Packard had air conditioning and automatic transmissions before Ford and most of GM did. In fact Packard was one of the few that had a deal with Kelvinator in the 1950s, where Nash-Kelvinator, their parent company, would produce air-conditioning units to Packard. At cost. Which is part of the reason why their cars were so expensive. But Cadillac had the first *hydraulic* automatic transmissions in 1941, something which was insane to conceive of at the time and also incredibly prone to failure. Packard wouldn't have one until 1949, although they had vacuum operated automatic transmissions that were class leading all the way from 1936 until 1950. And they were the only ones to develop an automatic in-house, as GM and Ford both outsourced the design. Packard's main downfall was twofold. One was that GM and Chrysler were flush with cash from military contracts during World War II and the Korean war. GM built everything from aircraft tugs to amphibious assault vehicles, while Chrysler built everything from the famous Deuce And A Half to radar operated anti-aircraft flak cannons and air raid sirens. This meant they could both sell their cars at a loss in order to make up volume. This also meant the two companies could waste money on lavish and extensive styling changes from year to year. Ford wasn't as strong off the back of the two wars as GM and Chrysler, but they definitely weren't struggling and often placed third in sales with the Ford and Mercury brands. Packard (and by extension Nash, Hudson, Rambler, Studebaker, Kaiser, Frazer, and Willys) struggled to keep up due to the spiraling costs of restyling their cars year to year. Packard's second hit was that their chairman was a stubborn fool. He didn't want to leave the company, and the CEO James Nance fought against him for almost every inch of progress Packard made between 1949 and 1953. The chairman's decisions delayed the launch of their overhead cam V8 engine, something that would've given the Packard Patrician and Caribbean a massive advantage in 1953. He also cost Packard their exclusivity contract with Briggs Body Manufacturing, choosing not to negotiate rates and letting Briggs sign exclusivity contracts with Chrysler. Third, he and the other members of the board refused to retire because for the entirety of Packard's existence nobody had ever thought to install a pension plan. Thus when Nance formally introduced a pension plan the extra decade and a half the board members had worked accrued them a ton of money that nearly bankrupted Packard in 1954. All of this led to the discussions of a merger with Nash-Kelvinator, one of their suppliers. George Romney, (yes, Mitt Romney's father) had discussed during Chrysler's 1953 price war that Hudson, Nash-Kelvinator, and Packard all merge into a larger company with Nash at the bottom, Hudson in the middle, and Packard at the top, a la the Sloan ladder method GM used with Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, La Salle, and Cadillac. But by the time Romney was made CEO of Nash-Kelvinator and Packard came to the table in 1954 they were a disgusting bloated mess, bleeding money and without anything to offer. Thus Romney turned them down, knowing they would cost his new coalition too much money. Studebaker, screwed in many of the same ways Packard was through extremely similar events, initiated a doomed merger that Packard hijacked, with James Nance assuming Studebaker was flush with cash since *they* were the ones that started the merger. Little did Nance know he had just sold his company as a sacrificial lamb to another dying elder god desperately trying to stave off oblivion. Thus Packard died, with Studebaker struggling on until 1963 with the Lark, Champion, and Avanti that used some of Packard's technology.
Thank you for sharing this great information that Many have no clue about.It's such a shame 'The Big 3' had,uh,helped get into office so many who now didn't care about any other companies.
@@bryduhbikeguy Looking into the massive consolidation and death of the independent companies in the 1950s is a rabbit hole that can consume years of your life. It affected everything from cars to boats to airplanes to radios. The postwar shortages and the extremely unbalanced economy from military contracts morphed companies like Chrysler and General Electric into being massive beasts who would influence not only consumer products, but the direction of the entire world for decades to come. Without the war money Chrysler never would've bought out the Rootes Group, for example, and helped set into motion the creation of British-Leyland and the chain of nationalization in Britain that incorporated all sorts of things such as their automotive industry and rail service.
As someone who grew up in the Detroit area and still lives in the area today it is sad that building will be demolished, but the shear magnitude of this building and grand scale will always give me a feeling of awe no matter what condition it’s in Good video and glad you covered this place
@@atomicsmokes663 You have time, the city still needs to find a cheap contractor to demolish the place. But do go check it out before it will be gone forever
@@atomicsmokes663 sadly the city wants it gone because of how dangerous and decrepit the building has become. While I do love driving by it and just staring at it while on the streets I still find it extremely dangerous to step foot onto the property
As someone who frequently visits abandoned buildings in Detroit it’s really cool to see you guys cover this icon, while Detroit still needs a lotta work they have really been trying to clean up the city many icon abandoned buildings have been torn down or renovated. It is the best feeling when an abandoned building that you got to explore gets a new life and is transformed into something new and it also makes you kinda feel special since you were lucky to get to see a before and after unlike most of the general population
@@Skunkhunt_42 yes there are entire neighborhood with majority abandonded house. You can buy a house outright for 1,000 dollars cash. Of course itll be a wreck, and a reason they arent demolished is because it costs more than what the house is worth
I grew up in Warren, Ohio where the company was originally founded. There is still a museum near the location of the original factory. There are also a lot of buildings that used to belong to General Motors executives as the Warren area stretching to Lordstown was a major part of GM. Unfortunately, they have abandoned that area. Maybe you could look into those plants for a future episode.
Aren't you tired of these people and their abandoning of everything? Sheesh. Its not like they are poor like some homeowners who lost their home the banks of whatever but a lot of these companies have money but don't want to do anything more about it. Ah, i know, once someone important gets hurt or worse by one of these THEN they'll get a move on to fix the places up. Smh.
As a car guy this is one building that hurts to see go. On the other hand though most of it’s really too far gone to be saved. Hopefully some of the special pieces like the doorway inscribed with Packard and at least some of the water tower are kept intact.
if you haven't seen the Grand Tour/Top Gear special in Detroit you definitely should. Tons of history and respect for what the city once was, they even raced thru part of the old Chrysler factory if I remember right.
The Packard Museum in Dayton Ohio has that stone from over the door to the plant, not sure how they got it, but they do. Highly recommend by the way, cool place.
