Model T Fords were Assembled and Sold Here in Upstate NY

Keith and Branch Ford Motors Factory and Showroom, Upper Jay New York

Date added: December 15, 2024

Northwest and southwest elevations (2011)

Do you have an update on the current status of this structure? Please tell us about it in the comments below.

Built in 1920, the Keith & Branch Ford Motors Factory & Showroom in Upper Jay, Essex County, is a somewhat rate and early example of automobile-related architecture in New York's Adirondack region. The building was conceived and erected to accommodate the partial assembly and local sale of Ford Motors Model T automobiles, generally acknowledged as the first car widely accessible to American consumers. The business partnership of Keith & Branch, formed by local residents Earl Keith and Robert Branch in 1910, established a Ford Motors franchise in Upper Jay in 1914 and subsequently built the subject building and an automobile service station, known as the Central Garage. These two buildings were important local indicators of the advent of the automobile age and the changing landscape of personal transportation in the between-war period. The factory & showroom was erected at a time when small, locally owned Ford Motors franchises served rural populations; unpretentious in conception and largely devoid of architectural elaboration, it was erected with a platform frame and clad on the exterior with stucco. Prominent among its interior features is the original non-motorized freight elevator, manufactured by the Energy Elevator Company of Philadelphia, which allowed for internal communication from the basement to the upper floor.

The Town of Jay, set off from adjacent Willsborough in 1798, was originally named for settler Nathaniel Mallory and bore the name "Mallory's Bush." The present name was taken for John Jay. It was later enlarged, in 1822, with the addition of lands formerly contained within Peru, Clinton County, and Chateaugay, Franklin County. Settlement began in earnest in the early nineteenth century, particularly in the low-lying areas flanking the Ausable River. Lumbering and the extraction and processing of iron ore were important early industries, as were agricultural pursuits. The hamlet of Jay was the first area within the town to be densely developed and it was there that early milling operations and forges were established. Lumbering constituted the principal pursuit at an early juncture, as the region's abundant timber supply was harvested and transported for shipment to distant markets via Lake Champlain. Development in the hamlet of AuSable Forks followed a similar pattern, centering as it did on the lumber and iron trades. The town's three principal hamlets of Jay, Upper Jay and AuSable Forks, the latter where the two branches of the river converge- were developed along the banks of the Ausable River, the headwaters of which are in the Adirondack High Peaks. The East Branch of the Ausable, adjacent to which are Upper Jay and Jay, courses through the town on a northeasterly route before emptying into Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh. By 1876 the hamlet of Upper Jay featured a concentration of houses, in addition to a hotel, a Congregational church, and the A.S. Prime & Company store, a school, and a carding mill. The site of the subject building was occupied by a blacksmith shop, one of two present in the hamlet at that date.

The business partnership Keith & Branch was established in Upper Jay in 1910. At that time the two partners, Earl W. Keith and Robert L. Branch, purchased the general store and granary which had been erected immediately after the Civil War by Ashley S. Prime, a business noted in the 1940s as "a historic landmark" for the area. Keith (1869-1946) had previously worked and gained experience in this field in the employ of the Boomhower Wholesale Grocery Company of Plattsburgh; Branch (1878-1942), a native of Keene, was formerly occupied as a bookkeeper for Prime Brothers before beginning his business association with Keith. In 1914 Keith & Branch began operating a Ford Motors franchise and the following year erected the Central Garage, an automobile service station in Upper Jay. In 1920, buoyed by the success of these various enterprises, the firm contracted for the construction of the nominated building to serve as both a car showroom and storage garage. At the time of the 1920 Federal census, E.W. Keith noted himself as a general merchant and store owner, as did Robert Branch. Both were prominent in the contemporary affairs of Upper Jay; at the time of his death, Branch was noted as a successful local businessman and "a symbol of the sturdy character which developed upstate New York." In 1945, three years after the death of R.L. Branch, Roberts Brothers bought out Keith & Branch's interest in the general store built by Ashley in 1867; Keith & Branch did, however, continue to operate the Central Garage and the Ford sales and storage building after the purchase of the store by the Roberts brothers. The general store is no longer extant, having burned in 1996.

