In the time since the renovation of Ford Point--originally the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant--was completed in 2009, the site has won a string of awards that have helped return the historic landmark to its former stature. The building most recently earned architecture's most coveted recognition: the American Institute of Architects' Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture.

"This renovated facility has improved the region by saving an older building and its embodied energy," reads a comment from the jury that selected the building for institute's top honor.

The accolades reflect an exceptional design from one of the world's greatest industrial architects, the historical weight of Ford Motor Company and Rosie the Riveters, the work of a persistent developer with a vision, the delicate touch of talented, green-minded architects, and the spending of tens of millions of dollars--although exactly how many millions is unclear. Ivonne Inurritegui-Folster, vice president of Orton Development, Inc., the site's developer, declined to say how much the company paid to rehabilitate the building, but she said it was a hefty amount.