In my opinion, I think that when the plant is actually confirmed to start demolition, an amazing send off to the plant would be a Packard/Classic American car cruise around the edge of the site. This plant has become a landmark for Detroit, and it's automotive history is widely known, so seeing as it's located in the motor city, it would be a fitting farewell to the plant.
cool idea, i just don't know if i would bring a beautiful and expensive early to mid 20th century car into detroit, those catalytic converters and hood ornaments are unprotected
in the mid to late 70's I was required to make a trip into the Packard plant to make the legally required inspection of some companies postage meter. Even back then the complex appeared to be mostly in ruins. That whole area of Detroit was no where you would want to go unless you had to. Finding this obscure little company in there was no easy task so I got a real good look at the place before finding the little business an completing my task. It was cool to see the place but I was really glad to get the hell out of there!
My grandfather worked at this plant for years until he died in 56. He and my grandmother lived right down the street on Comstock until she passed in 89.
I need more of Jake and Bright Sun Films exploration into the basic abandonment of metropolitan Detroit. There are a number of places begging to be examined in more detail.
Mount Clemens, Michigan. It looks like an empty Hollywood backlot in downtown. There's no good businesses, no restaurants and no nightlife. Everybody is just gone.
The police had a standoff with him for 8 MONTHS??? Did the guy stock up on food and water and plan to do this or was the actual standoff just that one night? I've tried doing research but all I could find is one article written recently. Also it's pretty obvious why he was never charged for anything, he was well within his right to defend HIS property and the city knew it. Absolutely no leg to stand on in court.
A new Defunctland AND a new Abandoned? This is a good time for this, despite the fact that I barley had an interest in this subject before watching this channel.
My Grandfather was the head Comptroller at Oakland Motor Cars in 1911. In 1929 before the great depression his salary was $1200.00 a month. Oakland Motors became Pontiac Motors when General Motors was being put together. Grandpa was gone by then, but my Dad had some great stories about life before and after having money.
This is a genuinely good series, some of the most in-depth looks into some places I've never heard of, I love learning new things from this channel, Thank you so much for making this series
This sort of thing drives me absolutely insane. I *HATE* seeing such cool old buildings turn to ruins...but like you say, there was never much that could have been done. Just too big. A building like that has to learn how to pay for itself...
Packard himself summered in my hometown (long before I was around). He had a huge mansion on the lake there. It stood empty for some time as well, but now it is condominiums, and quite nice ones, so at least they did something with it. Lots of things named after him in the town, in fact I grew up playing my football at Packard Field.
I think of all the meetings, high pressure presentations, laughing, arguing, successes, failures. All so quiet now. Makes me sad. Im 68 and i long for that time. They are the good 'ol days.
FINALY!!! i've been waiting for this one. Here's a few more abandoned places that might interest you: -Michigan Theatre, Detroit (now the world's most ornate parking garage) -I-84 Stack Interchange, Connecticut -Michigan Central Station, also in Detroit
This reminds me of the massive Gates Rubber Factory we had here in Denver. It was a landmark here in Colorado but they tore it down and made those yuppy condos in it's place. Just heartbreaking.
I have pictures of my Great Grandfather and Grandmother, and my grandfather being presented their franchise certificate at the Packard plant. I have memories of my grandfather talking about the dealership, and how Packard operated. But this is gut wrenching to see as both a Michigan resident, and the family connection to a man that I admired so much. I enjoyed this very much and I appreciate the care you put into it.
Pretty sure I went to a rave here. The thing I remember is just how many cars were parked in this unlit, overgrown field. You could hear windows breaking in the distance. Friends and I surveyed the vast sea of cars, weighed the odds, went in and partied until dawn anyway.
Man... thank you... thank you for all you're hard work. We can tell you really enjoy and love what you're doing. It shows very clearly through your work and greatly appreciate it. Again thank you and you deserve all the good fortune' wealth that comes from these video's. You're awesome man. 👊
@@BrightSunFilms You do realise? you are breaching copyright by 3D printing the buildings whos design is owned by Disney and they tend to be a little protective about property rights that and can get quite aggressive which they have every right to be under the law! You might be extremely lucky and they might not do anything or just send you a threating letter first to be nice, or they could just come for everything you own and bankrupt you!
One of so many sad and even painful stories of the decay of the once great City of Detroit. Few today truly understand what a pioneering and innovating city Detroit was, and how much of an economic force it was for our country from the 1900's to the early 1970's.
Being from the Detroit area, I love seeing abandoned building from Detroit. The city has made great strides recently, but there is still so much to be done
I was born and raised in Detroit and still live nearby. I have driven past this building many times and love to hear the story from your prospective! Thank you.
I visited in early april and it was an emotional experience. A couple weeks later i read in the news about the demolition order and couldn’t believe i got to see it just in time. The weirdest thing was the tens of thousands of old shoes dumped around the buildings in the oddest spots.
It’s funny to live in Michigan and hear your family talk about visiting relatives in Detroit when they were my age. They talked it up so much, how beautiful it all was and how many jobs there were. My moms cousin and uncle worked at Packard/ GM. But they left the city with everyone else right after the riots
Don't know how many remember, but Grandpa Phil from Hey Arnold! Drove a Packard. That was the first time I heard of the brand and it wasn't until much later when I wached a Jay Leno's garage video that I realized that it was a real car company.
I worked on one of those films that shot there. In the film, a boy living in Modern Detroit was learning about Ancient Rome; He Imagined that the plant was certainly once Augustus’ palace. That comparison has stuck with me. The plant is one of the great Ruins of the modern age, on par with the Parthenon and Colosseum. For all the very legitimate talks of property value and safety, I can’t help but feel like tearing down the plant would be akin to tearing down either of those earlier examples. The packard plant, along with Ford’s similar temple on Woodward, are important cultural landmarks and should, at least in some ways, remain as such.
That. Was amazing. Thank you, Jake. The prestigious mark Packard, lives on at the highest of all class car shows strewn around the country, called Concours. I.e. Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and The Quail. Packard set the early standard for American luxury to rival only Rolls Royce.
If cities keeping up their old buildings is history paused in time, then Detroit and it's buildings is history played in time. I admit there are many, many buildings there that should go, but as someone who grew up right outside of the area, it's always really interesting to see the toll time plays on what was once proof of humanity's great marvels. It's a reminder in a way, that past history will always be present, yet we live in a different times.
It’s crazy, I had great aunts and uncles who literally lived by that plant (one of the houses shown) and I always wondered was what the history abandoned building. Sadly due to the crime (especially and projects that never happened) my family and many other residents were forced to relocate.
