My uncle works at a produce company in Detroit, someone came in and asked them if they could do with out the train for a few months, because they wanted to blow part of it up for the third Transformers movie. Can't remember for sure but I think he also said they were going to or thinking about blowing up the Packard building. On the up side some of the proving grounds are still on van dyke.
I thought they were doing the Trans 3 movie in Milwaukee. They are using the Calatrava art museum and the old Tower Automotive plant (AO Smith).
its a goddamn shame what we've allowed to happen to the manufacturing base in this country. think of all the people who once made their livings in these old buildings... what do we make now? NOTHING! our politicians make new laws, taxes and enemies. other than that, we dont make dick. off with their heads i say! funny how they sold our production overseas on the promise of "hi tech" jobs that never materialized.. you suppose the folks in detroit would rather still be makin cars or are they happy waitin on the tech jobs that were gonna be our new economy?... well folks, those jobs aint comin. i say send the coastguard out and start turnin away freighters full of imports. if we dont make it here we aint gonna make it here!
We (they) should have started turning away freighters full of imports during the first oil embargo in '73-'74..
There has been plenty of time for some one to save it. I is not just a building it is a compound. If something does not change It wont be long and the rest of the D will look like that .
It is entirely buyer driven. Blaming "coporate greedies" is the wrong thing. It is a survival move dictated ENTIRELY by the consumer. It's the CONSUMER that chooses the import which is a few dollars cheaper than the American made item. Yes, YOU are at fault. The "corporate greedies" are only doing what you the buyer have demanded by directing your buying dollars to the overseas cheaper goods. They are trying to survive while you are trying to starve them and beat on them. If YOUR consumer dollars were going to American companies and American products instead of buying overseas items, the overseas cheapies would not dominate. They could not dominate without you. For it's own survival, any company must go where you send YOUR dollars or they starve. If YOU chose the sturdy cast iron widget over the cheap stamped sheetmetal widget, the cheap stamped widget would not dominate. Today, the cast iron widget-maker MUST make his products just like the junky ones that attract your money or he doesn't get your money and dies of starvation. The buyer drives it, not the company trying to find customers, the buyer drives it. Americans have long been pissing in their own food supply and then complaining about the taste. It has become quite popular today. We try so hard to bleed, pummel, fine, tax, and sink the American companies that provided us with the best standard of living in the world, and then send our cash to the companies that we would never want to work for. IT IS US DOING IT, not the "evil" company. . I had so much fun exploring the old Stude factory buildings a few decades ago. I wish I could have stayed longer and explored more. I wish I could have seen what it was like when it was still alive. It really is sad to see such things go. I guess I won't ever get a chance to see the Packard building before its gone. It would be really cool to find some old film of a tour of any of the pre-war factories while they were busy and running full bore.
I agree completely. We have similar stories here too. I, personaly, would like to see them stripped of any remaining historical fittings and then blown up. Go out with a bang, not a whimper.
I think this country needs a wake-up call.... We have far too many people out of work including myself.. Wish I could say more, but I can't..
Maybe a Walgreen's but I seriously doubt a Wal-Mart because there isn't a Wal-Mart within the city limits of Detroit. I completely agree. I've been to see the Packard Plant twice and it still is the scariest place I've been in the daytime because of all the illegal activity you know it attracts. The actual size of the plant is amazing to see in person, it 3.5 million square feet of abandoned structure on 35 acres of land! I wouldn't go inside the building without some kind of weapon for protection. I know a couple of people who have been in the plant and there isn't much left inside because the looters have had 50+ years to raid the building of anything that had value. Besides, there are enough abandoned structures in Detroit that stealing scrap metal out of them is full-time job for some people.
I hope they don't do anything before Sept 29th I booked a trip there just to go see this the Packard Proving grounds and some of the Ford history. (Henry Ford Museum/ Green Field Village)
If you've seen any pictures of the Packard plant you wouldn't question if its time to tear it down. Its been closed since the mid fifties and has had little or no maintinance all this time. A huge section just collapsed recently and much of the rest is stucturally un-sound. Scrappers have stolen everything, and vandels have destroyed most of the rest. Buildings just don't do well without any power, maintinance, a good roof and up keep. The plant was built to do one thing and one thing only and doesn't easily lend itself to other practical uses. People want old buildings saved and rehabed, and I do too, but it has to make economic sense and fill a demand for space. There is not much demand for space in Detroit right now. An article I read a few weeks ago said Detroit has 40,000 abandoned homes and buildings, thousands of them are well beyond saving. Not many folks have enough money to rehab a huge building as a hobby, the place has to pay it's way. You couldn't rehab the Packard plant for 25 times what it cost to build.
I love how everyone gets all upset about tearing down these buildings maybe before thinking it is so terrible you guys should go live in this god forsaken land we call Detroit! I grew up in that shit house and most (75-80%) of Detroit needs to be leveled along with 30-40% of the people including the corrupt political system. Yes the Packard building has quite a history but last time I was there to take pictures inside the factory their were drugged out crack heads and abandon/stolen and torched vehicles too. Do you want this in your city?
