I, ca. 1917.  Source:  https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/98757#:~:text=During%20World%20War%20I,%20American%20women
  5. Sophia (Gomulka) Martin (right), a “riveter” at the Lincoln Motor Company plant during World War II, with mother Anna (Korzeniowska) Gomulka Redzej in Detroit, ca. 1948.  From the collection of Honorary Society member Gary Martin Sr.

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