I See the Sun Rise…

But All You See Is It Fall.

Lyrics from The Kooks ( they’re really flippin’ good. ). There’s something about this building that keeps drawing me to post these shots. I know I keep posting various versions of this description but it’s still mind boggling that 12,000 people used to work in this facility:

Construction began in 1903 and after only 90 days Packard started producing vehicles here. The plant would take another 4 years to be completed ( although other buildings were later added ) , officially opening in 1907. It primarily closed in 1957. This is the abandoned Packard Plant in Detroit MI, once the state of the art manufacturing facility in the entire world and a model for plants for the next 40 years. The latest pictures I’ve taken there, I’m hoping, reveal the sheer size of this complex and help one understand the amount of damage it has received over time, as well as the ability to picture what it was like 60 years ago when 12,000 people worked here and it was a beehive of activity. There is a compelling quality to this place, a beauty that still shines through despite it’s years of neglect, that hopefully I’ve in some way captured and conveyed to you.

Uploaded by DetroitDerek Photography on 29 Jan 10, 9.51PM EST.

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