You should do a video on the old Dan River Mills site in Danville, VA which was once the largest textile plant in the world, then sat abandoned for years and is now being reborn as a Caesars Palace resort and casino. I'm on the City Council here and would be happy to help you get information. It's a great story.
My dad used to go to Redford High School in the Redford area of Detroit. It's gone now, all that's left, as of the last time we were there, was the scoreboard. The house he grew up in is blue and covered with polka dots with a hole in the roof from a fire.
If you want to learn about the issues that caused Packard to close the East Grand plant, read "The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company" by James Ward. It explains a lot and contains some great stories.
I'm from the UK, but I still find it heartbreaking how places in the US that once stood as the ultimate city's have become so down-trodden and _almost_ forgotten. The government really needs to re-invent these amazing places.
Many of the problems with places like Detroit came from the government itself, at least the local government, which was notoriously corrupt. That, and so much production moving overseas, which elimiated a lot of well paying skilled labour jobs. If you live in the northeast, you see it all over. I'm from Buffalo and you see many derelict steel and grain mills here, and a few autoworks. I will say though however that at least here they turned the old Pierce Arrow autoworks into a museum.
@@100percentSNAFU wah wah always the 'govt' or 'manufacturers' fault never the consumers who forgot who we were fought and what those factories made ... American workers didn't go anywhere they just changed badges so people like you could drive former nazi and Japanese empire brands
Love your videos of your down under neighbors. I’m from Virginia back about 400 years. But I love your take on our northern industries. If you ever wonder down south here, let me know if I can be off help. Different culture, same country.
Here's some updated information for anyone watching this from now: Demolition of the factory began on the 29th of September, with the city aiming to domolish the first building by December and the whole industrial area within 3 years.
I did a photo tour of the plant a few years ago. It was really cool to go inside and explore it. There was a demolition company starting to clear out the admin building to turn them into apartments but that never happened. I remember walking over the bridge you can see at 6:10 wondering if it would still hold my weight.
They probably can’t save the whole building, but maybe than can just save the walls, I live in Seattle, and many old run down buildings get gutted and then investors just build an entire new building with just the facade of the old building, it’s a far stretch but I’m pretty sure that this could ensure atlease some of the building can live on.
Another EXCELLENT video Jake. I can't tell you how much I enjoy your videos, the way you present the information and tell the stories is straight forward and to the point with no nonsense. I still watch Closed for Storm and learn stuff I missed the other times I have watched it. Keep up the great work ! I also am really jealous of that giant model Disney cruise ship you have, we cruise Disney a lot and would love to have that model.
The Packard automotive plant, a facility I used in a scene in my 2nd Twisted Saga trilogy story, Aftermath. What happens in that scene sets up the Detroit Massacre.
Great Video! The Story of the " Packard Motor Company " reflects the the Story of America!! A Story of a RISE to Greatness only to suffer a FALL into Ruin and Despair!
The best example I ever heard someone explain Packard’s demise was put it through this way: they got catfished with the purchase and then subsequently merger of Studebaker. Packard fell to its knees to save the other company, and the irony is Packard "united" to survive. The reason they went bust was so Studebaker could survive.
Thank you so much for making this video. Having grown up spending summers in suburbs of the city, and Mackinac, I was really exposed to the character and culture of the area. Cherish Detroit forever.
JAKE! I can't tell you how much I have BEEN WAITING for you to cover this. And just in time too! Thanks so much. Do you still do merch? I need a Bright Sun tshirt in my life.
Packard is one of the greatest names in automotive history. Instead of allowing pillage and slow destruction, Detroit should revere it's glorious past. It should celebrate this once great edifice, and the beauty produced there. These are like Detroit's Parthenon, or Colosseum. The complex is world famous, yet it will be bulldozed. Detroit has lost so much, it's character, it's identity. It should step up, and save these structures. Wherever did you get the idea Packard's Utica plant was in New York? Very strange.
Nailhed is an iconic Detroit urban explorer! His website has incredible photos and stories of the many places he's visited around here. It's definitely worth a visit to check out his site!
RIP Packard and the Packard plant. For some reason, while watching this my bright idea is divide it up into three divisions of development, three people revitalize each part, and then later merge to help complete it. But that will never happen, even if it was a group of friends and investors with money and time to do something like that, its just wishful thinking on my part. Definitely looked real nice back in the day with the people going to and from work at the plant and driving past and somewhat through it to get to other parts of the city. The whole city was once beautiful too, but everything sadly feel into ruin and may be lost to time. For some reason I predict Detroit becoming a city that will just fall off the map to disappear forever and would need a miracle, or a moment like in the movie “Cars” to save it.
This building could have been saved years ago, but i believe is far beyond wasting any more money on. Detroit in general isn't the highest demand in the real estate business now days so tear it down.
Just visited the plant last week, late June 2023. They are tearing parts down, but slow going. They have large water cannon blowing mist into the air, probably to cling to dust so it falls and doesn’t remain airborne. Can you imagine all the EPA hazards floating from that place? My point: it’s gonna be a slow process. Yet: still so heartbreaking to see. The history of rise and fall is tragic. Revitalization will take decades, if ever. The potential in Detroit is incredible. Will it ever materialize?
As a relative local to the area, the Packard plant has been a strange local landmark, to the point it made the newspapers when the big bridge spanning the road finally collapsed. For the entirety of my life its been a modern ruin. The massive size of the plant and cost to bring it back up to any semblance of inhabitable has been a major roadblock, in addition to it being pretty isolated from much of the livelier parts of the city. Note to any urban explorers-- I do not recommend going into this building. Multiple floors and ceilings have collapsed. Multiple deaths and injuries have happened to urban explorers in this complex.
10:13 Was he really selling drugs, or was he "selling drugs"? I.e. did the cops pant drugs on him to get him out of the way for the city? This is Detroit, after all.
Wow, as someone who works in auto manufacturing it’s crazy to think That this plant that was a closed 50 years ago contributed to you the way my plant is run today
Another awesome video Jake, as a car enthusiast and someone who grew up with some knowledge of packard and studebaker vehicles it’s really cool to see where everything started, really sad to see how it ended up. Hopefully something else that helps the world, the people in surrounding areas get jobs takes it’s place for the future.
My grandfather worked at the Packard Plant from 1925, till his retirement in 1952. My grandparents along with my dad, moved to Detroit from rural Arkansas, dad was only 6.
