For Sale: One Packard Plant

For possibly, but not likely, $21,500.

Movement on Detroit's most fabulous ruin's future, the Packard Plant, appears to finally have been set in motion after it was successfully foreclosed in March according to this Crain's Detroit Business article.

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The abandoned factory that once produced Packard automobiles will be among the properties for sale this September at the Wayne County auction of properties foreclosed on because of property tax delinquency.

The starting price for bidding will be about $975,000, the sum of the taxes owed on 43 parcels that make up most of the sprawling Packard plant property, county officials said. Another four parcels on the fringes of the property belong to the city of Detroit and will not be included in the auction.

The auction, likely to occur between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26, will put the 43 parcels up for bidding as one bundled property. If no sale is made, the parcels will go up for auction again in October but at a bundled price of $500 per parcel. Theoretically, one buyer could walk away with all 43 parcels for $21,500.

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I like that the Crain's writer gave a tip of the hat to the cultural significance of the Packard Plant. It truly is a magnificent and awe-inspiring presence regardless of one's take on it.

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The plant does have cultural value for Detroit enthusiasts, ranking as a must-see destination, alongside the abandoned Michigan Central Depot train station, for documentarians and tourists. Artists have used the space for art installations and theatrical performances. The Packard plant also holds special status in the Detroit electronic music scene as the site of some of the more legendary raves of the 1990s.

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You paint a pretty picture, Lowell, but -- thank you -- I shall not be bidding.

It would make a nice summer cottage.

What would be the approximate cost of demolision and remediation of the site?

How many square feet does the Packard Plant have? Ballpark.

Wikipedia says it has 3.5 million square feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Automotive_Plant

I can't imagine anyone stupid enough to buy it. The building [[and the land) are such a liability.

The Packard plant along with the entire area, bordered by I-94 to the north, St. Aubin to the west, Warren to the south, and Baldwin to the east, needs to be mothballed. Find housing for displaced residents in other parts of the metro area and let the Packard plant collapse on itself. In 50 years maybe the city will find a use for the area, but for now, worring about tearing down the Packard plant and redeveloping the area is a waste of time. Therefore, no one should be allowed to buy it because the area should be abandoned.

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Originally Posted by royce

The Packard plant along with the entire area, bordered by I-94 to the north, St. Aubin to the west, Warren to the south, and Baldwin to the east, needs to be mothballed. Find housing for displaced residents in other parts of the metro area and let the Packard plant collapse on itself. In 50 years maybe the city will find a use for the area, but for now, worring about tearing down the Packard plant and redeveloping the area is a waste of time. Therefore, no one should be allowed to buy it because the area should be abandoned.

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I think it already is abandoned? If the city can find a buyer that would pay property taxes, why should they let it just sit?

The only house my grandparents ever owned, where my ma was born, was within spitting distance of the plant. My grandfather worked there, as did many other relatives. My folks were married within spitting distance. Yeah...if I was a crazy billionaire, I'd buy & restore it. Why I bet that could be done for what.....a cool 200 million? ;)

Matty should buy it & get the same restoration team from MCS working on it... provided it wouldn't distract them from the work they are doing on MCS.

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Originally Posted by jtf1972

Matty should buy it & get the same restoration team from MCS working on it... provided it wouldn't distract them from the work they are doing on MCS.

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Rumor has it another window's going into MCS. There's going to be a press release.

This would be a major rehab job for the area. Can you imagine the brown site costs? I would think they could get government money for a clean up. It would be fun to take on if you won a big lottery.

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Originally Posted by daddeeo

This would be a major rehab job for the area. Can you imagine the brown site costs? I would think they could get government money for a clean up. It would be fun to take on if you won a big lottery.

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It would, [[and should), be turned into another Uniroyal site.

No one is going to buy it due to the costs of doing anything, let alone the right thing, which is to demo it entirely and remediate the site. It's just going to remain a monument of corruption between the mayor's office [[Archer) his confederate in Lansing and someone crooked at the EPA.
Oh somone may buy it on the cheap, harvest whatever scrap they can and still leave the carcass, that is the danger of selling cheap.

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Originally Posted by 56packman

No one is going to buy it due to the costs of doing anything, let alone the right thing, which is to demo it entirely and remediate the site. It's just going to remain a monument of corruption between the mayor's office [[Archer) his confederate in Lansing and someone crooked at the EPA.
Oh somone may buy it on the cheap, harvest whatever scrap they can and still leave the carcass, that is the danger of selling cheap.

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Very well stated!

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Originally Posted by 56packman

It's just going to remain a monument of corruption between the mayor's office [[Archer) his confederate in Lansing and someone crooked at the EPA.

