Hello Seacare:

Call American Arrow and ask for Cindy.

https://americanarrowcorp.com/products/hood-ornaments/

This PMCC manufacturer's license plate is up for auction. Know anyone that would be an angel and buy it for the Packard Proving Grounds?https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/69246336_leather-michigan-license-plate-no-860

This 1905 leather Michigan license plate was used before the State actually issued license plates! Michigan registration number 1565 was issued to the Packard Car Company in 1905 and used through June of 1907. The aluminum disc attached to this leather plate was the 860th with the same number to be issued to Packard. This is the only such manufacturer's plate known to exist, and condition is 9.0. Condition: (9.0).Dimensions: 4 - 1/4" x 5".

Would like to see this back in the Detroit area and on display.

Best, --Roger--

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Because the image you posted is only 64 wide and 48 high and when the software expands it to post it all you get is a blurry image. You need to post a much higher res image.

Hello Howard: The surrounding neighborhoods are some of the poorest areas of the city and that is saying something. According to this article, Detroit is one of the worst cities to live inhttps://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/02/07/worst-cities-united-states-michigan/2804613002/ and with these stats:
1) Poverty rate: 37.9 percent (top 10 percent)
2) 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,057 (top 10 percent)
3) Median home value: $42,800 (bottom 10 percent)

Now find the poorest area of that city and you have the Packard neighborhood. You have to go 3 miles due west to the action of the revitalized area where all the hipsters live.

Howard, do yourself a favor and take a trip to Detroit for FREE using Google Earth. Type in the address 1580 EGB and "fly" there. Now use the zoom in feature and get to "Street Level" view and "drive" around the area. From the air you see buildings scattered about and many vacant lots. Now on the ground you will see that a good portion of the buildings you saw from the air are dilapidated. For a more urban experience, drive there in the night.

Update on the Packard Plant.https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/02/08/packard-plant-owner-plans-to-pay-detroit-tax-bill/2815840002/ Salient portions follow.

The Spanish-born owner of the Packard Plant in Detroit has pledged to pay the property's overdue bills to avoid losing his portions of the massive factory ruin to foreclosure, his local attorney said Friday.

Kopietz said the Packard Plant's overdue balance is not actually for property taxes, but rather city storm water drainage fees that hadn't been paid. Those fees were then administratively added to the property tax bill, Kopietz said, even though Palazuelo was current on property taxes.

Kopietz said that Palazuelo told him this week that he intends to pay all of the overdue balance by the end of the month. The large size of the balance is more reflective of the vast size of the 40-acre plant, not late payment penalties.

The expected completion date for first phase of the Packard Plant's redevelopment was recently pushed to 2020 from late 2019.

On a separate front, the City of Detroit is making progress on demolishing a five-story, 300,000-square-foot building on the opposite end of Packard Plant that Palazuelo doesn't own. That city-owned parcel was blighted and holding back the surrounding neighborhood, according to Brian Farkas, director of special projects for the Detroit Building Authority. The demolition has been planned for years and marks the third city-owned Packard Plant structure to be razed.

"I don't think anyone wants to invest next to a structure that is collapsing," Farkas said. The building is expected to be completely down by late May at a cost of $1.3 million from the city's general fund. A city spokesman said there are no current plans to redevelop the site once the building is gone.

Attached is an aerial view from the City of Detroit roughly showing what they own. As a point of reference the small "Privately Owned" label in the far, upper left is East Grand Boulevard.

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Hello Gar:

I will give you two names. They are in southeastern Michigan and that is what I call "near" Romeo as opposed to someone out of state.

Bob Anzalone R&A Engineering in Manchester, MI 724-428-1808 e-mail at anzalone61@msn.com

or

Dan Boehm in Plymouth, MI 734-678-1144 e-mail at antiquevehicles53@gmail.com

Other than that there WAS B&R Packard at 181 W. Gates Street in downtown Romeo, MI, but they seemed to be closed most of the time.

Best of luck.

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And there is a 1941 on the same websitehttp://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle172 Notice how the fender braces have a gentle curve to match the curves in the frame.

The one below in maroon is mine and is a 1941 built by Cleveland Welding Company.

Leeedy should be here shortly as he is the bicycle expert - had an article in the PAC magazine a little bit ago. don't have it at my finger tips.

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Hello Packard5687:

Read your blogpost and there are a few fine points I would like to add.

When Cristini was managing the PMCC Plant those 90+ small tenants reportedly earned him GROSS rents of $1.0 million a month - more than enough to pay the interest, principle, taxes and insurance to the seller he was buying the property from. Trouble was the seller did not pass on the tax payments to the City and the County - he pocketed the $$$ for himself. The City (without doing a title search) began foreclosure against the seller. Neither the seller nor City contacted Cristini to correct the problem in time. The City then brought in the gang squad to evict the rent-paying tenants and began to demo the property.

In you blog you mention that Palazuelo might be foreclosed by the City. That has not been confirmed. What has been confirmed is that the County may foreclose on him - you link to the newspaper article refers to the County. Meanwhile, it is plausible that he is also delinquent on City taxes, but that is unconfirmed.

Attached is a summer of 2018 aerial image (from Google) of the bridge. Note the collapsed roof over the northern part of the bridge - this is where the collapse occurred. Rain and snow fall past the missing roof and pool on the decking. Corrosion and freeze/thaw expansion allows the steel structure to crumble and there goes the bridge. Click onto the photo to enlarge.

--Roger--

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Hello Miller:

No, I did not take any offense to your comments. As I forewarned, I did not want to appear "snippy" because I did not mean to be. And we sincerely appreciate your continued support.

Everyone wants to make things better in the Packard world and together we can do that. By working together, on a cause bigger than ourselves, we can succeed in saving our history for future generation.

I welcome anyone willing to help save the PPG. Many hands make the work easier.

Quote:

Did the city ever declare this as a historical part of Detroit?? No, the city is still working out their post-bankruptcy plan. They were prepared to sell off items from the Art Museum and the Historical Museum to pay off debts. That did NOT happen, but is shows you how much they care about history - zilch.

Should the Packard club been involved?? Excuse me if I sound a little "snippy" here. Concerned Packard people from the local region of Motor City Packards and the Packard Motor Car Foundation have been all over this for the last 20+ years. Do you think we are oblivious as to what is going on in our city? It may be too late for the PMCC Plant, but if you really are interested is saving a Packard property, then contact me and we'll find a spot for you on our Volunteer List at the PPG. Or, if you cannot make the daily commute, then send us a check to support those that are working there for the cause.

Now to update you guys on the bridge collapse. East Grand Boulevard has been cleaned up and open to what little traffic there now is there.

Meanwhile, in Saturday's Detroit Free Press they reported that Arte Express is 3 years behind in their real estate taxes and subject to a tax foreclosure sale.https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/01/26/packard-plant-detroit-taxes/2686758002/

Article is not clear if they are also behind in paying City of Detroit taxes.