Highland Park, MI

Detroit has become a modern symbol of the lost American dream. The city enjoyed decades of prosperity due in part to the automotive boom of the 20th century. But the departure of industry crippled the economy and left entire city blocks sitting empty, waiting for businesses to return.

Just north of Detroit is the city of Highland Park, which has been hit equally as hard.

Henry Ford chose Highland Park to be the site of his second Ford plant in 1910, and it housed one of the earliest and largest moving-part assembly lines. The plant brought industry and wealth to the city for over 60 years until it ceased production in the 1970s. The closure had a significant impact on the surrounding community and marked the city's slow decline.

The factory that forever changed automotive construction in America now sits empty.

The former Highland Park city hall, police station, and fire hall are abandoned and crumbling under the weight of the city’s depression. Churches, schools, and houses have been stripped bare and left to rot. A once great city turned to ruins.