The Sad Plight Of Detroit's Abandoned Packard Factory

Packard automobiles were once one of America's proudest luxury brands ever built. But as Packard decided to end production at the plant in 1956, the building complex was sold for a mere $750,000 and partially used by aircraft manufacturer Curtiss-Wright for few years before remaining largely unused. The once landmark plant has since become a plight on the city of Detroit and a haven for homeless people, drug abusers, criminals to strip cars, looters to dump stolen property, vandals and illegal garbage dumping.

When Packard ended production at the plant a few automobiles were left on the grounds of the factory or stored inside the building. Most ended up vandalized and eventually stolen. Sometimes automobiles were pushed off the building by drunken vandal gangs during window breaking sprees at the former plant.

Detroit currently rates as the "most ruined city" in America, where massive poverty and business bankruptcies have left the city in similar condition to extinct world empires. More civilized societies would have renovated the old Packard plant and created new manufacturing at the massive 40 acre site. Instead, the giant industrial complex looks like the ruins of ancient Rome or some other extinct society.

A succession of mayors of the city have failed to put together renovation or economic recovery programs to attract business where the city has declined into poverty and crime even during booming economic years for the rest of the country.

The abandoned Packard plant stands as a landmark to the economic decay of Detroit, and a sad chapter as a popular luxury car brand closed in the city and jobs disappeared.