Bought by Henry Ford in 1919 and then rebuilt by Albert Kahn by 1921, the Pheonix Mill opened for production the following year in 1922. Part of Ford's Village Industries, Ford employed only women to work in this factory. Especially unique was that Ford paid women workers the $5 day the same as the men working for him - at a time when the average pay for women was less than $1 per day.
That history was on the forefront of the minds of Richard Cox, along with Greg and Kristin Donofrio, when they acquired the mill from Wayne County in 2018 with the goal to return the building to its original integrity. Their work has paid off as the building has been restored and reopened, hosting long-term tenants and special events. The restoration was recognized in June 2025 with a MotorCities Award of Excellence in the Revitalization category.
