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The Packard plant in MI

That is very cool, I do have to agree with you, sad.
 
That is pretty sad. current day pics could easily be mistaken for war torn Europe. Picture them in black and white and toss in a Sherman tank or 2...
 
The plant was a thriving industrial park for decades after Packard went out of business, with plenty of tenants and owned by a great guy who unfortunately died. Then a cokehead bought it in 1998. Slumlords don't get the same loyalty that landlords do, and everyone moved out except a chemical company that stayed until late last year.
 
Nice pics! Thanks for that.

IMO, it's a shame that we as a society don't do more to preserve and or repurpose more of these old buildings. Personally I think that a lot of them could be converted into lofts or condo's
 
Sad, very sad....and the same forces that wrought this destruction on Detroit are happening on a national level...Lessons were NOT learned....
 
It's always fascinated and saddened me to see once great buildings like this, get to this state. Kudos to those that step up and rescue these landmarks.
Two of my favorite "rescues" have to be the Buffalo Central Terminal and Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Also a big fan of old theaters with the old Warner Brothers on 7th street in old downtown Los Angeles being my favorite.
 
Last edited:
satman72 said:
Nice pics! Thanks for that.

IMO, it's a shame that we as a society don't do more to preserve and or repurpose more of these old buildings. Personally I think that a lot of them could be converted into lofts or condo's
Click to expand...

Yes but you have to have both a real estate market and a growing population for that to work. Check the Detroit area real estate market. Many, many abandoned homes at prices you could not begin to buy the materials to reproduce the same home. Add to this that in a shrinking population area the county taxes go up rediculously to support the infra structure for less people. If you want to stay in those areas someone has to pay the bills. Most move on unless they are renting, jobless and on welfare.
 
Dick that was cool, thanks for sharing
 
I am a native Dertoiter now transplanted to the south.
In the early 80's I was a member of "Motor City Packards" car club and active in the committee to establish the Packard Plant as a national historic site, largely due to the fact that it was the first "pre stressed" concrete structure designed and built by architech Albert Kahn. I was present at the dedication and unvailing of the placard.
There was great optimism that "at least" a part of the complex would be preserved for offices and perhaps a Packard museum.
Throughout the 80's several car collectors used secure areas of the plant to store and work on collector cars and there was almost always something going on there. We could drive cars throughout the interior corodors of the plant, (approx 5,000,000 sq ft in 5 stories).
Ownership changed hands sometime in the late 80's and things went down hill from there. Rent was raised and folks moved out.
A sad ending to a once majestic place.
 
clemul said:
Sad, very sad....and the same forces that wrought this destruction on Detroit are happening on a national level...Lessons were NOT learned....
Click to expand...

As I said, the "forces" here were the death of a good landlord who kept the place up and a purchase of the site in 1998 by a bad one who ignored it.
 
I love those old buildings and hate to see them in this state. Very, very sad. Thanks Dickie.
 
That is really neat. I am also a big Packard fan and when I was in Detroit in 1996 I went to see it. Pretty rough then, I can't imagine what it is like now. I really belive that old buildings are sometimes like an old dog that is diseased and in pain: it is better to let them go. Unfortunately, many younger generations of Detroiters will always remember the place as a nasty, crumbling shambles instead of the majestic place it once was. It is probably beyond rehab now. Even if you put the world's nicest apartments in there, nobody would want to live in the neighborhood.

I understand there are water mains that have been broken under the plant and run wide open for years because the city can't legally go on the property to fix it. The Detroit fire dept. has said that heaven help them if it ever catches fire because no water pressure and they can't get fire trucks in there because the streets are washed out underneath.

The stone radiator that was on the bridge and the stone entryway in the front that said PACKARD were taken off and are at a Packard museum in Dayton, OH. At least something has been saved.
 
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