Fun with your mouse, the old Packard plant

[Greg Myers]

Lots of history here : http://www.freep.com/interactive/article/20121202/NEWS01/120823062/The-Packard-Plant-Then-now-interactive-comparison-photos

[Harry P.]

No fair kicking Detroit when it's down!

[charlie8575]

A beautiful, and sad retrospective of what was once one of the world's great cities.

I hope with all hope that Detroit and its metropolitan area will again rise and recover its greatness. The State of Michigan, and, in a real sense, our entire nation, is depending on it.

Charlie Larkin

[Harry P.]

I hope with all hope that Detroit and its metropolitan area will again rise and recover its greatness.

Not in our lifetimes. Just rebuilding the city alone would take decades. Detroit has almost as much empty land now as it has buildings. In fact, I was watching a TV show the other day and they were talking about how some Detroit residents are living completely "off the grid" by growing their own food on the vacant land, keeping chickens and bees, etc... because city services are so bad–or even non-existent in some areas. No streetlights. No water, no 911 response, etc. How scary is that? A major American metropolis has devolved into some sort of "Lord of the Flies" every-man-for-himself wilderness. Unbelievable!

[Tom Geiger]

Other cities across American have urban blight as well. You can buy a house in Philadelphia or Newark, NJ for $500 at the city auction. And they go unsold. It's that bad.

I saw this on another site and read the complete article since property development is an interest of mine. The whole thing is that Detroit has so much vacant property in distressed areas that are development ready, the Packard plant is untouchable. The cost of clean up and demo on the site is more costly than the property is worth. The only way it will get done is using tax payer monies, that's you and me! It's not a matter of a visionary developer coming in, no bank would finance it. And even if you were able to build a utopian development there, nobody would want to travel through the adjoining areas to get to it. Very sad.

[Greg Myers]

Let's stick to history. Here's another : http://www.hoursofdarkness.com/Studebaker/Gallery.htm Studebaker Plant for Danno.

Let's add one more site : http://jalopnik.com/5110995/the-ruins-of-detroit-industry-five-former-factories

Edited August 8, 2013 by Greg Myers

[crazyjim]

I'm reading a novel that's set in Detroit and it sounds just like what some of you have described. A once great city is broke and won't be back in our lifetime.

[IHSS]

I know you want to stay on the history subject here, but sadly I see this as a foreshadowing of where our country is headed. But on the packard subject. I went to a packard museum in Ohio that was origanaly built as a Packard dealership and restored to it's former glory and it was awsome to say the least. Her's a link http://www.americaspackardmuseum.org/the_story.html . Wish they had more pics but it is definetly worth a visit to anyone near or passing through the Dayton area.

Edited August 8, 2013 by IHSS

[Harry P.]

Speaking of history... in Chicago, south Michigan Avenue used to have a whole string of auto dealers. Now the area is basically run down and slummy and you wouldn't want to be down there after dark (or even during the day), but if you look closely you can still see various old logos like "Packard" in some of the buildings facades... stonework above the entrance, mosaic tile logos at the entrance floor, etc. None of these buildings are auto dealers now... that all went away years ago, now the buildings are mostly run-down hulks. But south Michigan Avenue used to be "dealer's row" in Chicago back in the '20s and '30s.

Hudson dealer then:

Same building today, vacant:

"Dealer's Row" today. Not quite what it used to be. That old Hudson dealer in the photos above can be seen towards the right in the photo below:

[charlie8575]

Thanks for the link, Jeff. Not enough pictures on the site, but it still sounds like it's well worth the time to go visit.

Charlie Larkin

[JunkPile]

Thanks Greg. That is a fun adventure.

[Agent G]

It's interesting in that where I live now did not really exist until the 1920's. Prior to the Hoover Dam project Las Vegas was about 10 square blocks around the rail road station. Even then when the El Cortez was started at 6th and Ogden, folks said it wouldn't do any good as it was "too far out of town". The strip was open desert and a military airfield that eventually became McCarran Airport. I cannot even find reference to an auto dealership before 1935.

In contrast my home town, St Louis, like so many others has a history dating back to the 1650's. Trouble is "the Lou" is just behind Detroit, not like bankrupt tomorrow or anything but close.

Sad.

G

[slusher]

Thanks Greg you post some good stuff.

