The Packard Plant is Once Again Burning

[Eastside]

I was cycling home from the People's Art Fair and saw bellowing, black smoke in the distance. Headed that way and discovered that the Packard Plant is once again burning. Numerous DFD trucks are there fighting the fire. Awful thick, black smoke coming from the Palmer Street [[I believe) overpass on the southside of the Boulevard.

[Al Publican]

Why don't the use the Packard plant to shoot movies? With that in mind, when does the remake of Red Dawn come out? I remember it being shot in part downtown last year.

[Magnatomicflux]

Surprise, suprise. What an incredible structure though,eh? I can't think of too many buildings that could take fire this many times and keep on, keepin on.

Al.....I thought I read somewhere here that transformers was shooting there.

[Gsgeorge]

Why don't the use the Packard plant to shoot movies? With that in mind, when does the remake of Red Dawn come out? I remember it being shot in part downtown last year.

Transformers 3 will be shooting there all September and is blowing the sh*t outta the place.

[Al Publican]

My grandfather was a UAW steward at the Packard plant. My step father worked there during WWII, but they never crossed paths until my mother's third marriage.

[fryar]

Transformers 3 will be shooting there all September and is blowing the sh*t outta the place.

Hopefully that will reduce the number of fires.

[Jimaz]

That must be exasperating for the firefighters. What do they want done about it? It's such a waste of their effort.

[Wingnatic]

I used to work at a company along I-94 and the Blvd. it used to be Stone Container and then Laimbeer Container or something like that . Inside the building there was big steel doors with a slight decline in the floor [[much like a dock but not so steep ) The doors were always padlocked but I was told the building was once a part of Packard and it was a tunnel between Packard buildings . Not sure if that was true or not true .

[Nicodeme]

Why don't the use the Packard plant to shoot movies? With that in mind, when does the remake of Red Dawn come out? I remember it being shot in part downtown last year.

Red Dawn's been put on ice, I believe. MGM is having major financial troubles and can't afford to do much right now. Red Dawn may be a straight-to-DVD movie instead of a regular release.

[Gsgeorge]

Word in the film circles is Transformers might be actually physically destroying a significant section of the Packard complex, hence the heightened security & presence at the site.

[mam2009]

Word in the film circles is Transformers might be actually physically destroying a significant section of the Packard complex, hence the heightened security & presence at the site.

Just curious...in order to demolish such a structure, a demo company would have to make sure that any hazardous materials were abated prior to demolition, right? Is the same true for "physically destroying a significant section of the Packard complex"? Will the nearby residents [[and even the actors and crew) be safe from any potential exposure to toxic substances?

[Gsgeorge]

I am fairly certain there is nothing 'toxic' in the Packard complex, it really is just a big concrete shell at this point. Regardless, the production company would go about it the same way any other demolition company would, and would probably hire a legitimate demolition contractor to actually carry out the work. Any significantly large production, in this case one in excess of $200 million, would do all proper abatement work, take all necessary safety precautions, issue all resident & neighbor notifications, and be in touch with the city & building owner about the type of demolition, any explosives being used, etc. The Dark Knight famously piggybacked on the demolition of the Domino Sugar factory in Chicago, and the process would have been similar. Blocks were closed in every direction, nearby buildings evacuated, etc. Same for the Hudson's building or any large implosion. But Transformers won't be knocking down the whole Packard Plant. Maybe a section, side, or single building [[even that would be surprising). I think they are really just hoping to set off a lot of 'soft' explosions there and dress the place to make it more 'picture ready'.

[Russix]

The film industry usually uses a small charge underneath a milk jug filled with gasoline to make big looking explosions without the danger of using full scale demolition charges. HazMat clean up was done in 98 before the failed demolition began. Rumor had it that organized crime was dumping toxic waste in there illegally.

[wolverine]

I am fairly certain there is nothing 'toxic' in the Packard complex, it really is just a big concrete shell at this point. Regardless, the production company would go about it the same way any other demolition company would, and would probably hire a legitimate demolition contractor to actually carry out the work. Any significantly large production, in this case one in excess of $200 million, would do all proper abatement work, take all necessary safety precautions, issue all resident & neighbor notifications, and be in touch with the city & building owner about the type of demolition, any explosives being used, etc. The Dark Knight famously piggybacked on the demolition of the Domino Sugar factory in Chicago, and the process would have been similar. Blocks were closed in every direction, nearby buildings evacuated, etc. Same for the Hudson's building or any large implosion. But Transformers won't be knocking down the whole Packard Plant. Maybe a section, side, or single building [[even that would be surprising). I think they are really just hoping to set off a lot of 'soft' explosions there and dress the place to make it more 'picture ready'.

