A ground floor plan made in 1943 shows the location of the Press Room in the northwest corner of the West Wing and the swimming pool in its original location at the center of the West Terrace. The White House Collection.
The Willow Run manufacturing complex, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed in the early years of World War II by Ford Motor Company for the mass production of war munitions, especially the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber.
Ford's efficient assembly line methods led to a remarkable drop in the delivered price of a B-24: from $238,000 in 1942 to $137,000 in 1944. In all, 8,685 B-24's were built at Willow Run before the last contract expired in June 1945âincluding 1,894 knocked-down kits shipped to other plants for assembly.