Fleetwood plant remnant questions

[Burnsie]

I'll attach a couple of photos later to this post to help explain.

Does anybody know what the function was of the small building at the east end of the Fisher Body Fleetwood site? Since the rest of the plant [[except for a tiny brick building on the west end) has been obliterated, this remnant's survival is intriguing. It was connected by a bridge, now abruptly truncated, to the main building. The bridge has the type of siding that's ubiquitous on 1960s-1970s GM facilities, and I see it connected on a 1981 Detroit Edison aerial. Did the bodies get sent across to the small building for last minute repairs and checks before getting trucked over to Clark Street? It seems too elaborate to have been a pedestrian overpass. I just wonder, because I've seen a photo of the body trucks clustered at the west end instead. I also wonder if it's an original Fisher Body building, or was bought later by GM.

While we're at it, does anyone know what the function was of the other surviving bit, the brick structure on the west end? Perhaps a truck garage.

[ndavies]

The forum has a limit on the file size of pictures. You need to shrink them before you try to post them.

[wilderness]

East end was a parking structure and west end was a garage.
There's old threads and pretty sure even pics.

[Wheels]

https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mess...tml?1111905886

Try here.

[Burnsie]

I looked at that thread, thanks. This is the building. The B&W image is from a 1981 DTE WSU aerial. It doesn't look like a parking structure, and the 2nd story facing Fort has a bunch of bricked-in office-type windows. I'm guessing it's where the bodies were shipped out to Clark St., but I'm hoping someone can confirm for sure. I'm still trying to figure out if it had a different purpose originally. Perhaps part of the produce terminal.

[MikeM]

Looks to me, from looking at older aerial photos, and from the style and brick color, that it was originally part of the produce terminal. Maybe a garage for truck maintenance? GM must have acquired it sometime in the sixties or seventies. I have no idea what it was used for. Certainly more than a pedestrian bridge.

[bartocktoo]

https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mess...tml?1111905886

Try here.

Wow the information and line stories on that thread is incredible!

[Pontiac6000]

If that was 'Fisher Body' and/or Fleetwood plant, as I can remember, being 55+ these days...what was the reason for seeing cars driven on Fort with only the lower chassis and car seats assembled. Were they physically driven from plant to a body shop ramp? If cars were coming in by rail to have bodies put on, were they driving cars made in house to same area? Clarify, anyone?

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Wow the information and line stories on that thread is incredible!

Yes !! The old auto factory thread is priceless. Lots of valuable pictures and information.

[Burnsie]

...what was the reason for seeing cars driven on Fort with only the lower chassis and car seats assembled.

The bodies were assembled at Fisher Fleetwood, then hauled to Clark St. Cadillac assembly where they were mated to the chassis. This lasted until both plants closed. Similarly, Fisher Body Flint hauled bodies 4 miles up to Buick, and Fisher Lansing trucked bodies 1.5 miles to Oldsmobile. The Flint arrangement lasted until early 1985, and Lansing did it that way until spring 2005.

The most extreme example of that legacy practice was from ca. late 1984 to Dec. 1987, when Fisher Flint built "G-car" bodies that were trucked to Pontiac Plant 8 assembly, 35 miles away!

[MikeM]

A Sanborn map from 1923 shows a one story building there [[that looks smaller) with an address of 7815 W Fort, labeled as 'Automobile Day Storage' with a capacity of 36 cars. The rest of the lot west and south is labeled as 'Fisher Body Corp Plant 18 Lumber Storage'.




Springwells Avenue continued south of Fort in alignment with present day All Saints Street, along the west side of the yard. The block between Springwells and West End where the parking lot is, was filled with houses.