Two wings flanked out from the sides anchoring the steel-framed dome in place.
Nine thousand floodlights, hidden around the circular exterior, bathed the building in a rainbow of colors.
During the two years the fair ran, the Ford Pavilion was visited by over 12 million visitors.
The building was renamed Ford Rotunda.
The biggest draw was the annual Christmas displays during the holidays.
New attractions were added each year.
The 1958 decorations boasted of a 15,000-piece miniature animated circus, for instance.
In less than an hour, Ford Rotunda had burned to the ground.
The fire caused an estimated damage of $15 million, equivalent to nearly $115.5 million in 2013.
The company decided not to spend any more money, and razed the buildings remains instead.
Ford Rotunda with Newly Added Dome, Dearborn, Michigan, circa 1953.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
New Ford Cars for 1940 Displayed in Ford Rotunda, Dearborn, Michigan, 1939.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
Courtyard inside Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1937.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
A 1937 postcard showing Ford Rotunda.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
The Christmas tree and doll display at the 1955 Christmas Fantasy.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
Visitors view dolls from the Ford Motor Company Girls Club Doll Dressing Contest, 1958.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
Santas Workshop, 1960.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
The majestic cathedral entrance to the inner court, where the Nativity scene was displayed.
The Nativity scene can be seen through the entrance.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
Fire at the Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1962.
Photo credit:Michigan in Pictures
Fire at the Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1962.
Photo credit:www.thehenryford.org
Photo credit:Michigan in Pictures
Sources:Wikipedia/History.com/www.thehenryford.org
