The Associated Press
6/6/2003, 7:52 a.m. ET

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — When Greenfield Village reopens to the public as part of Ford Motor Co.'s 100th birthday celebration, visitors will see the results of a nine-month, $60 million renovation.

The new and improved village includes new roads, electrical wiring and landscaping. It is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.

To create the new Greenfield Village, three mills, a post office, the tintype studio, a wagon shop, Henry Ford's soybean lab, the bandstand and a statue of Thomas Edison were moved to form seven historic districts, The Detroit News reported.

In 1929, Greenfield Village opened for the first time with 28 buildings and with Edison's New Jersey laboratory, Menlo Park, as its centerpiece. Now, 74 years later, it advertises itself as "America's greatest history attraction."

While visitors will have no trouble finding old favorites like the Wright Brothers bicycle shop, some big changes have occurred in the renovated village.

"We peeled away the years and showed the collection as it's never been seen before," said Scott Mallwitz, director of experience design for The Henry Ford complex, which includes the village. "It's not so much about what we added but what we moved and removed to allow for a more immersive experience."

One of the most striking changes is the "Liberty Craftworks" district, where mills and crafts workshops are located around a new millpond.

"You can get a real sense of early American manufacturing in the Craftworks district," Mallwitz said. "The millpond is not only a focal point for the district, but it furnishes authentic power to the relocated Loranger grist mill. Staff craftsmen will be working on clay and glass vessels that will be sold in Ford shops."

Each of the seven districts is distinct in character and signage. The heads of the streetlights have been reproduced from five period designs to evoke the spirit of the different areas.

Historical presenters — such as the actors who portray the Wright Brothers arguing in front of their cycle shop — wear costumes to give a sense of place. Other staffers can be identified by the new red, white and blue village uniforms with 1920s-style shirts, bow ties and boater hats.

The "Main Street" district has remained much the same. The Wright Brothers bicycle shop is on this busy strip studded with such popular attractions as the village carousel, the Eagle Tavern and Mrs. Cohen's Millinery, where a presenter demonstrates hat making.

But Robert E. Hanna, director of facilities management for The Henry Ford, emphasized that the restoration goes much deeper than exterior appearances. Basic but crucial things such as sewers, natural gas lines, electrical systems and telephone lines have been upgraded.

The expenses for electrical improvements came to $11 million, the largest portion of the $60 million restoration budget. The cost of other major items includes $8 million for road and sidewalk paving and $5 million for new sewers.