Detroit is tearing down the old Packard assembly plant on East Grand Boulevard, but an essential piece of it now resides in the perfect place 27 miles to the north.
For its recent 96th birthday celebration, the Packard Proving Grounds near Utica welcomed local cruisers for cake and ice cream, and the “tank engineering building” was opened so visitors could see an important piece of Packard history: The large stone entryway that employees walked through before clocking in for their shifts at the Detroit assembly plant on East Grand Boulevard.
As the assembly plant has been gradually dismantled, the stone archway was salvaged and placed in storage many years ago, with plans to reassemble it at the proving grounds. That day has finally come, as the archway has been reconstructed on the east wall inside the tank building.
When the tank building is open, it’s definitely worth stepping inside to see a rotating collection of pristine Packards, as well as the Miss America speedboat—powered with FOUR Packard engines—that Gar Wood piloted to a record-setting 125 mph on the Detroit River in 1932. The new archway will be cleaned up in the coming months, and the graffiti removed. See the original story on Autoweek.com for additional details.
