HFCC Students Collaborate with City to Restore Historic Ford Home in Dearborn

Students enrolled in the architecture and interior design programs at Henry Ford Community College are getting their hands dirty as part of a service learning project with the city of Dearborn.

The students are restoring a home built by Henry Ford in 1919, located at 22668 Nona St., in the Ford Historic Homes District.

"This is the first time we've taken on a project like this," Chad Richert, HFCC architecture instructor said. "It’s been a fantastic opportunity for the students. It’s also been beneficial for us to have them out from behind a textbook and actively work on a design project, especially one with such historic significance.

"It exposes students to real world projects, deadlines, and all the fun things that go with it."

Richert said roughly 25 students from the architecture and interior design programs are working on the home. Currently the students are in the process of drafting design blueprints to present to city officials on May 2.

"Once we turn over our plans, the city will hopefully be able to work with a general contractor to begin the home's restoration," Richert said.

Some of the design challenges facing the students participating in the project include no bathroom on the first floor of the house, no garage, neglected landscaping, and a small kitchen.

"The home has been neglected for years. The challenge to our students is, 'how do you renovate the home to make it more contemporary and marketable while retaining its historic characteristics?'" Richert said. "When we're finished we would like the home to be move-in ready for a modern family so its no longer a blight to the neighborhood."

To accomplish their task, students reached out to the Ford Historic Homes District for guidance on the home's historic look.

"The Ford Historic Homes District has been great to work with. They have certain guidelines we have to follow in order to maintain the building's exterior façade. The interior renovations have more room for creativity," he said.

Kelley Erickson, an HFCC interior design student from Dearborn Heights, said that the greatest benefit for her is the experience and understanding of what it is like to work with a real client.

"Collaborating with the architecture program has been a great experience because it allows us to bounce ideas off each other and really create something that is not only beautiful and inspired, but also fully functional," Erickson told the online journal DBusiness.

Richert said if all goes well, he plans to continue offering service learning projects for students in the architecture and interior design programs.

"The learning opportunity is just fantastic," he said. "Our students learn new skills while helping out the community at the same time."

For more information about the project, email crichert@hfcc.edu.