Building 7015!; in 5541M: in 1913 a new Ford Assembling Plant was constructed in Seattle to build cars lor the American West. It was the rst Ford plant on the West Coast. beating out Portland. San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the race to serve western markets Designed by local architect John Graham. S the plant still stands at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Valley Street near Lake Union. John Graham would open a Detroit practice in 1914 and serve as Ford's West Coast architect Model T assembly began at the Seattle Ford plant In March 1914 Parts were sent trorn Detroit by train. assembled at the Seattle plant. and the nished cars were driven or shipped by rail to dealers. The rst month. 575 cars rolled out the door: From then until 1932. the Seattle plant assembled thousands at cars each year. By 1913, all Model Ts sold in the Northwest as lar north as Alaska and as far west as Montana were built in Seattle. in February 1928, the Seattle plant began assembling the Model A. For 20 years. Ford produced only the Model T The nation waited excitedly to see the new Model A roll lrom Ford plants like the one In Seattle. It was the most successlul new car introduction in history In January 1532, Ford opened a greatly expanded Seattle assembly plant on a Ill-acre site on East Marginal Way along the Duwarnlsh Riven The rst Ford Model A's rolled off the new Seattle line in May 1932. in the depths ol lhe Depression. The new plant employed 2.000 workers But the Depression cut car sales. and the vast new plant turned out only 250 automobiles in its rst month. By November 1932. 1:: lacility was shut down * *' e, oompleting on 2.000 Muxmrw'xary nun-mm W a. .t (was: ears. thus ending sZame's mm? Jmf'ixmam role as a center of car mff mm. mwmhmw producllen. a cum!