Famous people's places / Detroit – East Grand Boulevard
Packard Automotive Plant
Closed – archive entry · 1958
Albert Kahn's pioneering reinforced-concrete car factory on East Grand Boulevard, built from 1903 for the Packard Motor Car Company and largely demolished from 2022 onward.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Packard Automotive Plant opened in 1903 on a 40-acre site on East Grand Boulevard, designed by a young Albert Kahn, who in 1905 added a building made of reinforced concrete rather than traditional heavy-timber mill construction, the world's second concrete auto factory and a template later used across the industry. At its peak the sprawling, roughly 3.5-million-square-foot complex employed as many as 40,000 workers building luxury Packards. The company struggled after buying Studebaker in 1954, and production at the plant ended in 1958. The abandoned buildings sat derelict for decades, becoming a magnet for scrappers, graffiti artists, urban explorers and, in the early 1990s, underground raves, including one headlined by techno DJ Richie Hawtin. Engineer John DeLorean worked here from 1952 to 1956 before moving to General Motors. The city ordered the ruin demolished in 2022; clearing continued in phases through 2023, though the original 1911 administration buildings were spared in 2024 and remain standing.
- Opened in 1903 to Albert Kahn's design
- Grew to roughly 3.5 million square feet and 40,000 workers
- Production ended in 1958
- John DeLorean worked here as an engineer, 1952–1956
- Hosted underground raves in the derelict 1990s plant, including Richie Hawtin's Spastik
- Mostly demolished from 2022; the 1911 administration building was preserved
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 4
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- John DeLorean 1925–2005 · automotive engineer and executive, founder of DeLorean Motor Company
Worked here
He worked as an engineer at Packard before joining GM. The Albert Kahn–designed plant closed in 1958; parts were torn down in 2017–2023 and the rest stands as an empty ruin.
- Richie Hawtin born 1970 · DJ, electronic musician, label founder
Performed here
The derelict car factory hosted underground raves in the 1990s, including Hawtin's Spastik party; much of it was demolished in 2017–2023.
- Albert Kahn 1869–1942 · architect
Worked here
His early reinforced-concrete car factory; Packard left in the 1950s and the long-abandoned ruin was largely demolished from 2022.
- Henry B. Joy 1864–1936 · president of the Packard Motor Car Company, Lincoln Highway promoter
Founded
The 40-acre Albert Kahn–designed complex he commissioned. Car production ended in 1958; parts were torn down in 2017–2023 and the rest stands as an empty ruin.
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Source and former website ↗