Such an extremely sad fate. I had high hopes when Palazuelo bought the property. So glad that I visited the plant 10 years ago from Finland. Detroit is my favorite city in the world. So much amazing history!
Hey, Ford is finishing up the restoration of Michigan Central Station this year or next! It’s not all bad! (BTW, Jake, do a video on that place. The ruins of that place before the reno are insane, and the history is fascinating!)
My friends and I explored that a couple summers ago. It’s such an interesting place. We spent an hour or two and then security chased them us out. Got some amazing photos and went into the tunnel bridge before it collapsed
Sometimes loads of space is a blessing, sometimes it's just a curse that creates big piles of garbage that never will be recycled. We in the Netherlands can not afford ourselves to be that wasteful. Some countries are simply too spoiled to see the destructive results of their materialistic way of behavior. But eventually they will get the message. When drought starts economic collapse and causes starvation, for instance.
Spoiled? The way you're talking implies that the inhabitants of The Netherlands shouldn't have rebuilt in the post war years because all of those bombed out, unsafe, uninhabitable structures would be wasted.
Detroit has been a cesspool since early early 60's to the 70's. White flight and war on drugs made it worse. People say its coming back but that is a mere lipstick on a pig. Downtown is coming back. The sports district and Campus Martius. The residential areas are still warzones figuratively and literally. Any chance this city had I believe are long gone. The city hasn't had something that its really needed since 1962. That thing knew how to make it prosper from late 1800's into the mid twentieth century.
I live not to far away from the Packard Proving Grounds and I was able to tour the property and learn its history. The amazing upside of the visit was that since I could drive stick we were able to fire up one of the cars they had and take it for a ride on the property. I only wish the track was still intact out there though.
I heard that it used to be one of the best cities in America way back in the day. I wonder why the city and government just let it go to waste, especially if it has a lot of rich history.
The downfall of Packard was mostly due to George Romney when he was creating AMC he said Packard would be part of it and kept stringing them along he never planned on it, Romney hated the president of Packard they thought they had a good deal and stopped looking for other buyers then in the 11th hour Romney pulled the rug out from underneath Packard and no deal have a nice day he sunk a company and everyone lost their jobs because Romney was a dick. The downfall of Packard was the beginning of the end for now for Detroit the democrats always get the blame Romney the republican seems to be Teflon on his Packard dealings and his years as governor the amount of tax money sent out of Detroit was always far more than what returned that was due to republicans in Lansing not democrats in Detroit.
Its tragic it has to go, but the buildings look beyond repair, maybe they could save the water tower as a landmark (the bridge is gone which is a huge loss), but I'd doubt it :(
Packard had air conditioning and automatic transmissions before Ford and most of GM did. In fact Packard was one of the few that had a deal with Kelvinator in the 1950s, where Nash-Kelvinator, their parent company, would produce air-conditioning units to Packard. At cost. Which is part of the reason why their cars were so expensive. But Cadillac had the first *hydraulic* automatic transmissions in 1941, something which was insane to conceive of at the time and also incredibly prone to failure. Packard wouldn't have one until 1949, although they had vacuum operated automatic transmissions that were class leading all the way from 1936 until 1950. And they were the only ones to develop an automatic in-house, as GM and Ford both outsourced the design.
Packard's main downfall was twofold. One was that GM and Chrysler were flush with cash from military contracts during World War II and the Korean war. GM built everything from aircraft tugs to amphibious assault vehicles, while Chrysler built everything from the famous Deuce And A Half to radar operated anti-aircraft flak cannons and air raid sirens. This meant they could both sell their cars at a loss in order to make up volume. This also meant the two companies could waste money on lavish and extensive styling changes from year to year. Ford wasn't as strong off the back of the two wars as GM and Chrysler, but they definitely weren't struggling and often placed third in sales with the Ford and Mercury brands. Packard (and by extension Nash, Hudson, Rambler, Studebaker, Kaiser, Frazer, and Willys) struggled to keep up due to the spiraling costs of restyling their cars year to year.
Packard's second hit was that their chairman was a stubborn fool. He didn't want to leave the company, and the CEO James Nance fought against him for almost every inch of progress Packard made between 1949 and 1953. The chairman's decisions delayed the launch of their overhead cam V8 engine, something that would've given the Packard Patrician and Caribbean a massive advantage in 1953. He also cost Packard their exclusivity contract with Briggs Body Manufacturing, choosing not to negotiate rates and letting Briggs sign exclusivity contracts with Chrysler. Third, he and the other members of the board refused to retire because for the entirety of Packard's existence nobody had ever thought to install a pension plan. Thus when Nance formally introduced a pension plan the extra decade and a half the board members had worked accrued them a ton of money that nearly bankrupted Packard in 1954.
All of this led to the discussions of a merger with Nash-Kelvinator, one of their suppliers. George Romney, (yes, Mitt Romney's father) had discussed during Chrysler's 1953 price war that Hudson, Nash-Kelvinator, and Packard all merge into a larger company with Nash at the bottom, Hudson in the middle, and Packard at the top, a la the Sloan ladder method GM used with Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, La Salle, and Cadillac. But by the time Romney was made CEO of Nash-Kelvinator and Packard came to the table in 1954 they were a disgusting bloated mess, bleeding money and without anything to offer. Thus Romney turned them down, knowing they would cost his new coalition too much money. Studebaker, screwed in many of the same ways Packard was through extremely similar events, initiated a doomed merger that Packard hijacked, with James Nance assuming Studebaker was flush with cash since *they* were the ones that started the merger. Little did Nance know he had just sold his company as a sacrificial lamb to another dying elder god desperately trying to stave off oblivion. Thus Packard died, with Studebaker struggling on until 1963 with the Lark, Champion, and Avanti that used some of Packard's technology.
Thank you for sharing this great information that Many have no clue about.It's such a shame 'The Big 3' had,uh,helped get into office so many who now didn't care about any other companies.
@@bryduhbikeguy Looking into the massive consolidation and death of the independent companies in the 1950s is a rabbit hole that can consume years of your life. It affected everything from cars to boats to airplanes to radios. The postwar shortages and the extremely unbalanced economy from military contracts morphed companies like Chrysler and General Electric into being massive beasts who would influence not only consumer products, but the direction of the entire world for decades to come. Without the war money Chrysler never would've bought out the Rootes Group, for example, and helped set into motion the creation of British-Leyland and the chain of nationalization in Britain that incorporated all sorts of things such as their automotive industry and rail service.