The building functioned as a Ford assembly facility and showroom and also as an automobile storage facility. Keith & Branch had purchased a Ford franchise to assemble and offer for sale, to local consumers, Motel T automobiles, which were in production from 1908 until 1927, and which are now widely regarded by historians as the first car accessible, price-wise, to middle-class American consumers. The mostly assembled vehicles were shipped via railroad from distant Ford manufacturing centers to Ausable Forks, the chassis being stacked on end; the vehicles were then operated under their own power, driven to the building where they were completed and sold. Arto Monaco, a longtime resident of Upper Jay who was born in Ausable Forks in 1913, recalled that those of lesser means would buy stripped-down versions of the automobiles, oftentimes without fenders, tail lights, running boards, or windshield wipers. One drive on muddy roads would often leave the new owners to reconsider the need for fenders.

The Model T remains among the enduring legacies of American automobile pioneer Henry Ford (1863-1947) and the Ford Motor Company, which he founded in June 1903 in Detroit, Michigan. When the car debuted in 1908 its production cost placed it out of the price range of many American consumers, compelling Ford to find ways to build it at more reasonable cost. From this problem arose two significant manufacturing solutions that made this vehicle more affordable and which had far-reaching consequences for manufacturing, the use of a moving assembly line and the standardization of parts to make them interchangeable, thus making repair and maintenance less expensive. Ford also pioneered the use of local franchises, of which Keith & Branch was one, and the shipping of partially assembled cars from manufacturing plants to distant assembly locations, which became a standard practice. It was found that by shipping the cars partially assembled to more localized assembly facilities further savings could be garnered. By Monaco's account, area high school boys were enlisted by Keith & Branch, on a volunteer basis, to sit on the gas tanks of the steel frames and drive the cars, in essence, bare-boned, to the Upper Jay facility constructed by Keith & Branch. In 1927, in the face of greater demand for automobiles by the American public, the Model T gave way to the Model A, which was in production in the period 1928 to 1931.

Keith & Branch advertised their Ford automobiles, along with other consumer products they offered for sale, in area newspapers. They shared a 1923 advertisement with an AuSable Forks Ford franchise in The Record-Post (Ausable Forks) for Ford's new Model T sedan, which had features that were considered to make it a "better-looking, roomier car." A 1933 advertisement in The Record-Post offered an invitation to view "the new Ford V-8 for 1934," which was a Model B (production years 1932-1934) with a flathead V-8 engine in place of the standard four-cylinder engine. A 1938 advertisement in The Adirondack Record (Ausable Forks) noted that Keith & Branch offered for sale home furnishings, food and also animal feed, in addition to "Ford cars for the road." It is not currently known when the Keith & Branch Ford franchise was discontinued, though it remained in business at least into the mid-1940s. As for Keith & Branch's Central Garage, nothing is yet known of its operation; by the 1920s at least one other service station and car dealership was operating in Upper Jay, the Monaco Garage, run by L.B. Monaco and sons. In 1930 they offered for sale new Plymouths and Chryslers, in addition to pre-owned Fords and other cats, gasoline, oil, and car accessories.

The advent of the automobile age spurted tourism in the Adirondacks, and present-day Route 9N formed an important route in that era, linking as it did Albany with Montreal, Quebec in the pre-Northway period. Car-related businesses capitalized on the increased vehicular traffic in the region; in addition to the Central Garage and that run by L.B. Monaco, Elmira Leclair's Twin Elms hotel, also located in Upper Jay, provided a respite for road weary travelers and advertised its services in 1920s travel guides.

The building was in later years operated as a pine cone seed factory by Herbst Brothers, a New York City-based seed company established in the 1880s. A brief news note in a local paper in 1948 noted that "the garage formerly owned by Keith and Branch at Upper Jay has been purchased by Herbst Brothers." This reference would seem to relate to the former Central Garage building, as an advertisement from the previous year noted that the company was looking to purchase "Red Pine, Norway Cones … as long as there is seed in them," their address noted as the "Pine Cone Plant" in Upper Jay, presumably the subject building.

