The Motorcity and what it has become today.... Virtual Factory tour...

i think we took some of tiger statuim i got some cool shots of Cork town and some of the parts that have not been fixed up there yet. There was talk of turning it into the police station. but the city cant afford to pay for police let alone the millions it would take to fix up the train station. that place is so far gone and over the years scavangers have just about stole every thing from it. as we walked thru the old parking lot to go inside there was crushed marbel broke all over the ground that once coverd the walls. For some reason that got me real pissed off. I wish i could of seen it when it was open but i wouldnt of cared since i was 7 years old when they closed it down in 88.

 

If we keep buying and importing Japanese cars and asia goods all the time,there should be a lot of places that look like this in the next 20 years

 

i only have one shot of tiger statuim. its taken a block or two off trumble. kind of the north east side of the building. I all so tossed in some of the Heidelburg Project over off Gratoit and Mt Elliot area. there are some web sites dedicated to this on going art project( .http://www.heidelberg.org/ ) You could spend hours there and still miss things. I all so found out this last building i was at a few days ago is the old continetal motors plant. i plan a return trip to go inside for sure.

 

Here is a great site:
http://www.tplex.org/

This is the birthplace of the first model Ts. At least this group is trying to perserve this part of automotive history.
I went there when I was in Detroit in '03 for Ford's 100th. celebration. It is a very cool place. You can feel the history!!!

 

yea that is this building here...

 

A friend of mine wrote a book about the station--you can probably find it at most book stores around the city, or here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...190444/ref=sr_1_1/102-1950847-3136159?ie=UTF8

It's mostly a pictoral histroy of the place--pretty amazing how fast they built it.

What's worse than the ruins themselves--car plants, houses, roads, whatever--is the illustration of racism that they are. That's still a great city with odds against it. I don't mean to drive this post off topic, but had to bring it up.

Thanks for the pics--I miss my old city.

 

You're right, UAW is only 92% to blame.

 

Nice shots you got there B. I've been hagning out with a group of guys that have been doing the urban exploration thing for a bunch of years. I ran in to them while I was taking pictures of the Book-Cadillac buildung and I was able to go inside with them. Pretty much every weekend since then I've been going down there and shooting pictures with them. I also have some pictures of the inside of Henry's first factory. There was a tour group a few years ago that went inside. It was just empty.
Here's another website for pictures and info. http://www.detroityes.com/

it's set up really well as if you're going on a tour of the city.

 

I've been to Detroit twice and both times I went to the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village. Can't get enough of those places. I might get up there again before the year is out. I'd love to tag along with folks. I'll bring my camera.

Its been a couple of years since I was last there, but I remember leaving the National Car Rental lot near the airport and there was this really cool old building across the street that I was curious about. I figured it might have been a car factory.

And WTH is up with those "Michigan lefts"? Never seen anything like it. Drive through an intersection and make a U-turn instead of making a left at the light.

 

Bryan, can you send me all the shots you have of the old Tiger Stadium? I have a display of old Tigers stuff behind glass in the living room. I have some old pics taken in the 50's of T.S. I bought of evilbay, a ball signed by all the '51 Tigers (G'pa played minor league with Vic Wertz in the 30's), an old pennant and a team picture. They'd look nice together with the old ones.

send 'em to [email protected] please.

 

that one i posted is the only one i have. i will be going back soon and taking more i will make sure i get a bunch of tiger staduim for you. want some of comerica park too? that place is wild

 

Thanks for the pics.

I love looking at old buildings also, it makes you wonder about how it was when things were bustling and in their prime, the best days of our country, a slower time. Smoke stacks churning out clouds, trucks coming and going everywhere with new cars leaving or incoming materials, people out and about everywhere, workers walking changing shifts with their lunch boxes, the blue glow of welding shining up out of the skylights at night, etc. I get so sick of looking at all the high tech, digital stuff and anodized aluminum & mirrored glass buildings.

 

Can I ask advice from those who've been there, if you can do it in one day ? Do you do it at your own pace, or is it guided and you have to keep moving ? I'm getting ready to take my family within a few months and had planned on just getting there early and spending all day, but will it take 2 days or ?? Isn't there and T.Edison Museum by Henry also ? If we need to stay over, what area do you want to, or not want to stay in ? Would it be better in the winter or summer ? As far as crowds and heat ?

TIA

Brian

 

I live about 15 minutes from the place. We'll have a meet and greet BBQ or something while your in town.

 

plan 2 days for sure. I have been to the museum part from open till they were turning the lights out on me twice and I still missed some stuff. Same goes for Greenfield. You want to take it all in. Ride in a model T or in a model A bus. There are still places I have not got a chance to look at closely. Some of the buildings are semi guided with folks to answer your questions.

 

I dont know how many times I have been to downtown detroit but its never enough. I love the buildings and am sad about the shape of some. Tehy are doing a good job at restoring alot of them though. The last time I went down there we parked on a side street. When we left we turned down the next block and there were two crackhead looking guys fistfighting in the middle of the street. We had to stop and wait for them to finish and get out of the road so we could go. While we were waiting I looked to left and there was a banner about 10 feet long and probably 4 feet high that was white with red letters. It read Help Wanted. It was above the door to the Detroit police department. The crackheads were fist fighting right in front of the DPD and there was noone to do anything about it! I love Detroit and I am game to do an old building tour if you guys want to get together.

