  Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1641 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
Not the good kind of anniversary. The Packard Plant marks 50 years of abandonment this month and next. Here's a well written article from the Freep. I'm glad they talk not only of the problems and sad destruction of the place and the neighborhood, but also note the beauty and intrique the place has. http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=2006607050357 | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 441 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 129.9.163.233 |
The title of mr.McGraw's article is somewhat sensational--Curtis Wright closed down Packard's Detroit operations in the summer of 1956, and sold the buildings at East Grand Boulevard off to owners who ran it as a business incubator and storage facility, up until 1999-2000. As his article indicates, there were 89 different tenants, all of whom were kicked out by the City of Detroit in the land-grab attempt of 2000. I still would like to see an investigative reporter dig into that long, dirty story. | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1645 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
Investigative reporting, at least at the scale of the Packard mess, seems to be dead in Detroit and most other metro areas. I think the news will wait for the courts to do the investigative work and then write up a blub a few paragraphs long once the case is settled. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 776 Registered: 05-2004 Posted From: 68.40.119.216 |
Another chunk of city land going to waste. When is it going to stop? | ||
Paulj Member Username: Paulj Post Number: 421 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 68.249.241.80 |
oh the times we had in that place.... still waiting to see if anyone has any pictures that date back to the party era there, or any recent pics of the 'venue' areas... | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 504 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 69.242.39.114 |
I think some recent pics of the party areas were posted on the Old Car Factories thread. | ||
Paulj Member Username: Paulj Post Number: 423 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 68.249.241.80 |
hmmmmm... If you recall where at I'd love to see them. I hate to press but I just paged thru all 21+ pages of the thread and didn't find them, unless of course they're linked. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 505 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 69.242.39.114 |
They're actually on this thread: https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/5/75169.html?1151429767 | ||
623kraw Member Username: 623kraw Post Number: 920 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.61.65.233 |
53 years ago, my grandpappy, an engineer at Packard, followed his Clipper down the line to ensure every part was installed correctly. A year later, he quit Packard and went to GM Saginaw Steering Gear. Insight? Who knows. More money? I dunno... | ||
Paulj Member Username: Paulj Post Number: 425 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 68.249.241.80 |
thanks, Burnsie.... I'm partucularly interested in the very large room that sits perhaps 1/3rd of the way between the boulevard & the north end of the plant. You would go in thru the gates, and hang a right into a courtyard and there was a door leading north into the plant. you would then make a right turn & go in maybe 50 yards and that is where the majority of the parties I reemmebr attending were held. very large room with tall ceilings, and at the time black plastic draped everywhere. in the winter, industrial-grade propane heaters were trucked in and it was actually pretty warm inside. After reading this thread I googled the info and was suprised that for the thousands of people that were there over the course of a few years, not one image exists (that I can find anyways) of a party in progress or the spaces that they existed in. |