"The Old Seed Store," the name given to a subsequent antiques business which was operated there, recognized this interesting aspect of the building's history, and some residents in the Upper Jay area still remember it as "the burr factory." Herbst Brothers sold the building in 1972; in later years they operated their business from a facility in Ausable Forks.

While the building lacks stylistic distinction, it is nevertheless architecturally significant as a purpose-built structure related to the early automobile industry. Its clean lines, symmetrical fenestration and prominent cornice affiliate it, however vaguely, with the revived interest in Neoclassicism which marked the early twentieth-century period. As there was no guiding architectural program for Ford franchises in this era the building's design reflects local means and preferences; early in its history an oval-shaped sign suspended from the facade noted it as a Ford dealership. A photographic survey of Ford dealerships from the pre-Second World War period indicates a broad range of architectural solutions for small local dealerships, which were often times housed within facilities that also functioned as service stations. Both the building's light platform frame, predicated on the use of dimensional lumber and wire nails, and its stucco exterior portray characteristic building techniques of that era, the platform frame having developed from the balloon frame. Stucco gained broad appeal as an exterior finish in this period, spurred by the popularity of various revival styles, its ability to simulate more expensive treatment, and by offering a measure of fire protection for wood-framed buildings. Distinctive remaining interior features include the manually operated freight elevator, which allowed for the movement of materials between the buildings various levels, and vestiges of the original heating plant.

Building Description

The former Keith & Branch Ford Motors Factory & Showroom is located in Upper Jay, Essex County, New York. The three-story building was erected with a light frame of dimensional lumber above a poured concrete foundation. It is six bays wide by four bays deep and covered by a low roof, neatly flat, which slopes downwards towards the rear of the edifice. The building's exterior, which is covered with stucco applied to wood lath, is largely devoid of ornamentation; the transition between the wall surfaces and roof is marked by a projecting wood cornice and plain fascia. Window openings are all of the same scale and fitted with original two-over-two wood sash. The interior includes a basement level which is accessible from grade by means of a concrete ramp and inward-swinging double leaf doors, the size of this aperture conceived for period automobiles. This lower level is partially exposed on the rear and portions of the side elevations. The first-floor fenestration on the facade, which is oriented to face northwesterly towards Route 9N, includes a central vehicle bay with overhead door, in addition to two large showroom-type windows. The original interior was composed of the basement, the primary floor-which contained the showroom-and two additional upper floors, an office having been maintained for a time on the second floor (ca. 1945). Interior spaces added to the building include a basement music studio, a second-floor apartment, and a third-floor professional office, all created by the insertion of new partitioning in what were previously open areas. Prominent among the remaining historic interior features is a manually operated freight elevator, or dumbwaiter, constructed by the Energy Elevator Company of Philadelphia; it allowed for communication between the building's four levels, and remains operational. The building's light framing is largely visible within and includes a system of trusses employed to support the roof and create free-span interior space; these are of laminate construction.

The building is located in the hamlet of Upper Jay and is situated on a parcel the boundary of which is partially defined by Route 9N and the east branch of the Ausable River, east of the former road's intersection with County Route 12; it was oriented with its primary elevation facing Route 9N. A short distance to the south is the bridge that conveys Route 9N over the Ausable River, the tear elevation of the building rising in close proximity to that water course. A number of large deciduous trees grow on the narrow and rock-strewn strip of land situated between the building's foundation and the river. The parcel is largely flat, with minimal landscape embellishment, and includes parking areas located adjacent to either side elevation. Directly across Route 9N are two buildings, one of which is a Methodist church; to the west, across County Route 12, is a motor lodge.