They also put there engine blocks out side for a year to work harden them before matching.
Very interesting.
Not so about automatics. Borg-Warner built the first automatic, which was offered in the 1947 Oldsmobile as the "Futuramic"
As someone who grew up in the Detroit area and still lives in the area today it is sad that building will be demolished, but the shear magnitude of this building and grand scale will always give me a feeling of awe no matter what condition it’s in
Good video and glad you covered this place
is it? i need to get over there and check out the inside before they do, i drive past every day on the way to work lmao
@@atomicsmokes663 You have time, the city still needs to find a cheap contractor to demolish the place. But do go check it out before it will be gone forever
@@atomicsmokes663 sadly the city wants it gone because of how dangerous and decrepit the building has become. While I do love driving by it and just staring at it while on the streets I still find it extremely dangerous to step foot onto the property
What is sad too is even if it does go down it'll just stay for another who know's how many decades of just sitting empty land. (sigh)
As usual.
This is what will happen to America if folks keep voting Democrat!
Fantastic video and storytelling as always man! Was happy to have a hand in this project! Your drone footage turned out amazing!
what drone do you use? a dji ?
7d ago? Time travel??
@@lochlanhowardd patreons have earlier access to videos :)
@@ue_sydney Uncharted Travel is actually a partner/friend of BSF, not a patron. They are IRL friends I believe.
@@cicero_21 Well that’s my guess as i’ve been patreons of others and have been in the same situation of commenting way before the video is released
As someone who frequently visits abandoned buildings in Detroit it’s really cool to see you guys cover this icon, while Detroit still needs a lotta work they have really been trying to clean up the city many icon abandoned buildings have been torn down or renovated. It is the best feeling when an abandoned building that you got to explore gets a new life and is transformed into something new and it also makes you kinda feel special since you were lucky to get to see a before and after unlike most of the general population
Are there still abandoned buildings there? Real estate fixer upper deals?
@@Skunkhunt_42 yes there are entire neighborhood with majority abandonded house. You can buy a house outright for 1,000 dollars cash. Of course itll be a wreck, and a reason they arent demolished is because it costs more than what the house is worth
I grew up in Warren, Ohio where the company was originally founded. There is still a museum near the location of the original factory. There are also a lot of buildings that used to belong to General Motors executives as the Warren area stretching to Lordstown was a major part of GM. Unfortunately, they have abandoned that area. Maybe you could look into those plants for a future episode.
Donut media did a video about that factory in lords town btw what a weird name for a city lol
Aren't you tired of these people and their abandoning of everything? Sheesh. Its not like they are poor like some homeowners who lost their home the banks of whatever but a lot of these companies have money but don't want to do anything more about it.
Ah, i know, once someone important gets hurt or worse by one of these THEN they'll get a move on to fix the places up. Smh.
@@marlak4203 thanks for not understanding business! Lol
@@WaddickLawnCare
So its ok to abandon buildings like this? Why not say what you mean a better way?
Smh.
Isn't that the new Rivian plant?
As a car guy this is one building that hurts to see go. On the other hand though most of it’s really too far gone to be saved. Hopefully some of the special pieces like the doorway inscribed with Packard and at least some of the water tower are kept intact.
The iconic historical pieces should be removed, reinforced, and put in a museum
if you haven't seen the Grand Tour/Top Gear special in Detroit you definitely should. Tons of history and respect for what the city once was, they even raced thru part of the old Chrysler factory if I remember right.
The Packard Museum in Dayton Ohio has that stone from over the door to the plant, not sure how they got it, but they do.
Highly recommend by the way, cool place.
In my opinion, I think that when the plant is actually confirmed to start demolition, an amazing send off to the plant would be a Packard/Classic American car cruise around the edge of the site. This plant has become a landmark for Detroit, and it's automotive history is widely known, so seeing as it's located in the motor city, it would be a fitting farewell to the plant.
Everyone would like that.
cool idea, i just don't know if i would bring a beautiful and expensive early to mid 20th century car into detroit, those catalytic converters and hood ornaments are unprotected
@@cheezitz6730 yeah true. Thinking about the logistics might make this not really possible, but it's something cool to imagine anyways.
@@cheezitz6730 Packards NEVER had catalytic converters!!
in the mid to late 70's I was required to make a trip into the Packard plant to make the legally required inspection of some companies postage meter. Even back then the complex appeared to be mostly in ruins. That whole area of Detroit was no where you would want to go unless you had to. Finding this obscure little company in there was no easy task so I got a real good look at the place before finding the little business an completing my task. It was cool to see the place but I was really glad to get the hell out of there!
This is what will happen to America if folks keep voting Democrat!
@@jaysmith179 It wasn't a political party that ruined detroit. It was a demographic. Coincidentally that demographic votes almost 100% democrat.
@@jaysmith179 Already is..
I think the last car building activity was in 1956
@@davidpowell3347it was used for small industrial companies into the 80s
The raves thrown in the Packard plant were absolutely legendary. Hawtin’s JAK parties come to mind.
If only I got to experience them….. that era left before I was old enough to party…. Shame.
I would have loved to rave there! 🖤
You're so right! I learned what a blue dolphin was in that building. lol
Raves in the Packard plant. I think we have our answer as to where all the bodies came from!
My grandfather worked at this plant for years until he died in 56. He and my grandmother lived right down the street on Comstock until she passed in 89.
I need more of Jake and Bright Sun Films exploration into the basic abandonment of metropolitan Detroit. There are a number of places begging to be examined in more detail.
I agree, I love learning about places in Detroit
Mount Clemens, Michigan. It looks like an empty Hollywood backlot in downtown. There's no good businesses, no restaurants and no nightlife. Everybody is just gone.
The police had a standoff with him for 8 MONTHS??? Did the guy stock up on food and water and plan to do this or was the actual standoff just that one night? I've tried doing research but all I could find is one article written recently. Also it's pretty obvious why he was never charged for anything, he was well within his right to defend HIS property and the city knew it. Absolutely no leg to stand on in court.
Maybe a terminator..
A new Defunctland AND a new Abandoned? This is a good time for this, despite the fact that I barley had an interest in this subject before watching this channel.
