Designing·Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s

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September 2013

Henry Ford’s 150th Birthday
September 1-30

Target Family Days
September 2

Books, etc. Sale
September 7

Old Car Festival
September 7-8

Macy’s 2nd Mondays
September 9

Educator Open House
September 28

Tinker.Hack.Invent.Saturdays
September 28

Farmers Market
September 28

Fall Flavor Weekends
September 28-29

October 2013

Henry Ford’s 150th Birthday
October 1-31

Farmers Market
October 5

Fall Flavor Weekends
October 5-6

Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village
October 11-13, 18-20 and 25-27

Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village Dinner Package
October 11-12, 18-19 and 25-26

Macy’s 2nd Mondays
October 14

Tinker.Hack.Invent.Saturdays
October 26

James Cameron’s AVATAR: The Exhibition™
October 26-31

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Remembering the Ford Rotunda

Enjoy a photo essay of the Ford Rotunda, first introduced as the centerpiece of the Chicago World's Fair in 1934.

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DVD | Westinghouse

Westinghouse is a feature-length documentary about the life and times of George Westinghouse his company's legacy personality partnership with Nikola Tesla and conflict with Thomas Edison.

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Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s
April 27 - September 2, 2013

A look at the future from the past

Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s helps explain why millions of Americans traveled to world’s fairs in the 1930s for a glimpse of the future. Explore the modernist spectacle of architecture and design in this limited-engagement exhibition at Henry Ford Museum.

Find out how these fairs became a community platform and wowed the American public. Six Depression-era fairs introduced society to new ideas about the future of American life. The artifacts are drawn from the featured expositions: Chicago, IL—A Century of Progress International Exposition (1933–34); San Diego, CA—California Pacific International Exposition (1935-36); Dallas, TX—Texas Centennial Exposition (1936); Cleveland, OH—Great Lakes Exposition (1936-37); San Francisco, CA—Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-40); and New York, NY—New York World's Fair (1939-40).

The exhibit brings together nearly 150 artifacts of these fairs in a never-before-seen experience at Henry Ford Museum. Included in the exhibition are building models, architectural remnants, furniture, ephemera, period film footage, and Elektro the Moto-Man robot.

		Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s was organized by the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. This exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities*: Because democracy demands wisdom; and the National Endowment for the Arts.
		*Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Learn about our Designing Tomorrow America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s Exhibit Preview

pricing

Exhibit is free with Museum admission.

MEMBERS free of charge;
NON-MEMBER SENIORS age 62 & up, $15
NON-MEMBER ADULTS age 13-61, $17
NON-MEMBER YOUTH age 5-12, $12.50
CHILDREN 4 & under are free.

Parking is $5 per vehicle.

what to bring, what to wear

The exhibits of the Henry Ford Museum are spread across several acres; all indoors. Comfortable clothing and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Wheelchairs and electric scooters are available to rent for a fee at the IMAX and Clock tower entrances. Electric scooter supplies are limited, please arrive early if you plan to rent one. You are welcome to bring your own wheelchairs, electric scooters and children's strollers-- however, upright electric scooters (Segways) are not allowed on premises.

Photography, food and drink are strictly prohibited in the exhibit area.

directions/maps

The Henry Ford is located in Dearborn, Michigan on the corner of Village Road and Oakwood Boulevard, just west of the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and south of Michigan Avenue (US-12).

The Henry Ford
20900 Oakwood Blvd.
Dearborn, MI 48124-5029

From the East or West via I-94:
Take I-94 to the Oakwood Boulevard exit; go north on Oakwood. The Henry Ford is 2.5 miles from the exit on the corner of Village Road and Oakwood Boulevard.

From the South via I-75:
Exit to northbound Southfield Freeway (M-39); drive 4.1 miles to Oakwood Boulevard (Exit 4). Left on Oakwood and drive 1.8 miles.

From the North via Southfield Road (or I-96):
Take Southfield Freeway (M-39) south 4.5 miles past I-96 and exit at Michigan avenue (Exit 6). Continue on the Southfield service drive (veer left) for .5 mile. At the first stoplight, turn right onto Village Road (through the iron gates) and drive .75 mile.

Metro Detroit often has major construction projects. Please check the following sites for the latest on construction areas and road closures.

Michigan Department of Transportation

AAA Traffic & Construction Report