 

I love old buildings - I guess it goes with the territory with being into old cars and bikes - and it is sad how so many places are allowed to decline. It happens a lot over here too, although since we're so short of space in the UK old, unused, buildings tend to get flattened and re-developed (i.e turned into a crappy supermarket) very quickly.

Luckily there are a lot of people out there who try and save places, so they don't all disappear - the biggest problem is that it is easier to persuade the powers-that-be to put money up to save an old stone ruin than a dilapidated red-brick and iron factory! About the only good thing about all our jobs being exported to the Far East (same here as with you), is that 'Tourism' is seen as an opportunity to turn a buck, so converting an old building to a museum or restaurant is encouraged.

The Hoover building (that's vacuum cleaners, not J. Edgar!), on the way into London was saved from demolition a few years ago, although it is now, ironically, a Tesco supermarket:
http://www.ukexpert.co.uk/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1182&password=0&sort=1&cat=all&page=5

And also, thanks to the efforts of a small bunch of enthusiasts, we still have the Ace Cafe to hang out at:
http://www.ace-cafe-london.com/dis.htm

Finally, great photos - love to see more, especially details of the period architecture.

 

We'd be in on that. Thanks!

 

Bryan,
Some of those pics are quite good. You might want to try shooting in black & white or doing a BW conversion in PhotoShop. That would capture some of the grittiness of the area. Here's one of yours I converted that I especially liked.
Ed

 

Thank You. I worked at the Van Nuys plant in CA,for 18 years. I did a lot of things there,that can't even be repeated.. good times,bad times. Blood, sweat, and tears. Now where the old plant was in now a lovley shopping mall...called"The Plant"" sad. Sparky

 

That's a airport hanger and tower from the 1920's. It's now used by the country road maintanence people to store stuff. At one time the Henry Ford Museum wanted it for an aviation exhibit building. The car rental lots that surround it put up a stink that they needed the land, and that put a end to those plans.

Steve

 

I love the pictures, it's sad to see so much history gong to waste.
Is the economy in the Detroit area as bad as it sounds? The news makes it sound like a war zone some days. Are most of these building in what is considered the "bad" part of town, and that's why they're left to rot? My great grandparents lived in Ferndale for years. It seemed like a nice area, but I was pretty young when I visited there.
Here in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area, places like the ones shown, don't last long. They are either torn down, or converted to condos very quickly. There have been a few of these buildings that have been converted into shopping areas, but they don't last long due to the high rent that has to be charged to cover the cost of the renovation.

 

UAW deserves plenty of blame but, not all of it. Remember the companies had to sign those ridiculous contracts too. Whoever agreed to pay, what was it 95% wages on a layoff? Those guys should of been fired immediatly! Local Chrysler plant ran that way. Guys there would setup their machines and go to the bar till something broke and their buddy called them back. Went on for years till Chrysler finally had enough. Closed the plant. Should of heard the crying when all the motorcycles, motorhomes, racecars, and bassboats, went up for sale.

 

I dig looking at all the old factories ..I'd love to go out some time and get a shot of my 55 poncho in front of some old disstrsed factory....let me know if your up for it maybe we can get a bunch of guys to bring out there cars.
J

 

Those are really great shots, and thank you for posting them. Some of these buildings would make really great lofts or condos, should the right investor see it as saveable. Of course, I have no idea what the area/neighborhood around these buildings is like, but turning them into living spaces would at least save them. Sorry if I am taking away from the post by seeing the development potential, but that is the first thing that popped into my head.

 

good post. nice photography there.

 

Interesting thread... Just had a good conversation with my Uncle a couple of hours ago about the Packard proving grounds (basically downtown Utica, Van Dyke and 22 mile for you locals). He is a part of the group that is restoring the buildings and whatever artifacts that still exist or are being donated. I told him about this website (and others) and asked if I could come to "work" with him sometime ("Absolutely" being the reply)...snap some photos and take some notes on what they are doing and the history of the place, as I would like to do a little write up and share some of the history that is surviving for those of us that still care. So it was with great interest that I fired up the H.A.M.B. tonight and saw this great thread about a once dynamic and world changing city....seemed like fate is telling me that I need to take advantage of the opportunity. Here is the website http://www.packardmotorfdn.org/projects.htm for those interested.

 

Any HAMBers that are going to be in Michigan and interested in going to Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum, give me a shout. I have a "friends" member ship and can get 2 extra people in for free per visit. I am pretty busy but may be able to meet you there and get you in. It'd save you 30 bucks.

 

The proving grounds itself is now a subdivision. Ford sold the property..... needed money. The buildings along with the "tin goose" were given to the Packard people, who are doing a fine job of refurbishing. Glad it was saved. A lot of history in those buildings.

 

Im glad they saved the Proving ground of Packard. Simply amazing as well. You almost shed a tear from all the destruction.

Your imagination can run wild at places like these. If they could only talk.