For Want of A Million Dollars, Historic Rosie The Riveter’s World War II-Era Plant Faces Wrecking Ball
The Michigan factory, where the iconic Rosie the Riveter and thousands of other women built B-24 bombers during World War II, appears to have its fate sealed.
The historically significant factory may soon be torn down by a wrecking ball, if a miracle doesn’t happen in two days. A story sounding just out of a Hollywood flick, the Willow Run plant in Ypsilanti Township has just 48 hours to come–up $1 Million, reported Fox News, “All that stands between her old plant and the wrecking ball is two days and $1 Million.”
A group has been trying very hard to come up with the requisite amount to save the Bomber Plant. Under the ‘Save The Bomber Plant‘ campaign, the team managed to raise a respectful amount of $7 Million. But it looks like the efforts may go to waste, since they are now short of just $1 Million as the amount required to save the Rosie The Riveter’s World War II-Era Plant has been set at $8 Million.
Rosie the Riveter along with many other hardworking and patriotic individuals, have toiled in the factory that made the world–famous B–24 Bomber airplanes. Thousands of workers labored day and night to build a total of 8,685 B-24 Liberators. Rosie, along with others resided in Government issued housing colonies near the plant. The World War II-Era Plant in Michigan was conceptualized, designed, developed and erected by the Ford Motor Co.
With majestic hangar doors that were 32 Feet tall and 150 Feet wide, the factory was massive for the time. The factory’s entrance and exit was so designed to ensure complete B–24 Bombers, without any modification, could be rolled in or out of the factory. The site even had a complete runway to immediately test the bomber planes for airworthiness. Once the planes were certified to be war–ready, they could be dispatched instantly to any of the forward bases required by the US Army.
The iconic Rosie the Riveter became a symbol of hardworking females who worked tirelessly alongside men lending their unflinching support to the cause. Though the original Rosie the Riveter passed away at the ripe old age of 86 quietly in 2010, her representation still lives in America’s heart and was used in a Swifter commercial that unfortunately did not go down well with feminists.
Incidentally, the factory which was re-purposed to churn out cars for General Motors (GM) had its fate sealed following GM’s filing for bankruptcy in the same year the original Rosie the Riveter passed away.
[Images via Bing]