[Greg Myers]

and everybody adding their own personal stories makes it that much better.

[XJ6]

Greg....Thanks for posting that....Found it to be most intersting...

Cheers.....Don

[Deathgoblin]

I know you want to stay on the history subject here, but sadly I see this as a foreshadowing of where our country is headed. But on the packard subject. I went to a packard museum in Ohio that was origanaly built as a Packard dealership and restored to it's former glory and it was awsome to say the least. Her's a link http://www.americaspackardmuseum.org/the_story.html . Wish they had more pics but it is definetly worth a visit to anyone near or passing through the Dayton area.

I've been to the Packard museum. My wife and I went a couple of years ago. It's really fantastic. The cars are all beautiful. I used to have really good pictures until my last camera was stolen, but I've got one...

[Kris Morgan]

HoHummm, Very interesting and neat in a way. Very, very sad in another. I spent about half my childhood growing up in The D and the rest in the suburbs of Detroit. Makes me very sad to see the shape it is in now. Those in power have done nothing but run it into the ground. Detroit was a happenin place back in the day. Not sure what can even be done to help it recover at this point.

[turn1wonder]

I have a real interest in abandoned places, the show "Life After People" was great and I can surf for hours on YouTube.

Seeing places stripped to the walls is bad enough but now the big problem is having all the walls torn up from scavengers going after the plumbing and wiring. Sad really.

Bob

Edited August 9, 2013 by turn1wonder

[slusher]

Speaking of history... in Chicago, south Michigan Avenue used to have a whole string of auto dealers. Now the area is basically run down and slummy and you wouldn't want to be down there after dark (or even during the day), but if you look closely you can still see various old logos like "Packard" in some of the buildings facades... stonework above the entrance, mosaic tile logos at the entrance floor, etc. None of these buildings are auto dealers now... that all went away years ago, now the buildings are mostly run-down hulks. But south Michigan Avenue used to be "dealer's row" in Chicago back in the '20s and '30s.

Hudson dealer then:

Same building today, vacant:

"Dealer's Row" today. Not quite what it used to be. That old Hudson dealer in the photos above can be seen towards the right in the photo below:

Harry l did not know about this and l am from Chicago. Where did they build the Tucker???

[DumpyDan]

Thanks Greg, enjoyed that little tour.

[von Zipper]

THAT-Is one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile !

I like the way the pictures change from before/after-neat effect. I grew up not far from the Packard plant .

The Fall of Detroit=Coleman A. Young

I read this some where, being born and raised in Detroit in makes a lot of sense to me.

In transitioning from a production economy to a service economy, We gave away something we didn't understand the importance of.

[Ridgeback]

I obviously don't live in the States, but we get news about whats happened in Detroit and it is an incredibly sad tale. I feel sure that at some point a country like America, will be able to rebuild it, even if it becomes a city famous for something other than automobiles.....

[Harry P.]

Harry l did not know about this and l am from Chicago. Where did they build the Tucker???

Tuckers were built in a huge factory on the south side of Chicago at Cicero and 72nd Street. The plant was used to manufacture B29 bomber engines during WWII, and after the war Preston Tucker got possession of it from the US government. At that time it was the largest building in the world. After the collapse of the Tucker corporation the plant had various tenants over the years. Eventually part of it was used to manufacture Tootsie Rolls! And another part of it was turned into the Ford City mall.

[Dr. Cranky]

At least it didn't get abandoned and then destroyed, the cruel fate of most buildings these days.

[johnbuzzed]

Very interesting, very cool, a little saddening.

I was stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, just outside of Mt Clemens, back in '74-'75. In my travels I managed to get to the Chrysler plant in Hamtramck. I wonder if it's even there now... I often drove past the MPC facility on Grosbeck Highway but I didn't stop, nor did I ever see the AMT facility out in Troy. I wish I had. Aurora had it's headquarters not far from my hometown on Long Island. Never made it there, either. Who knew?

The homes of Grumman Aerospace Corporation and Republic Aviation Corporation, both manufacturers of some famous aircraft, are mere shells of what they used to be on that same island.

Some old buildings, even those with history, are demolished in the name of "progress", while others- even towns and entire cities- are brought to the same fate due to politics and stupidity .

Sorry if I went off the track here...

Edited August 9, 2013 by johnbuzzed