Detroit Free Press Delivers In-Depth Report on City's Biggest Eyesore, the Packard Plant

12 years ago - 4 December 2012, Autoblog

Even if you don't know Detroit, odds are you know the city's derelict Packard plant. A go-to source of urban decay porn, the plant has become a haven for graffiti artists of every caliber, arsonists, the homeless and scrappers looking to gut the structure of its steel for cash.

Detroit's firefighters won't even enter the structure to put out blazes for fear of injury. The Detroit Free Press took it upon itself to investigate why the structure continues to be an issue for the city. As it turns out, the plant was slated for demolition around 1999, but the city failed to get its paperwork in order at the time and missed its chance.

Now demolition is expected to cost more than $20 million, exceeding the value of the 35-acre site. While the Packard plant once boasted more than 3.5 million square feet under roof, it's now not even worth the effort of tearing it down. Since the greater Detroit area already has a preponderance of available land shovel-ready, the Packard site is at a disadvantage. But Detroit is currently making its way toward foreclosure, with the city already serving the current owner papers notifying him of $750,000 owed in back taxes. Even so, it may be years before the buildings come down.