You have a good taste choosing channels! 👍
i agree! these two channels are so good man
My Grandfather was the head Comptroller at Oakland Motor Cars in 1911. In 1929 before the great depression his salary was $1200.00 a month. Oakland Motors became Pontiac Motors when General Motors was being put together. Grandpa was gone by then, but my Dad had some great stories about life before and after having money.
This is a genuinely good series, some of the most in-depth looks into some places I've never heard of, I love learning new things from this channel, Thank you so much for making this series
I used to work not far from that place and I've been to hundreds of raves in that place too. Great memories of Old techno Detroit.
Now it’s Sunday brunch Detroit
This sort of thing drives me absolutely insane. I *HATE* seeing such cool old buildings turn to ruins...but like you say, there was never much that could have been done. Just too big. A building like that has to learn how to pay for itself...
I can’t believe I’ve been watching this series for 6 years. Keep up the good work!
Packard himself summered in my hometown (long before I was around). He had a huge mansion on the lake there. It stood empty for some time as well, but now it is condominiums, and quite nice ones, so at least they did something with it. Lots of things named after him in the town, in fact I grew up playing my football at Packard Field.
It's a shame that the old Packard mansion had to be razed. "Progress" over history is usually what happens.....
I think of all the meetings, high pressure presentations, laughing, arguing, successes, failures. All so quiet now.
Makes me sad.
Im 68 and i long for that time.
They are the good 'ol days.
FINALY!!! i've been waiting for this one. Here's a few more abandoned places that might interest you:
-Michigan Theatre, Detroit (now the world's most ornate parking garage)
-I-84 Stack Interchange, Connecticut
-Michigan Central Station, also in Detroit
An abandoned highway interchange?
Ford bought the Michigan Central Station and apparently is restoring it.
@@CR7659 Doesn't mean you still can't tell the Michigan Central Station's story, if anything that would just make it more interesting.
This reminds me of the massive Gates Rubber Factory we had here in Denver. It was a landmark here in Colorado but they tore it down and made those yuppy condos in it's place. Just heartbreaking.
I have pictures of my Great Grandfather and Grandmother, and my grandfather being presented their franchise certificate at the Packard plant. I have memories of my grandfather talking about the dealership, and how Packard operated. But this is gut wrenching to see as both a Michigan resident, and the family connection to a man that I admired so much. I enjoyed this very much and I appreciate the care you put into it.
As a car guy, this was a great watch! Fantastic Video! 👍
how did he stay cooped up for eight months?? food? water? bathroom/showering?? I have a lot of questions
right? how in the hell...
@@sylvesteralexander2 I was wondering the same thing
Pretty sure I went to a rave here. The thing I remember is just how many cars were parked in this unlit, overgrown field. You could hear windows breaking in the distance. Friends and I surveyed the vast sea of cars, weighed the odds, went in and partied until dawn anyway.
Man... thank you... thank you for all you're hard work. We can tell you really enjoy and love what you're doing. It shows very clearly through your work and greatly appreciate it. Again thank you and you deserve all the good fortune' wealth that comes from these video's. You're awesome man. 👊
Thank you so much!
@@BrightSunFilms You do realise? you are breaching copyright by 3D printing the buildings whos design is owned by Disney and they tend to be a little protective about property rights that and can get quite aggressive which they have every right to be under the law! You might be extremely lucky and they might not do anything or just send you a threating letter first to be nice, or they could just come for everything you own and bankrupt you!
@@BrightSunFilms Did you get the message about your breach of copyright?
One of so many sad and even painful stories of the decay of the once great City of Detroit. Few today truly understand what a pioneering and innovating city Detroit was, and how much of an economic force it was for our country from the 1900's to the early 1970's.
Being from the Detroit area, I love seeing abandoned building from Detroit. The city has made great strides recently, but there is still so much to be done
I moved from suburbs to Detroit and so are others. Please join us and make improvements to the city.
Thanks and yes. It's been going on for 10 years now.
I was born and raised in Detroit and still live nearby. I have driven past this building many times and love to hear the story from your prospective! Thank you.
I visited in early april and it was an emotional experience. A couple weeks later i read in the news about the demolition order and couldn’t believe i got to see it just in time. The weirdest thing was the tens of thousands of old shoes dumped around the buildings in the oddest spots.
Greetings from Detroit, and demolition has been halted.
It’s funny to live in Michigan and hear your family talk about visiting relatives in Detroit when they were my age. They talked it up so much, how beautiful it all was and how many jobs there were.
My moms cousin and uncle worked at Packard/ GM. But they left the city with everyone else right after the riots
Don't know how many remember, but Grandpa Phil from Hey Arnold! Drove a Packard. That was the first time I heard of the brand and it wasn't until much later when I wached a Jay Leno's garage video that I realized that it was a real car company.
Man you can have an entire series of videos on the city of Detroit.
I worked on one of those films that shot there. In the film, a boy living in Modern Detroit was learning about Ancient Rome; He Imagined that the plant was certainly once Augustus’ palace. That comparison has stuck with me. The plant is one of the great Ruins of the modern age, on par with the Parthenon and Colosseum.
For all the very legitimate talks of property value and safety, I can’t help but feel like tearing down the plant would be akin to tearing down either of those earlier examples. The packard plant, along with Ford’s similar temple on Woodward, are important cultural landmarks and should, at least in some ways, remain as such.
That. Was amazing. Thank you, Jake.
The prestigious mark Packard, lives on at the highest of all class car shows strewn around the country, called Concours. I.e. Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and The Quail.
Packard set the early standard for American luxury to rival only Rolls Royce.
I went to some raves in abandoned industrial buildings in the late 90s but I bet the ones at this place were RAGERS.
What an insane story. Kudos to Dominic on his persistence 😂😂😂 so curious as to how he lived there permanently. Also crazy that Banksy was there, too
If cities keeping up their old buildings is history paused in time, then Detroit and it's buildings is history played in time. I admit there are many, many buildings there that should go, but as someone who grew up right outside of the area, it's always really interesting to see the toll time plays on what was once proof of humanity's great marvels. It's a reminder in a way, that past history will always be present, yet we live in a different times.
It’s crazy, I had great aunts and uncles who literally lived by that plant (one of the houses shown) and I always wondered was what the history abandoned building. Sadly due to the crime (especially and projects that never happened) my family and many other residents were forced to relocate.
This is what will happen to America if folks keep voting Democrat!