You've only got half the story there. Every widget has fixed costs, and it has a selling price that is determined by the buyer. Among those fixed costs are employee wages to produce it, and taxes. Businesses don't pay taxes--they pass that cost on to the consumer by raising the cost of the widget to cover the taxes. At some point, the consumer isn't going to pay that price anymore. So what's a manufacturer to do? They have to lower the cost somehow. To do that, it has to be cheaper to produce. Hence, shipping jobs over seas for lower wages. If the politicians were smart, they'd eliminate corporate income taxes on all goods manufactured here in the US, which would immediately lower the price and make widgets made in the US cost-competitive. More people employed means more income taxes to the government. Unfortunately, politicians have done a fabulous job of demonizing Big Business for decades, and citizens have forgotten that it's Business that puts food on their tables, not Government. Anytime you hear someone bitch, moan and complain about "greedy business" or "corporate america," you're talking to someone who falls in that category. If the Fed Gov't and the state of Michigan would do away with corporate taxes, can you imagine what could be done with all the skilled labor, empty buildings and dormant machines that Michigan has?! -Brad
Its a shame it is getting torn down, I always had a dream of going there with a guitar and a large amp and hear the sound bounce of the walls. Now thats one more piece of Americana down the drain.
I read a story last year that there were no grocery store chains within the city limits either. No Kroger, Meijer, etc. -Brad
If you go through and delete all the responses from those who don't live in Detroit or have never seen the compound and it's location, you'll see what why it should be torn down... If they can save a facade or two to put up in the Henry Ford, that's be great... You don't leave food on the counter if you don't want roaches... http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=D...7865&longitude=-83.02663&geocode=INTERSECTION Take a little drive around the neighborhhod in Mapquest... would you want this affecting your property value? Making up the difference this building does NOT pay in property taxes?
Yikes! I wasn't aware of that being the case. Found a bit of info here. http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/22/smallbusiness/detroit_grocery_stores.smb/index.htm Just hope they don't get to the point where they buckle under and figure that W*lM*rt is the only thing that can save them. As Chicago did recently.
Someone should at least purchase that entranceway from the demolition company. What a fantastic portal for someone's home shop!!!!!
City seeks owners of Packard plant ruins Lawsuit may point to someone whos accountable for site BY CHRISTINE MACDONALD The Detroit News Detroit The city is promising to force the owners of the decrepit Packard Motor Car Co. plant to demolish or secure it, bolstered by a new court filing that provides clues about the owner. Bioresource Inc. sued 555 Nonprofit Studio and Gallery on Tuesday, asking a judge to force it to return a mural by famed graffiti artist Banksy that it removed from the plant. In the lawsuit, Bioresource Inc. claimed it owns the Packard Plant and that Romel Casab is the companys president. Casab has been rumored to be owner of the plant for years. But prior to the lawsuit, the only owner or agent of Bioresource on record was Dominic Cristini, who is in prison in California on Ecstasy charges. (Casab) has never come for ward and acknowledged being associated in that role, said Karla Henderson, who leads the citys Buildings Safety and Engineering Department. We were very surprised to see him file a lawsuit and acknowledge he is the president. Its significant. Casab said Thursday that city officials would have to prove it, but didnt clarify what he meant. When asked by a reporter if he is the owner of the plant, he said, I dont know what you are talking about. Earlier, Casab referred comment to Bioresource attorney Barry Steinway, who did not return calls this week. The 100-year-old plant is one of Detroits most notorious symbols of decline and despair. Designed by architect Albert Kahn, the complex at East Grand and Mount Elliott produced more than 1.5 million luxury vehicles until 1956. But its since been left to crumble. Henderson said she plans to start demolition proceedings. The city could attempt to hold Casab accountable for the tab, she said. Its open and dangerous, Henderson said. State records show Biore source dissolved in 2003 and thats its last agent was Cristini. The ownership of the Packard plant has been in dispute for years. In 2007 the Michigan State Supreme Court denied the city of Detroits appeal of a lower courts decision that put the property back in the hands of the private owners. The city had wanted to clear the 35-acre site and sell it to developers. City officials said Casab never acknowledged his ownership but was an active part of the lawsuit.
This is correct. I saw the Packard entrance recently over at the Packard Proving Grounds. That will be preserved. There is no one that liked the Packard Plant more than I. I did some projects at the old Gemmer Gear plant just across the freeway in the 80s and I stored a 1923 Packard in the old Packard Plant. At that time it was so-so and they had several pretty nice storage rooms and some guys renting space. Then in the late 80s the 23 Packard was stolen. Some of the renters I talked to told me their stuff was disappearing and they moved on as well. Since the 80s it has gone down fast. I stopped in there about ten years ago and it was a war zone. I would never go in there without an Uzi. The ONLY solution to that place is the wrecking ball but Detroit may have trouble forcing whomever the owner is to tear it down. If left to the city of Detroit they couldn't find enough money to rent a 40 yard dumpster.-Jim
Well that sucks but it needs to be done.I just hope i can see it befor its gone even if its a war zone now.
The Jalopy Journal
