The Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium was constructed in 1955 and opened in 1956. The building was designed by the Detroit, Michigan, firm O'Dell, Hewlett and Luckenbach. The auditorium was situated between Jefferson Avenue to the north, the Detroit River to the south, Woodward Avenue to the west, and Bates Street to the east.
Irregular in plan, the auditorium was intended for a variety of events such as opera, symphony orchestra performances, conventions, lecture, motion pictures, and radio and television broadcasts.
Constructed of steel and concrete clad in Swedish Blue Pearl granite and white marble, the cost of the five-million dollar building was met with gifts of $1,500,000 from the Ford Family Fund and one million dollars from the National Association of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury Dealers, and $2,400,000 from the City of Detroit.
The interior sculpture, cast of various metals, was created by Marshall Fredericks, represented, "The Creation of the Universe," "Forces and Products of Nature," and "The Skills and Intelligence of Man," and "Mechanical and Industrial Progress."
Ford Auditorium was demolished in 2011 as part of the City's riverfront redevelopment plans.
