Steinway with history at Ford World HQ now faces uncertain future
Instrument created a tradition of music, memories for more than half a century
Dearborn — The days are numbered at the Glass House.
So much history. So many memories. A world headquarters so iconic that it’s known globally without even mentioning the company it houses. Soon gone as its corporate owner moves across town to a new facility.
So, too, will be a Steinway grand piano that has filled the halls with music notes for more than half a century.
It’s believed that Henry Ford II (“The Deuce”) purchased the piano after a board member suggested it would be good to have in Ford Motor Co.’s elegant midcentury home a nice instrument for guest pianists, said Bob Kreipke, Ford corporate historian emeritus who retired in 2017 after 43 years.
The piano spent time near the main foyer, then in the auditorium. Now it lives in a hallway near the cafeteria, a quiet space with exceptional acoustics that workers walk past when they enter and leave the 12-story building dedicated in 1956.
“I saw people play,” said Kreipke, who’s 77. “I played when nothing was going on, when I took a break. It helped. You always need a little mental break from whatever the heck you’re working on. I played ‘Misty.’ You could spent two minutes there or 15. I always remembered a maintenance man who worked at Ford, an older gentleman, he played real nice.”
‘Key to the heart’
These days, fire protection officer Jimmie Wright can be heard playing the theme song from “Cheers” or “Hill Street Blues” or singing lyrics made famous by the Commodores or Gladys Knight or Karen Carpenter. He’s the first to admit that his voice sounds a lot like Lionel Richie’s.
“When I’m singing, it makes people feel good,” said Wright, 58, of St. Clair Shores, who has worked at Ford for two decades. “I’m just glad to be part of the whole Ford family. I created a lot of memories in my life. It’s been a wonderful life.”
The youngest of 11 children who grew up in Detroit, Wright served in the U.S. Marine Corps after high school and then came home to work for (and retire from) the Highland Park Public Safety Department.
Sitting at the piano recently, he explained that his mother taught him to sing. “Music is the key to the heart.”
A lot of folks at Ford wonder what will happen to the piano. The same might be asked about the solid bronze statue of Henry Ford II that still sits in the foyer. Neither has been moved to the new four-story compound down the road that’s designed to hold twice as many people — 4,000 workers — plus 12 acres of greenspace.
Ford Land is working with the Ford Archives to review and catalogue all historically significant objects in the Glass House and will determine the best fit for their future, Ford spokesperson Said Deep told me.
He said the piano has moved from hallway to hallway and has not been tuned regularly but still sounds beautiful and appears to be in great condition. The employee move-out is scheduled to be done in the first half of 2026, followed by an 18-month demolition, Deep confirmed.
On a recent weeknight, Wright played his music for visitors as employees streamed past.
John Micallef, tax director at Ford, said people notice the sound of the piano spilling through the halls. “It lightens the mood. People walk by and they smile.”
He hopes the piano will be moved to the new site. So does Daryl Sykes, director of manufacturing at Ford.
“It’s just a personal touch to your day,” Sykes said. “Music moves people. It’s nice to see that individualism when you’re walking in and out of World Headquarters.”
Melody Collins, a security officer on site, said, “The sound is relaxing. It fills the space.”
Connecting then and now
The presence of the piano at Ford is a reminder of times past, when employees who sang in the Ford Choir performed at Christmas and sometimes Easter, Kreipke said.
That tradition started in 1944, during the World War II era that put Ford in the history books for its commitment to building military vehicles and bombers.
It all seems like many lifetimes ago, stories of a company choir and a piano and people singing together to build community.
These days, employees still sit at the piano, continuing a cherished tradition and sharing tiny moments of unscripted joy.
Having the classic instrument in the building maintains a connection to history, a time when things felt simpler. Back then, people spent hours after work with people instead of electronic devices.
Yet the Ford Choir continues to hold practice every Monday night at a senior center in Dearborn, singing both secular and sacred music, said Andrew Borzych, 36, of Westland, a Ford development engineer who has been a member for a decade.
What was once a 100-member choir is now closer to 15 singers, he said. They’re working to grow. Spending time together singing is a way to get to know people outside of work and develop new friendships, the way it used to be.
‘I’m gonna miss this place’
“Things have changed. But I’m still here,” Wright said.
He recognizes faces after all these years, including that of executive chair Bill Ford.
“I say, ‘How are you doing, sir?’ And he says, ‘How are you doing?’” Wright said. “It’s nice to see folks and they see me doing what I do.”
Wright sings at senior centers in Roseville and Warren when he’s not singing at Ford World Headquarters.
“I’m gonna miss this place,” he said. “Nobody ever thought the building would be gone. They’ll need someone to guard the property and be there for the safety of the contractors — demolition and construction workers. It’s going to be an empty landscape. They’ll tear it all down. It makes me feel sad. It makes me feel somber. I’ll be the last man standing.”
“When the building is torn down, I’ll be there with it,” Wright said. “If they find a place for the piano, it would be great.”
That Steinway is a valuable keepsake, Kreipke said. “I think they should save it.”
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Great look into this sonic relic at the Glass House Phoebe!
“Have Steinway — will travel”… certainly should be preserved and placed at the new HQ for all to enjoy.
DAMMMMMMIT! Forever I’ve wanted to stop in just to walk the halls that some very important people walked. I’ve wanted to see that piano. I can’t even count how many times I’ve driven by, either going to visit my son in Dearborn, or while working the streets for the MDOC that I thought of stopping in.
Well, that does it, thanks to Ms P W Howard. Thanks for putting the piano, the Glass House, the bronze statue of “The Deuce” who I’m proud to say I met once, in my head. I know I’m running out of time, but my visit will happen soon, thanks to Ms Howard.
Gregg Wilczynski
PEACE