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Can you explain how Archer's administration is involved in this? I'm not a fan of his, but this one did not show up on my radar.

It's a long story you, and most people don't know, and it stinks to high hell.

Do tell... we have nothing but time

I've told bits of it time and time again here, just search the site, I don't have that kind of time.

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

It would, [[and should), be turned into another Uniroyal site.

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I was thinking the perfect developer would actually be Illitch. He's great at turning historic buildings into gravel lots.

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Originally Posted by Shorthook

Do tell... we have nothing but time

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56packman is a friend of mine and he knows the story all too well.

Maybe the Packard Plant thread needs its own FAQ or wiki so that the story does not have to be retold every other month.

I while ago I posted this in a thread:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...760#post352760

And before that I posted this:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...460#post337460

Maybe this will give you some background as to why the CofD is at fault.

Does this one come with free coffee like the Wurlitzer?

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Originally Posted by jtf1972

I was thinking the perfect developer would actually be Illitch. He's great at turning historic buildings into gravel lots.

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Indeed he is, an artist in that respect. That and evicting those less fortunate then himself. If the old Packard plant were to come down tomorrow, you'd be faced with the content disposal issues, and it would be a l-o-n-g time, just like the Uniroyal site, before you could do anything inhabitable with the property.

Whatever happens it would be nice to see some people from The Henry Ford make a move to recover as much of Building 10 as possible for installation in the Village or even the Museum. It fits exactly with the vision of preserving engineering firsts. I know it won't ever happen because it never does here. But it would be nice to see it preserved for future generations to learn from.

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Originally Posted by Krawlspace

Whatever happens it would be nice to see some people from The Henry Ford make a move to recover as much of Building 10 as possible for installation in the Village or even the Museum. It fits exactly with the vision of preserving engineering firsts. I know it won't ever happen because it never does here. But it would be nice to see it preserved for future generations to learn from.

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With all due respect, The Packard plant is a bit to far gone for that. [[though it would be a nice gesture) The other issue is Ford, like the other auto companies, are watching their pennies more so then they did in HF1's day. Still.....

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Originally Posted by Krawlspace

Whatever happens it would be nice to see some people from The Henry Ford make a move to recover as much of Building 10 as possible for installation in the Village or even the Museum. It fits exactly with the vision of preserving engineering firsts. I know it won't ever happen because it never does here. But it would be nice to see it preserved for future generations to learn from.

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The Henry Ford? Umm… you do know a dedicated group of volunteers is preserving and restoring the Packard Proving Grounds out in Utica [[Shelby Township)?

They have acquired many artifacts from the original Packard Plant and have them in storage at the Proving Grounds until such time that they can be displayed in the appropriate setting. I am sure that any additional artifacts from the Plant site would be accepted at the Proving Grounds.

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

With all due respect, The Packard plant is a bit to far gone for that. [[though it would be a nice gesture) The other issue is Ford, like the other auto companies, are watching their pennies more so then they did in HF1's day. Still.....

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With all due respect to you, I was making the case for Building 10, and only a portion of that. The building part in question is very small relative to the entire plant.
See the DetroitFunk page here for an actual image.

Additionally, the Ford Motor Company has nothing at all to do financially with The Henry Ford as an institution save for the FMC Fund's donations of support along with DTE, The Kresge Foundation, and Roger Penske but to name a few. Building 10 changed industrial architecture forever. It would not be horrendously expensive to remove the facade and a portion of the interior floors for an installment. But like I said, it won't happen. Not because of the reasons you mentioned, but rather for the complete apathy for history that so very many of the residents of Metro Detroit have when it comes to the city itself. Just look at the Ford Piquette Plant and Highland Park Plant as examples. Forgotten but to a few dedicated souls [[especially at Piquette, and I'm not detracting here) who try to make the masses aware of the amazing heritage we all should celebrate.

I am absolutely aware of the Proving Grounds and the rescue of the entrance ways and other items. I simply felt that Building 10 might be more appreciated at the Henry Ford set among so many other historically significant mechanical and engineering buildings and equipment. If the Proving Grounds can step in I'll come down myself and help with labor. I was only thinking of rescue in general and the potential exposure at the HF.

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Originally Posted by Krawlspace

I was making the case for Building 10, and only a portion of that. The building part in question is very small relative to the entire plant.

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The whole plant was building 10 as in building #10 or the tenth factory that Mr. Khan designed.He engineered a whole design not just a little part or small building.

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Originally Posted by old guy

How many square feet does the Packard Plant have? Ballpark.

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Year and Half ago it was at 2.2 million sqft,who's to say now considering the renewed interests in the unabated demolishing of the city,at that time it would have taken less then 18 million to get it serviceable enough for production or revenue generation multi use.