Actually it's very polluted, and even worse that it's a concrete shell since concrete is exceptional at soaking up and holding toxic chemicals for a long time. That's why today you'll find floors well sealed in manufacturing spaces. I doubt the film crew is in any danger. As you mentioned they'll have someone clean up any debris that may be hazardous, and even any short term exposure to chemicals that may have leached into the structure is probably nothing to be worried about. It would be a separate issue if we converting this place into residential units though.

As for Brach's that was blown up in the dark night. Saw it on a long bike ride out to the west side. Still standing solid as ever. It will probably become our very own Packard Plant someday since no one seems interested in renovating an old candy factory. But instead of being polluted with toxic chemicals, it's got plenty of high fructose corn syrup spilled about.

[claireianthelibrarian]

Photos of the Brach's factory in Chicago, post-Batmansplosion: http://rubbishgoeshere.com/dump/2008...-after-batman/

[mauser]

guards mentioned having a hard time keeping people from the south side of the plant from crossing over to the north side. I - wouldnt be surprised - if they burned it on purpose to break up the walkways through the complex. I also - wouldnt be surprised - if the owners lit the last fire to stop people from getting near the Banksy.

[Hypestyles]

michael bay may be an over-the-top filmmaker, but I would be extremely grateful if the Transformers production managed to totally demolish the entire Packard plant..

[Danny]

Keep on burning down that Packard Plant. Soon one of our proud symbols of Detroit's automanufacturing gems will be extict forever! How terrible it is that those "I don't care about Detroit' people are destroying that our grandparents and forefathers work so hard to create an 'Arsenal of Democracy' motown.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

If the city can't tear it down, burn it down to the ground.

Neda, I miss you so.

[Hermod]

Keep on burning down that Packard Plant. Soon one of our proud symbols of Detroit's automanufacturing gems will be extict forever! How terrible it is that those "I don't care about Detroit' people are destroying that our grandparents and forefathers work so hard to create an 'Arsenal of Democracy' motown.

Danny, that plant got worn to the nub contributing to the Arsenal of Democracy in WWII. Packard was a leading defense manufacturer. In addition to being worn out, the plant was functionally obsolete by the mid-fifties. Packard wasn't bringing in enough cash flow to build a new plant. I guess you have to ask if it is worth outr while to maintain, as a museum, a large obsolete industrial plant that will never build another car.

[GOAT]

That is a lot of use of taxpayers $$ for these fires to be put out regularly.

When do the owners start to get fined for not securing their building? When do theowners start to get charged for demolition by neglect? Does it take a firefighter getting injured or killed in order to get action?

From a city that is bleeding red financially, this can't go on forever.

[Gsgeorge]

Despite it's rich history, pioneering design, and gigantic size, the Packard should be wiped out completely ASAP. It's long overdue, the buildings are way beyond repair or reuse, and all significant architectural & mechanic features have been stolen or shipped off to the Packard museum in Ohio. It attracts scrappers, dumpers, seedy types, and urban explorers like maggots on sh*t, and pieces of it are falling into the road & onto the tracks, endangering passerbys. Its only viable use now is as a film set for multi-million dollar destruction & action films. Use it for the movies, let them blow the sh*t outta it for a little while until there's hardly anything left, and finish her off with a good old fashioned implosion. See ya. Not gonna miss ya. It was fun while it lasted but Detroit has better things to put its money & efforts towards.

[LeannaM]

It sure was built to last.

I have to think these constant fires are not good for it and are expensive to fight.

[fryar]

When do the owners start to get fined for not securing their building?

My thoughts exactly. I realize there are practical hurdles to just collecting on those fines, but still.

[Ravine]

guards mentioned having a hard time keeping people from the south side of the plant from crossing over to the north side. I - wouldnt be surprised - if they burned it on purpose to break up the walkways through the complex. I also - wouldnt be surprised - if the owners lit the last fire to stop people from getting near the Banksy.

"The Banksy," me arse.
Some of you have attached a ridiculously inflated aura of artistic significance to that guy's stuff.

[Stosh]

"The Banksy," me arse.
Some of you have attached a ridiculously inflated aura of artistic significance to that guy's stuff.

Dbag art. Nuff said. Wanna see art? Go to the DIA. Not to the fucking Packard corpse.