Thank you for this Jake. I’m from Warren, OH and Packard is basically what we were known for.
You should do a video on the old Dan River Mills site in Danville, VA which was once the largest textile plant in the world, then sat abandoned for years and is now being reborn as a Caesars Palace resort and casino. I'm on the City Council here and would be happy to help you get information. It's a great story.
I live near Danville, VA. I think the resort and casino suppose to open in 2024?
I can't lie there's a lot of videos I need to catch up on. Thanks for continuing on the good work.
My dad used to go to Redford High School in the Redford area of Detroit. It's gone now, all that's left, as of the last time we were there, was the scoreboard. The house he grew up in is blue and covered with polka dots with a hole in the roof from a fire.
If you want to learn about the issues that caused Packard to close the East Grand plant, read "The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company" by James Ward. It explains a lot and contains some great stories.
I filmed a documentary on this place a while back. It is really cool but will soon be gone. Nice video!
I'm from the UK, but I still find it heartbreaking how places in the US that once stood as the ultimate city's have become so down-trodden and _almost_ forgotten. The government really needs to re-invent these amazing places.
Many of the problems with places like Detroit came from the government itself, at least the local government, which was notoriously corrupt. That, and so much production moving overseas, which elimiated a lot of well paying skilled labour jobs. If you live in the northeast, you see it all over. I'm from Buffalo and you see many derelict steel and grain mills here, and a few autoworks. I will say though however that at least here they turned the old Pierce Arrow autoworks into a museum.
@@100percentSNAFU wah wah always the 'govt' or 'manufacturers' fault never the consumers who forgot who we were fought and what those factories made ... American workers didn't go anywhere they just changed badges so people like you could drive former nazi and Japanese empire brands
This was happening in the UK as well with the elimination of Britains industrial heritage
@S. G. I keep saying people have to take direct action, but they never listen and wonder why they keep getting shat on.
The government is the problem. lol.
Love your documentary! Yours so far has the best! You stuck to the topic and didn't get off into other stuff about Detroit! Thank you 😊❤️!
Love your videos of your down under neighbors. I’m from Virginia back about 400 years. But I love your take on our northern industries. If you ever wonder down south here, let me know if I can be off help. Different culture, same country.
I have been WAITING for this!!! obsessed.
Here's some updated information for anyone watching this from now:
Demolition of the factory began on the 29th of September, with the city aiming to domolish the first building by December and the whole industrial area within 3 years.
We used to throw Rave Party's in that old Packard Plant back in the 1990s. Place was a death trap and alot of kids got hurt in there over the years.
I visited this place, it’s unbelievably gigantic
I did a photo tour of the plant a few years ago. It was really cool to go inside and explore it. There was a demolition company starting to clear out the admin building to turn them into apartments but that never happened. I remember walking over the bridge you can see at 6:10 wondering if it would still hold my weight.
In my fictional world, this place never gets abandoned and still successful
Me and my friends would go here back in high school to get good pics. Was a nice spot to adventure around
They probably can’t save the whole building, but maybe than can just save the walls, I live in Seattle, and many old run down buildings get gutted and then investors just build an entire new building with just the facade of the old building, it’s a far stretch but I’m pretty sure that this could ensure atlease some of the building can live on.
Another EXCELLENT video Jake. I can't tell you how much I enjoy your videos, the way you present the information and tell the stories is straight forward and to the point with no nonsense. I still watch Closed for Storm and learn stuff I missed the other times I have watched it. Keep up the great work ! I also am really jealous of that giant model Disney cruise ship you have, we cruise Disney a lot and would love to have that model.
Great Video! Keep up the good work Jake!
Thanks so much!
The Packard automotive plant, a facility I used in a scene in my 2nd Twisted Saga trilogy story, Aftermath. What happens in that scene sets up the Detroit Massacre.
When you mentioned the raves, it immediately clicked that this place was where Detroit Techno got its start.
Great Video! The Story of the " Packard Motor Company " reflects the the Story of America!! A Story of a RISE to Greatness only to suffer a FALL into Ruin and Despair!
The best example I ever heard someone explain Packard’s demise was put it through this way: they got catfished with the purchase and then subsequently merger of Studebaker. Packard fell to its knees to save the other company, and the irony is Packard "united" to survive. The reason they went bust was so Studebaker could survive.
Thank you so much for making this video. Having grown up spending summers in suburbs of the city, and Mackinac, I was really exposed to the character and culture of the area. Cherish Detroit forever.
Of course, thanks for watching!
I've been there a few times with friends who knew the plant. Luckily we went before the overhead tunnel between the two buildings collapsed .
JAKE! I can't tell you how much I have BEEN WAITING for you to cover this. And just in time too! Thanks so much. Do you still do merch? I need a Bright Sun tshirt in my life.
Amazing video! Enjoyed that a lot!
Packard is one of the greatest names in automotive history. Instead of allowing pillage and slow destruction, Detroit should revere it's glorious past. It should celebrate this once great edifice, and the beauty produced there. These are like Detroit's Parthenon, or Colosseum. The complex is world famous, yet it will be bulldozed. Detroit has lost so much, it's character, it's identity. It should step up, and save these structures.
Wherever did you get the idea Packard's Utica plant was in New York? Very strange.
I always love the way this guy explains the history of these abandoned places, between BSF and Defunctland they are keeping the memory of these places
Great video man, would love to see more topics surrounding abandoned Detroit!
Nailhed is an iconic Detroit urban explorer! His website has incredible photos and stories of the many places he's visited around here. It's definitely worth a visit to check out his site!
RIP Packard and the Packard plant. For some reason, while watching this my bright idea is divide it up into three divisions of development, three people revitalize each part, and then later merge to help complete it. But that will never happen, even if it was a group of friends and investors with money and time to do something like that, its just wishful thinking on my part. Definitely looked real nice back in the day with the people going to and from work at the plant and driving past and somewhat through it to get to other parts of the city. The whole city was once beautiful too, but everything sadly feel into ruin and may be lost to time. For some reason I predict Detroit becoming a city that will just fall off the map to disappear forever and would need a miracle, or a moment like in the movie “Cars” to save it.
Greetings from Detroit, the revival is 10 years in the making
This building could have been saved years ago, but i believe is far beyond wasting any more money on. Detroit in general isn't the highest demand in the real estate business now days so tear it down.
Always love these high quality videos keep it up!
