The downtown core is surprisingly and refreshingly vibrant, whereas a decade prior it had felt eerie and deserted. Several of the large abandoned skyscrapers like the Book Cadillac Hotel and the Farwell Building were improbably brought back to life after years of abandonment, and while there are still hundreds of abandoned homes and other buildings surrounding the city core, it does feel like things are changing for the better in a much bigger way than once thought possible.
While the iconic bridge over E. It would mean a lot to the neighborhood and to the narrative of Detroit as a whole. Buy a signed copy via this link or get it on Amazon using the link below to read more! To view more of this site click on an image in the gallery below; use arrow keys to navigate. View a slide show of this portfolio here. Facebook Twitter Instagram. Powered by Photium.
Packard Historical Photos. James returned to the factory where the car was purchased from and gave Winton constructive criticism. Winton replied that if he was so smart, that he should build a better machine. In , Henry B. Joy was looking to get into the infant automobile industry and had traveled to New York City to shop for a company to purchase.
Newberry accompanied him. The duo was impressed by the Packard Model A, and bought the vehicle and drove it to Detroit. Joy and Newberry enticed Packard to move to Detroit, and a factory was built along East Grand Boulevard that opened on October 12, The company was rapidly expanding.
The number of employees at the Packard increased from 4, in July to 7, in July A new administration building and powerhouse had just been completed. Active expansion projects east of East Grand Boulevard included the construction of new machine shops, a forge shop, a powerhouse for the forge shop and foundry, stock building, and additions to the body erecting, hardening, service and truck shops, and to the main powerhouse.
The first engine room at the Packard was a single HP engine. The first addition to the powerhouse was completed in August Four additional HP boilers were added, as well as an air compressor with a 3, feet-per-minute capacity. The addition also included the erection of a foot-high smokestack. By , the capacity of the power plant had increased to 6, HP with new equipment that was being installed to increase the size to 11, HP. Four additional HP boilers were installed for a total of A condenser system was also scheduled to increase the ability of the Cooper engines to 4, HP.
The power plant was connected to the rest of the Packard plant via a 1,foot tunnel, which carried three steam pipes, water, an 80 lb.
Production was increased to three trucks per day after additional machinery was shoehorned in, with some assembly done outside in tents to relieve overcrowding. Construction began that summer on a one-story extension to bring production up to four trucks per day. The extension was unique in that it was primarily a glass roof between two buildings. Throughout the following decades, the facility expanded to encompass 74 buildings and 3.
Packard cars, constructed by the Packard Motor Car Company and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation, were considered luxury items. He sleeps on a cold mattress on the floor of an old office. He doesn't mind one bit. Like the North Woods," he says. Prospective blight-busting developers have big plans for downtrodden Detroit's legendary factory. The vision is part of a plan to turn this beaten-up section of Detroit's downtown east side into a cultural hotspot. For Hill — whose daily routine consists of some hobby car restoration, caring for his two rescue dogs and teaching an apprentice to weld in his workshop — that means bracing for some new company.
As it stands, the year-old Packard lot is a rotting effigy of the Motor City's economic collapse. Twisted metal flops down from open roofs. And crumbling staircases lead to creaky, cavernous floors. To urban explorers, the old Packard plant makes for a creepy photography subject. To vandals who often drop bricks shed from nearby towers, it's a playground for destruction.
But to Hill, who agreed nearly a decade ago to act as caretaker of the estate in exchange for rent-free lodgings, it's "the ultimate man-cave. It has its rough points, but for the most part, it suits my needs," he says, feeding logs into a donated fireplace he jerry-built into a wood-burning furnace.
At least for now, Hill is in no immediate risk of eviction. Fat-Yu Chan, the previous owner of the Packard warehouses, invited Hill in to move into the warehouse buildings with the caveat that Hill would protect it from scrappers. I guess at some point he'll approach someone and attempt to purchase it from him to include in his bigger plans.
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