OT - But Must See: Drone Camera Coverage at Packard Plant in Detroit

[t-head]

They Say a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words – If That’s The Case This Coverage is Worth a Gazillion: This is off the topic of the V-8 Ford here but we feel that you need to see it. Take a few minutes and stop by The Old Motor to view a pair of shocking videos covering the situation at the Packard Plant. In our coverage is a link to view more photos by French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre from their book “The Ruins of Detroit“. See it all On The Old Motor.

[Barn Junk]

Looks like a war zone. Who/what did all the damage?

[t-head]

You can learn all about it by following the link to this is the fascinating video that you can see on taken from a drove flown over, thru and around the Packard Complex on The Old Motor.

[bigvince]

Unfortunately, Detroit has a nasty habit of letting historic buildings simply deteriorate until they become part of the urban prairie that is so much a part of the city. The old railway station as well as historic Fort Wayne are simply falling apart. They hadn't built a car at the Packard Plant since the 50's and it has been allowed to turn into this. Less than three miles away, the old Continental Motors plant looks the same. The plant where they built Rickenbackers on Cabot in Detroit is barely standing.

[2935ford]

Not to wrinkle any feathers but Detroit as I understand it, is struggling to survive for whatever reasons.

Don't get me wrong.....I really like those old building and I would like to see all of them saved but.....reality!

It is impossible for the city or any city to save every building deemed by some to be historic structures.
I believe interest groups should be responsible for these types and pick up the ball and let the public decide through their donations if they survive or not.

Packard and the others went out of business and had no intention of saving the building.
There have been historic buildings that have been repurposed and in this way saved.

I see where GM decided to purchase the Durant-Dort office in Flint and remaining plant as the site of GM's birthplace....although the papers were drawn up elsewhere.

One thing we know for sure change is constant.

[2935ford]

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I just saw an update on this building....a fellow form Chicago has some intent to save and repurpose some of it.
He has a million dollar tax bill to pay first!

[CC33]

I was hoping to see just one item that would be salvageable, but nothing. Damn shame...

[JWL]

I don't know if any "Detroit Video" could make me feel any more sad. Just damn!! Billions of taxpayer(my) dollars pumped into Detroit only to be syphoned off by corrupt politicians who are repeatedly re-elected by incredibly stupid and/or ignorant voters. Sort of reminds me of what we have going on at the federal level.

[31chevy]

I worked nights in that plant in 1952 while going to Radio Electronics School on Woodward Ave during the day. I never dreamed that this would happen. In the 50's you could get a job real easy if you wanted to work. I may be wrong but I blame unions as well as crooked politicians for this dilemma. (power & greed)
Gary.

[Motorhead6]

The city of Detroit and the once great state of Mi get credit for the mess they created, by being tax hogs and thinking they could extort limitless piles of money out of businesses with no recourse. Then of course, there are the unions who are just as bad. Thankfully, industrial leaders had the option of moving out of state and investing in areas that were less greedy----at first. The pattern continues and industries have to take action to survive. So, they went south and west until those areas caught the same disease of greed. Now, large companies are investing outside of our borders in order to self preserve. Too bad the greedy b_____ds in DC and the lazy pigs that lay around sucking up welfare haven't learned this lesson.

Not that I really have an opinion on the matter. Detroit is the worst city I have ever visited, and I have been around a bit.

[Binx]

Economics aside (Dang, Motorhead6, tell us how you really feel!) those pavers in the second picture would look great in my driveway and a lasting legacy story to tell.

Lonnie

[moonshine runner]

Wow, what a great video clip of the old plant. It was huge! It looks like it's deteriorated past the point of doing anything but dozing. Sad to see it this way.

I love old buildings. As the old saying goes, "if those walls could talk" !

Kevin

[moonshine runner]

Here's a link to a video I ran across on the internet on the old Packard Plant. It's interesting.

http://www.freep.com/VideoNetwork/20.../Packard-plant

Kevin

[MuskegonFlatheadFan]

this is an interactive comparison, also from the Detroit Free Press;
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2012120823062

[moonshine runner]

That's a cool link Muskegon Flathead Fan!

Thanks for sharing...

Kevin

[PeteVS]

It's a cancer that's metastisized in this country. Just about everyone's at fault.

[Torchie]

I don't wish to get into a political debate here, but since when has the old Packard plant, The train station and any other old building in Detroit been owned by the city?
The guy that owns the train station also owns the Ambassador bridge.
The so called "ruins" of Detroit are mostly privately owned properties that were bought by slum barrons with the intent that some day in the future they would be redeveloped and be profitable.
Many owe back taxes and most if not all of them where never bought with the intention of being restored. So of course they are left to fall apart.
Yes the D has been badly run. But that has nothing to do with the conditon of these places.
You can find properties like this in any and every major Metropolitan area.
Doesn't make it right. But that's the way that it is.
Torchie.

[Motorhead6]

"Yes the D has been badly run. But that has nothing to do with the conditon of these places.
You can find properties like this in any and every major Metropolitan area."

You're right Torchie. The point is that the tax men keep upping the ante until they literally drive businesses out of the area and then the next generation wonders what happened. Never put the fault where it belongs.

Binx, sorry that the rage came through. LOL. Those "pavers" are probably wooden blocks that are about 4" thick. The way industrial floors were laid back then was to put wooden blocks down over a concrete floor. This reduced noise, reduced the impact of dropped items and thus lessened damage to the dropped item and the floor, was easier on the feet, wore very well and were easy to replace/repair in case of damage. When macinery was relocated/replaced, as it often is in manufacturing plants, it was easy to take up the wooden blocks, mount machinery to the concrete sub flooring and then re-lay the blocks around it. Probaly wouldn't look too good in your driveway. You couldn't even burn them as they would be contaminated with oil and whatever else falls onto an industrial floor over time.

[Ross F-1]

Those buildings should have either been preserved as historical monuments (not likely) or torn down a long time ago. Any building in that kind of climate will deteriorate quickly once heat is not maintained and the roof maintained. Mother Nature did most of the damage, but not the dumping of raw garbage.

Traveling across the great plains a couple times a year, on secondary roads mostly, I see almost every town has trashed-out old buildings in similar condition. Rural areas are actually worse than MoTown. I have to wonder what the impact on unemployment would be if we had a national clean-up.

[BlueSunoco]

It's pretty spooky to be in or around Detriot. Pretty gangerous place. Good place to stay far away from.

No easy answers. It would cost a fortune just to tear down those places and clean it all up.

The pictures are interesting thanks for the link.

[BILL WZOREK]

You know if today a Big box store wanted to build there I am sure there would be so many hoops to jump through and protests about them that it would not happen.

We had the manufacturing ability before & during the war, but then we for what ever reason never keep up with improvements till it got to a point that the cost to try & catch up was overwhelming

May be we were just Plain tired as a nation.