Packard bridge collapses in Detroit
An iconic part of Detroit’s motoring history collapsed into rubble on 23 January when an 80-year-old bridge within the now-dilapidated Packard plant collapsed on to the roadway beneath it. No one was injured when the bridge, which once linked the production lines of Packard’s North and South buildings, fell onto East Grand Boulevard.
Packard began to vacate East Grand Boulevard in 1954; having merged with Studebaker, it moved into a smaller singlestorey factory on Conner Avenue – also in Detroit – to cut costs. It built its last car in 1956, though the nameplate survived on badge-engineered Studebakers for another two years.
Peruvian property developer, Fernando Palazuelo, bought the 40-acre plant in 2013, intending to turn it into an art gallery and wedding venue, though renovation work didn’t break ground for another four years. Packard’s old administration building was turned into office space, but much of the site remains empty, despite recent use by The Grand Tour.
The City of Detroit, which owns half of the collapsed bridge, has since cleared the rubble away and made the surrounding buildings safe.
Dan Austin, who runs HistoricDetroit. org, a website that chronicles the city’s architecture, said: ‘Though many may be sad to see the Packard bridge go, I can’t imagine many were surprised. The iconic building has been left to the elements and scrappers for so long that it would cost a fortune to save.
‘Packard’s blight has spread like a cancer through the surrounding area, meaning its location and low property values in the area didn’t justify anywhere near the investment that was necessary to get a renovation project done.
‘The plant has been an unwelcome symbol of decay and dysfunction for many that has come to unfairly paint the city and its renaissance in an unfavourable light.
‘The Packard does not represent the positive things happening in the city now; like the Packard brand itself, it represents the past, not the present.’
❚ HistoricDetroit.org
❚ packardplantproject.com