The building is a light-frame construction built on a rectangular plan with a poured concrete foundation. Fenestration on the six-bay facade features a large bay with an overhead door, centrally placed, in addition to two large showroom windows and an entrance, and six windows at both the second and third story level. This fenestration is symmetrically arranged, save for the entrance situated between the center bay and the easternmost showroom window. There is additionally a pair of double-leaf doors situated at the base of a concrete tamp, which provided direct access to the basement level from grade; the doors are formed of diagonally aligned wood boards with applied rails and stiles. The ramp, meanwhile, was grooved to provide traction. Window openings have plain wood casings with simple drip caps. The building's stucco exterior is formed of two coats; the scratch coat is pure lime or gypsum plaster, while the outer finish coat, which is thicker, has Portland cement content. It presents a grayish-pink cast and has a textured, or slap-dash, surface. The stucco was applied to wood lath with tar paper behind, with only the depth of the lath providing for keying. The building's cornice projects prominently from the wall plane and is boxed with an applied molding. These are, like the soffit and fascia, formed of wood. A suspended Ford sign at one time adorned the facade, as pet historic images, and was centered on that elevation at the second-story level.

The northeast and southwest side elevations were similarly conceived, with both being four bays deep; the former has a total of 12 windows, four each at first, second, and third-floor level, while the opposite elevation has 10 windows in addition to a door at second and third-floor level, accessed via an exterior wood stair with second-story porch and third-story landing. The stair and porch are replacements of an earlier stair feature, which is partially visible, as a ghost, on the surface of the wall. There are, in addition to those already described, two windows that bring light into the basement, where that level is exposed from grade on the side elevations. Also expressed on the exterior, on the side walls, are metal anchor plates that correspond with the lower chords of the truss system that supports the roof.

The tear elevation has fenestration arranged as it is on the opposite facade, with six windows apiece at basement, first, second, and third-story level.

The roof was originally covered with asphalt shingle but is now clad with membrane, which was laid over the original and a later layer of asphalt.

The building's platform frame is largely exposed on the interior. In the unfinished basement is visible the framing that supports the first floor above, consisting of a system of circular sawn pine joists, laminated girders, and laminated uprights. Among the other features that survive in the basement is what appears to be the original coal-burning furnace, a Lennox Torrid Zone convection model, along with some associated period ductwork. Adjacent to the furnace is a brick chimney to which the furnace was originally attached and which now receives the pipe of a wood stove. The manual elevator, which rises from the basement to the third-story level, is centered against the rear wall. There is a coal bin in the northeast corner of the basement and an associated metal door on the facade, near the northwest corner of the building. The floor is poured concrete.

The first floor is largely open and currently functions as the staging area for an upholstery repair business operated from the building and also as an assembly space for public programs. Most of the current finish work, such as the wainscot, wall covering, and molded window casings on the southwest wall, is not original and has been added more recently. The ceiling is not finished and instead, the second-floor joists are open to view. There is a raised platform in the northeast corner that is believed to have corresponded with an office at one time, as per anecdotal accounts. In the opposite southwest corner is an area of concrete flooring associated with the operation of a kiln during the building's use as a seed factory and a small bathroom. The flooring is variegated with the original material being medium-width wood board. A staircase against the northeast wall provides for communication between the first, second, and third floors, while the basement is accessed from the first floor by a stair against the southwest wall.

The second floor, which was largely open originally, now includes an apartment as well as a small work area for the upholstery business. The upper floor has an office inserted into it but is otherwise open and is largely used for storage. Flooring there is medium-width hemlock or pine boards, well worn in some areas.

A series of parallel chord trusses sustain the roof and help deal with the winter snow loads, while additionally functioning to allow the second-floor plan to be opened up. Tension rods extend downwards to second-floor level from these trusses, and rods were also employed from side wall to side wall to allow for lateral stability, these being arranged parallel with the lower chord of the trusses and anchored into the metal wall plates. The roof decking is laid on rafters, which are sistered where they pass over the upper chord of the trusses. The upper housing and gears for the elevator are exposed at this level. There is evidence, at the second-floor level, that the elevator well was originally wider.