For Sale: One Packard Plant

**Lowell** · May-28-13, 05:20 PM

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.

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.

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.

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.

**Ray1936** · May-28-13, 05:23 PM

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

**RickBeall** · May-28-13, 06:35 PM

It would make a nice summer cottage.

**bibs** · May-28-13, 09:56 PM

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

**old guy** · May-28-13, 09:57 PM

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

**Király** · May-28-13, 10:17 PM

Wikipedia says it has 3.5 million square feet.

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

**wolverine** · May-28-13, 11:22 PM

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

**royce** · May-29-13, 01:32 AM

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.

**mikefmich** · May-29-13, 05:00 AM

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.

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?

**mikefmich** · May-29-13, 05:05 AM

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?

**jtf1972** · May-29-13, 06:36 AM

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.

**Honky Tonk** · May-29-13, 07:01 AM

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.

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

**daddeeo** · May-29-13, 07:37 AM

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.

**Honky Tonk** · May-29-13, 08:55 AM

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.

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

**56packman** · May-29-13, 12:19 PM

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.

**p69rrh51** · May-29-13, 01:07 PM

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.

Very well stated!

**downtownguy** · May-29-13, 01:34 PM

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.

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.

**56packman** · May-29-13, 01:36 PM

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

**Shorthook** · May-29-13, 02:07 PM

Do tell... we have nothing but time

**56packman** · May-29-13, 02:47 PM

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

**jtf1972** · May-29-13, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

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

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

**Packman41** · May-29-13, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Shorthook

Do tell... we have nothing but time

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.

**Spartan** · May-29-13, 03:46 PM

Does this one come with free coffee like the Wurlitzer?

**Honky Tonk** · May-29-13, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

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

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.

**Krawlspace** · May-29-13, 05:07 PM

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.