Packard Plant Demolition in Detroit Nearly Complete

It was a lovely Saturday night for a drive into a bustling downtown Detroit on July 13—and then a visit a few miles away to the Packard Motor Car assembly plant, which had been abandoned since 1958. The city of Detroit gave up on various private plans for renovation and ultimately moved forward in earnest with demolition more than a year ago, in response to neighbors tired of this languishing 3.5-million-square-foot eyesore. Visitors to the site today may be shocked to see the demolition work nearing completion. What remains are the two main buildings on the north and south sides of East Grand Boulevard, which had been adjoined by a bridge overhead, until it collapsed years ago. Looking south of East Grand Boulevard—beyond a few preserved buildings and the water tower—is flat, fresh gravel where decrepit concrete buildings had occupied three city blocks. You can also see neighbors on Concord Avenue fixing up and even adding on to their homes. Looking north through the hollowed out administration building, it’s difficult to tell how much demolition work has been done.  But the city has made amazing progress in dismantling a complex that produced some of the world’s finest cars, dating back to 1903. The city is also entertaining offers from developers to repurpose the land—and perhaps preserve a building or two for historical purposes.