A long overdue video, but better late than never! Thank you so much for doing an Abandoned Episode on the old Packard Plant.
Greetings from Detroit, where the story continues
Just visited the plant last week, late June 2023. They are tearing parts down, but slow going. They have large water cannon blowing mist into the air, probably to cling to dust so it falls and doesn’t remain airborne. Can you imagine all the EPA hazards floating from that place? My point: it’s gonna be a slow process.
Yet: still so heartbreaking to see. The history of rise and fall is tragic. Revitalization will take decades, if ever. The potential in Detroit is incredible. Will it ever materialize?
As a relative local to the area, the Packard plant has been a strange local landmark, to the point it made the newspapers when the big bridge spanning the road finally collapsed. For the entirety of my life its been a modern ruin. The massive size of the plant and cost to bring it back up to any semblance of inhabitable has been a major roadblock, in addition to it being pretty isolated from much of the livelier parts of the city.
Note to any urban explorers-- I do not recommend going into this building. Multiple floors and ceilings have collapsed. Multiple deaths and injuries have happened to urban explorers in this complex.
It made the news here in Toledo too.
I was hoping you'd do this one. Thanks Jake!
I hope you enjoyed!
I've been by the plant many times but this video contained a wealth of information that I was previously unaware of, good job!
Needed this after my EOC today, thank you Jake!
What school???
Please do more of these! I live about 45 minutes from Detroit and find all of the abandoned property fascinating
10:13 Was he really selling drugs, or was he "selling drugs"? I.e. did the cops pant drugs on him to get him out of the way for the city? This is Detroit, after all.
It's not the 80s. It rarely happens these days
Wow, as someone who works in auto manufacturing it’s crazy to think That this plant that was a closed 50 years ago contributed to you the way my plant is run today
Hi how are you doing?
Another awesome video Jake, as a car enthusiast and someone who grew up with some knowledge of packard and studebaker vehicles it’s really cool to see where everything started, really sad to see how it ended up. Hopefully something else that helps the world, the people in surrounding areas get jobs takes it’s place for the future.
As a Detroiter, I wish you would do Boblo Island in Canada one day!!! Loved going there as a kid in the 80s!
Being a Michigander, I instantly liked the video before watching!
As a car guy I love this video. I always love these abandoned building videos.
My grandfather worked at the Packard Plant from 1925, till his retirement in 1952. My grandparents along with my dad, moved to Detroit from rural Arkansas, dad was only 6.
Wow he got out just in time huh with 6 years to spare…wonder if his pension was still intact?
@@toddprater14 he passed away in 1961, I’m not sure if he had a pension after Studebaker-Packard went out of business
@@Rev1Kev sorry to hear that..yeah going outta business he probably only had that pension available for like 6 years..that sucks
Such an extremely sad fate. I had high hopes when Palazuelo bought the property. So glad that I visited the plant 10 years ago from Finland. Detroit is my favorite city in the world. So much amazing history!
Hey, Ford is finishing up the restoration of Michigan Central Station this year or next! It’s not all bad! (BTW, Jake, do a video on that place. The ruins of that place before the reno are insane, and the history is fascinating!)
Greetings from Detroit
I can't believe you didn't mention the documentary done about the building and the man living there full time... It's probably about 20 years old now.
My friends and I explored that a couple summers ago. It’s such an interesting place. We spent an hour or two and then security chased them us out. Got some amazing photos and went into the tunnel bridge before it collapsed
Sometimes loads of space is a blessing, sometimes it's just a curse that creates big piles of garbage that never will be recycled.
We in the Netherlands can not afford ourselves to be that wasteful.
Some countries are simply too spoiled to see the destructive results of their materialistic way of behavior. But eventually they will get the message.
When drought starts economic collapse and causes starvation, for instance.
Spoiled? The way you're talking implies that the inhabitants of The Netherlands shouldn't have rebuilt in the post war years because all of those bombed out, unsafe, uninhabitable structures would be wasted.
I remember seeing this on one of the episodes on The Grand Tour. It was breathtaking but sad.
It's sad to see how these things were abandoned and other parts of the country were growing so fast we cannot hold up
Detroit has been a cesspool since early early 60's to the 70's. White flight and war on drugs made it worse. People say its coming back but that is a mere lipstick on a pig. Downtown is coming back. The sports district and Campus Martius. The residential areas are still warzones figuratively and literally. Any chance this city had I believe are long gone. The city hasn't had something that its really needed since 1962. That thing knew how to make it prosper from late 1800's into the mid twentieth century.
@@pmccoy8924 Maybe the manufacturer section should have not been stolen and the people's creativity blunted!
I live not to far away from the Packard Proving Grounds and I was able to tour the property and learn its history. The amazing upside of the visit was that since I could drive stick we were able to fire up one of the cars they had and take it for a ride on the property.
I only wish the track was still intact out there though.
Detroit as a city has been largely abandoned
I heard that it used to be one of the best cities in America way back in the day. I wonder why the city and government just let it go to waste, especially if it has a lot of rich history.
Not largely. We have been tearing down abandoned houses, buildings and eventually the Plant in this video
@@mosesdevadass6056 pervasive corruption and mismanagement by the city is one issue that can’t be overlooked.
The downfall of Packard was mostly due to George Romney when he was creating AMC he said Packard would be part of it and kept stringing them along he never planned on it, Romney hated the president of Packard they thought they had a good deal and stopped looking for other buyers then in the 11th hour Romney pulled the rug out from underneath Packard and no deal have a nice day he sunk a company and everyone lost their jobs because Romney was a dick. The downfall of Packard was the beginning of the end for now for Detroit the democrats always get the blame Romney the republican seems to be Teflon on his Packard dealings and his years as governor the amount of tax money sent out of Detroit was always far more than what returned that was due to republicans in Lansing not democrats in Detroit.
@@mosesdevadass6056 This is what will happen to America if folks keep voting Democrat!
I lived in Detroit in the late 80s to early 95 and went to a lot Of parties at the Packard Plant. Legendary DJs, epic parties. Amazing time.
Its tragic it has to go, but the buildings look beyond repair, maybe they could save the water tower as a landmark (the bridge is gone which is a huge loss), but I'd doubt it :(
My grandpa had several Packards when I a kid. Great old cars
If the plant wasn't literally collapsing they could renovate it and sell the building to Hollywood as Soundstages