Detroit’s most notorious abandoned car factory is finally being demolished after being ravaged by scrappers and the elements for more than 60 years.
The city announced last week that it has begun demolition of the second portion of the 40-acre Packard plant at a cost of $1.2 million.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement, “Every day a Packard factory sits here in this state is a day that this area cannot move forward.” We just keep going.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer last year approved $12 million to demolish the 3.5 million-square-foot factory where Packard ceased production in 1956. It symbolizes the decline of Detroit.
A Spanish developer bought most of the factory in 2013 with ambitious plans to convert it into office, retail and industrial space. But that never happened, and the city said it took back much of the site’s ownership because of unpaid taxes.
The city plans to complete the current stage of demolition in March. We plan to preserve the front façade and sell it for redevelopment.
‘Packard has a meaningful history,’ said Duggan detroit news last week. Some of them “hopefully find a developer to save and reuse.”