So the Detroit Free Press ran a story somewhat implying that the old Packard plant on East Grand Blvd in Detroit would be torn down soon. Grand Blvd was at one point the outer city limit of Detroit, kind of like how 440 defined Raleigh in the past. The plant was built over 100 years ago and I believe it was one of the first major plants to close in Detroit, starting the downward trend. There are plenty of pics on the internet but I decided to see it for myself today and take some pics with my phone.





That's what it looks like as you start to approach from Grand Blvd. There's actually a lot more to the plant than this.

What's really interesting is how close it is to the neighborhood. The GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant a couple miles away, where they are building the Volt (well, until they decided to idle production), has fences everywhere and feels more isolated like an airport. The same can be said for the fenced-off Chrysler plant on East Jefferson nearby, which makes Grand Cherokees. Here's an abandoned house that is literally across the street from the Packard plant:



This is the side of the plant that the above house is facing:







many parts of the plant are dark and/or have piles of junk everywhere



In another area of the plant you can see the old water tower:



If you get closer and climb over some rubble you can get a shop from below:



Graffiti has taken over most of the walls



Rubble has been cleared from some areas so it is possible to get inside the complex:





I wasn't the only on here taking pictures:




Overall it was a very interesting experience... very sad in many ways. This is what it must have felt like to behold the city of Rome after the Empire collapsed and the city had lost most of its population. I couldn't help but wonder what this part of town was like 80-90 years ago.

3/3/2012 7:12:31 PM

I grabbed a chunk of broken cinderblock as a souvenir

3/3/2012 7:16:47 PM

I like your sense of character spacing on "assemb ly" and how you spelled PACKR PACKARD

[Edited on March 3, 2012 at 7:50 PM. Reason : ]

3/3/2012 7:49:43 PM

Great pics. I can't wait to get a nice camera and go do some urban decay exploring.

3/3/2012 7:50:57 PM

Why the fuck is everything out of focus?

3/3/2012 9:30:00 PM

Shitty camera phone.

He should really go back with a digital camera and get some better quality shots.

3/3/2012 9:51:59 PM

This thread made me make one of my own in Entertainment.

Quote :

"Once the fourth-largest metropolis in America—some have called it the Death of the American Dream. Today, the young people of the Motor City are making it their own DIY paradise where rules are second to passion and creativity. They are creating the new Detroit on their own terms, against real adversity. We put our boots on and went exploring"

Quote :

"Detroit's usually portrayed as a crime-ridden city blighted by urban decay and corruption. That's true. But it's not the whole story, not by a long shot. Detroit Lives shows the Motor City as it is: a diamond amidst the rough. Grin and bear the occasional conspicuous shot of boots from the movie's sponsors, but this 32 minute flick is about as fair and accurate a vibe about the city as you can get. Sure, there are bad parts and they make for great ruin porn, but you get used to those, you look past them and go deeper. Scratch the surface and it's far more interesting, engaging, artistic and creative that you could ever imagine. It's like the wild west for people who want to do things without the man breathing down their necks. If you've got the time to watch the three-part documentary plus bonus, you should, it'll give you a better feel for what's really going on in Detroit."

http://www.palladiumboots.com/video/detroit-lives#part1


Absolutely LOVED this. It's a nice change of pace from the usual stuff you see about Detroit.
Thought Knoxville did a great job. It's nice to see him do something semi serious where he isn't being a total idiot.

3/3/2012 9:54:02 PM

Just about anywhere other than Detroit, a use could be found for at least part of this complex. Despite the ruined state of much of it, and the fact that automobile production there stopped in 1956 after Packard was bought out by Studebaker, the last paying tenant didn't move out until 2010 and there were over 100 tenants at one point during the 90's. But what with the glut of vacant space of every kind in Detroit due to the declining population, it's space no one needs and no one wants. Much of the original plant was designed by Albert Kahn, a very notable architect of the early part of the 20th century.

Can't find an exact figure but I've heard that the total amount of space is well over 3.5 million square feet. That...is extremely immense. Like take the entirety of the Carmichael Gym complex, by far the biggest building at NCSU, and multiply it by 10.

[Edited on March 5, 2012 at 10:41 AM. Reason : d]

3/5/2012 10:40:51 AM

yay unions scaring off companies

3/5/2012 4:33:55 PM

Yeah the unions made people buy imported vehicles.

3/5/2012 8:42:36 PM

So I talked to my dad about this. My dad is almost 70 years old and remember's my grandfather's shop in Brooklyn working on Packards when he was growing up. He told me that they hated working Packard's. They may have had some nice models worth remembering, but basically they were considered an off-brand with parts and designs that were annoying to work on.

3/5/2012 8:57:38 PM

that'd be a sweet place to play paintball

3/5/2012 9:34:04 PM

^^Same reason some shops probably don't like working on foreign cars today--they were a smaller brand, sure, and different than the big manufacturers. But I don't think they could be considered an "off brand"--Packard made luxury cars with great reputations from beginning to end. They never made anything cheap.

3/6/2012 12:04:43 PM

you should asked me i would have come along!

nice pics btw!

3/6/2012 12:21:38 PM

^ Well I was thinking about checking out the old train station this weekend if the weather is ok, so maybe we could go do that.

3/6/2012 9:41:09 PM

lets do it!

have you seen the model t plant site in highland park?

3/7/2012 12:47:37 PM

Rape city bitch, rape rape city bitch

3/9/2012 4:49:31 PM