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Originally Posted by Richard

The whole plant was building 10 as in building #10 or the tenth factory that Mr. Khan designed.He engineered a whole design not just a little part or small building.

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Building #10 of the Packard Plant is a single structure within the greater whole. Khan did not produce a "whole design" for the plant which evolved over decades and in fact he was not even the first architect for the Boulevard location factories. Building 10 for the first time utilized the Khan Method of reinforced concrete which was a product of Khan's brother Julius and as I stated had a huge impact in factory design and as a direct result productivity and profit for these companies. Do a little research.

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Originally Posted by Krawlspace

Building #10 of the Packard Plant is a single structure within the greater whole. Khan did not produce a "whole design" for the plant which evolved over decades and in fact he was not even the first architect for the Boulevard location factories. Building 10 for the first time utilized the Khan Method of reinforced concrete which was a product of Khan's brother Julius and as I stated had a huge impact in factory design and as a direct result productivity and profit for these companies. Do a little research.

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He was asked or commissioned to design a factory for PMC or actually for Packard Land Development Corporation which was the building or real estate division for Packard Motor car.

The original blue prints clearly show the entire factory and is labeled as such building #10 not Packard building etc.

The original design was for two stories and the other two were added which in turn would make it easier to reconstruct as it was not built as a single pour but in layers,but anyways why would PLD corp ask to build a small single story building that was smaller then what they had already? They commissioned a full factory build.

I did my research probably way deeper then most,have you ever seen the original full set of blueprints?

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Originally Posted by Richard

He was asked or commissioned to design a factory for PMC or actually for Packard Land Development Corporation which was the building or real estate division for Packard Motor car.

The original blue prints clearly show the entire factory and is labeled as such building #10 not Packard building etc.

The original design was for two stories and the other two were added which in turn would make it easier to reconstruct as it was not built as a single pour but in layers,but anyways why would PLD corp ask to build a small single story building that was smaller then what they had already? They commissioned a full factory build.

I did my research probably way deeper then most,have you ever seen the original full set of blueprints?

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If you want to call the whole place Building 10 and cast aside the myriad mentions of it being a separate building within the complex go right ahead. The Legacy of Albert Kahn, the Packard Cormorant winter issue from 2009, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, 1915 Sanborn Maps, and several other sources I don't have right in front of me disagree with you, but that's ok. And yes, I have seen many of the original prints [[including a very nice elevation and cut away of the "non-existent" Building #10) both at the Bentley Library at U of M as well as at Albert Kahn & Ass. where I was given limited access due to my knowing a manager who works there.

Meet Allan Hill, the man who lives In Detroit's abandoned Packard Auto Plant.

Attachment 20748
This Must Be The Place

My suggestion; Talk to Michael Bay, do a Transformers 5 and implode & level the entire complex, Hollywood style.

Here's a description of the plant for those of you that think the entire complex is building 10.

Attachment 20749

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Originally Posted by bibs

What would be the approximate cost of demolision and remediation of the site?

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Not as much as you think!

A 40 ton excavator with a hyd. hammer and claws is all you would need, and a tip truck and trailer to cart it away [not sure of tipping fees in your city?] the steel would be accounted for and recycled

ONE person could do it, of course wont be the fastest way but you would be surprised what a good excavator operator can do in 10 hours.

Shame to see another piece of Packard leave the earth...

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Originally Posted by Király

Wikipedia says it has 3.5 million square feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Automotive_Plant

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Is that before or after the collapsed floors? or is that just talking about ground floor footprint?

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Originally Posted by AUSSIE

Not as much as you think!


ONE person could do it, of course wont be the fastest way but you would be surprised what a good excavator operator can do in 10 hours....

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The Packard Plant down in 10 hours. Good luck with that one.
Maybe with a hydrogen bomb.

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Originally Posted by old guy

The Packard Plant down in 10 hours. Good luck with that one.
Maybe with a hydrogen bomb.

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Go have another read of what I wrote, a good excavator operator can do a whole lot of work in 10 hours, I DID NOT SAY the whole building!!:rolleyes:I use to operate one, fairly hands one what they can do, cheers

Not sure if there is another thread... this is pretty big news to me at least:

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

They have 'hired' Kahn to work on it, serious enough for Kahn to say they have a principal assigned to the project.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...O01/307170042/

They even did a whole rendering of the overpass... this must be for real [[/sarcasm).

Thoughts?

And queue the "it'll never happen" comments in 3,2,1..............

Well, we can always dream. I do like that nifty rendering. But I think I'd call it PackardTown instead of Villages of Packard.