Packard Forum Index » General

I find the pictures overwhelming. I'm filled with joy and sadness at the same time. It makes me proud to have two Packard's that were built at that factory in 1951 and 1953. To see the pictures of the factory during the glory days of the the 20's and 30's juxtaposed to the decline and collapse of the Packard factory of today is disheartening. Thank you for posting the link.

Steve Fisher, proud Packard owner.

What's been interesting is the description from various people or sites over time about the size of the Packard plant. The description on the referenced site's home page says "massive" and "even by Detroit standards, jaw dropping".

Kind of makes one wonder since Packard was considered by many to be a small manufacturer, just what the Detroit standards are for a big place, or what would a big place be like in comparison and have any other bigger plants now started down the road to the same fate. I do see several other mfg plants listed and appear to be abandoned. Are any as large?

How many Conner Ave plants would fit in East Grand?

3,500,000 divided by 759,749=4.6

Hello Mr. Pushbutton:

I think it is time to update the fire status at the Packard Plant again.

Check out the photos of the December 17, 2011 fire there this morning.

http://www.detroitfunk.com/?p=8675

--Roger--

Attach file:

---

  (14.66 KB)


  (22.96 KB)

Poor old thing. Too strong to die, to weak to survive.

I guess Detroit can't do anything legally or probably financially either so the decision to let it burn and maybe enough inner structure will go that it finally all falls down is the order of the day.

What everyone needs to remember is that the Packard plant on East Grand Blvd, in Detroit is over a mile long. I believe it is the largest industrial structure in this hemisphere that is abandoned. And frankly, I think the Tucker Plant near Chicago may have been larger in some ways. I know of a Russian car plant that was longer... but was a disaster.

But what you see today of the Packard Plant is only 3/5ths of what USED to be there originally. When the Edsel Ford Freeway was put in Very late 1950s/early 1960s), the northern end of the plant was cut off. There once were additional buildings and even a small test track oval north of what is now the Expressway and Harper Avenue. Some of this was acquired by Chrysler and Oilite Bearings... and other entities. Some merely demolished and cleared for the Expressway. I can assure you that numerous Conner plants would have fit on the Grand Blvd. property where the Packard Plant is/was located.

There were other huge plants in Detroit and surrounding area, but most of them are gone now. And many people today insist that the huge old Ford plant with the chimneys that spelled out F-O-R-D was in Detroit. Nope. It was in Highland Park and to any real Detroiter from the glory days of the city, HP was a completely separate city...their own city hall, police force, etc. No self repeating Detroiter from those old days would have ever referred to any of the suburbs or the two contained cities as "Detroit." Detroit at one time was so big and populous that it actually included two completely separate cities WITHIN its boundaries. Those were Highland Park and Hamtramck. Dodge Main was huge... but in Hamtramck.

As for fires in the plant, these are mostly set in few areas that either have wood OVERLAYS, fittings, or of items that are (for whatever reason) in the building. Or accelerants spilled around and set aflame. Most of the structures themselves are of poured, reinforced concrete-which is one of the marvels of that plant and also why it has managed to remain mostly standing despite all of the terror it has had to endure over many years. Unlike the towers that fell in New York that depended on integrity of an outer skin and central column, these buildings are either concrete filled with rebar or I-beam construction covered in concrete and not to dizzying heights. So the pancaking of one floor section dropping to another is never going to bring the whole thing down.

Anyway... I try not to look at the present photos of the plant. Too painful for me. I prefer to concentrate on the memories of how it looked when my Dad and I would drive underneath that magnificent Packard Bridge and see the lights glowing inside and the smokestacks whisping a faint gray... and the smell of lacquer and welding in the air. And new, glistening Packards sitting in the storage lot at the railhead, awaiting transport to dealers and customers. THAT is a memory I shall never forget.