Packard Plant (Detroit)
Packard Motor Car Company (historic), Detroit, Michigan
The Packard Plant on Detroit's East Grand Boulevard opened in 1903 to a design by Albert Kahn and grew to about 3.5 million square feet. It built Packard cars, later Studebaker-badged models, and wartime Merlin aircraft engines. Long abandoned after car production ended in the 1950s, most of it was demolished by the City of Detroit starting in 2022, with a front section kept for redevelopment.
- Company
- Packard Motor Car Company (historic)
- Status
- Closed
- Opened
- 1903
- Employees
- Not stated
- Industry
- Vehicles
- Revised
- November 12, 2026
What is made here
Built Packard and later Studebaker automobiles; now largely demolished.
Facts
| Size | About 3.5 million square feet; described by the City of Detroit as the city's largest and most notorious remaining abandoned auto factory (state: detroitmi.gov) |
|---|---|
| Design | Opened in 1903 on East Grand Boulevard and designed by Albert Kahn, with an early use of reinforced concrete in the auto industry (reference: motorcities.org) |
| Wartime production | During World War II the plant built the Packard V-1650 Merlin engine that powered the P-51 Mustang (reference: en.wikipedia.org) |
| Demolition | The city began emergency demolition of a first portion in September 2022 and of a second major section at 1539 E. Grand Boulevard in 2023, keeping its front wing for redevelopment (state: detroitmi.gov) |
Figures are as stated by the source named next to each one. Company figures are the company's own claims.
Can you visit?
We haven't found a public tour of this factory. See factory tours in Michigan.
Sources
- City of Detroit: second phase of Packard Plant demolition (state, checked November 12, 2026)
- MotorCities National Heritage Area: Packard Plant (reference, checked November 12, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Packard Automotive Plant (reference, checked November 12, 2026)
Something changed? Send a correction with a link and we'll recheck it.