The Packard Plant became one of the most tired images of Detroit’s decline, but long before that, it was a trailblazer that changed the way auto plants were built and produced more than 1.6 million cars.

The first Packard was completed Nov. 6, 1899, in Warren, Ohio. A group of investors convinced James Ward Packard to move his fledgling car company to Detroit. In early 1903, architect Albert Kahn was hired to design a factory on 40 acres along Grand Boulevard. For his 10th building in the complex, Kahn employed reinforced concrete. This was a game-changing first for plant construction and made him the auto industry’s go-to guy for factories.

The Packard Plant eventually grew to 80 some buildings spread across 80 acres. It continued making quality cars for decades, as well as engines for World War II, but ran into trouble when it bought the Studebaker Corp. in 1954. The merged company never turned a profit. The Detroit plant closed when the last true Packard was produced in 1956. The name itself was discontinued two years later.

Parts of the complex were later turned into the Motor City Industrial Park, but it was closed by the City in 1999. Scrappers then set to work, literally ripping the place apart, turning it into 3.5 million square feet of rubble and ruin.

Peruvian developer Fernando Palazuelo bought a majority of the Packard site for $405,000 at a 2013 county tax auction with the intent to spend $350 million over 15 years to turn the forlorn factory into a mini city of sorts, with shops, restaurants, event space, apartments and art-themed attractions.

These plans however never came to fruition and instead, he rebranded it as an industrial distribution center. Eventually, the city sued Palazuelo and his company in March 2021 to have the dilapidated plant declared a public nuisance and safety hazard and demolished. An emergency order was issued for one of the structures on Concord that was deemed at risk of collapsing, and demolition work began in the fall of 2022.

Another phase of demolition was launched March 4, 2024, with a press conference on the site during which Mayor Mike Duggan called the Packard "a source of national embarrassment.”

“For 68 years, the ruins of this building have been a weight around the neck of Detroit’s recovery,” Duggan said at the press conference, even though parts of the plant were still used into the 1990s. “We are going to convert this from an abandoned building to a vibrant employment center over the next two years.”

The two years of demolition was completed in December 2024, with only two structures left standing for potential redevelopment, 1580 E. Grand Blvd. at 112,000 square feet and 1539 E. Grand Blvd. at 116,000 square feet.

Now, the City must find a new use for the site. A 2024 request for proposals from the Detroit Economic Growth Crop. and the City sought proposals for a "high-quality industrial or manufacturing project." The City said it was seeking plans focused on sustainability, equity and community impact, and developers were required to preserve the two historic buildings on East Grand Boulevard.

There was one response to the RFP, but the DEGC passed.

“While the proposal was compelling, we are looking for a project that maximizes the economic opportunity of the size and location of the site through jobs and private investment while celebrating its historic significance,” DEGC spokesman Lanard Ingram told The Detroit News for a March 12, 2025, story. “We haven’t relaunched a formal RFP process, but remain committed to exploring all opportunities that may exist for that site."

While some have applauded the City requiring the redevelopment of the two remaining buildings, especially the Packard Administration Building, others fear the move will deter companies from taking on the site.