General Motors Completes Purchase Of Factory One Building In Flint
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Back in May, GM North America President Mark Reuss announced that the automaker planned to buy the Durant-Dort Carriage Co. “Factory One” building in Flint, Michigan — the automaker’s birthplace that dates back to the 1880s. And last week, General Motors finalized the purchase of the 133-year-old, 25,000 square-foot building from Carriage Factory LP.
While the purchase price has not been disclosed. Mr. Reuss said that The General paid “a fair price” for the historic property, which will receive repairs to the roof, walls, and other structural elements such as the foundation (to support the weight of vehicles placed within) later this year.
According to some reports, General Motors is planning to use the historic facility to showcase its vehicles or host special events, such as reveals of new vehicles.
Photo credit: Detroit News
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This is awesome, great to see gm is getting old factories back, I think it shows strength in the company. I feel horrible for Detroit and the people living there, the auto industry collapsed and it crushed their economy, this only happened since the auto pact was lifted and as I live in Oshawa Ontario I know and we have also noticed a large impact on our city when gm was suffering. Hopefully the bankruptcy helps Detroit like it did GM to become their former selves.
I hope they can use it as a factory or a museum! Having GM keep anything that shows its roots makes me happy being a life long GM fan!
Alex what happened to the sale of the Durant-Dort headquarters that is across the road from the factory you mention. It was my understanding that this building was also included in the package that GM was buying.
Either way it is most refreshing to see that GM is embracing its heritage.
Loius — the Durant-Dort building was not part of the Factory One purchase.
According to a GM spokesperson who I spoke to earlier today, GM is providing financial assistance for the historic society that operates out of the Durant-Dort building. GM also purchased the parking lot around that building.
Hope that helps 🙂
Alex
I would love to see a Museum but it is difficult to keep one going anymore. Chrysler had a wonderful museum and had to close it due to poor attendance.
At least save the building and at some point there will be a good use for it. Once it is gone you can’t bring it back.
I believe that GM has some smaller museums. one of them being the Corvette Museum in Kentucky near the manufacturing plant. But GM must build one as complete as the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and at the entrance put up the oldest vehicle that was help start the GM enterprise, an Olds Dash Runabout or older.
Raymond — agreed. GM does have the Heritage Center that’s more or less along the lines of the “complete” museum you’re referring to, but it could stand to be even bigger.
Separately, the National Corvette Museum isn’t an official GM effort, although the two organizations do work closely with each other.
Excellent…gotta take care of the history of the automobile and also those wonderful buildings too 🙂
GM would love to have a large museum but it is very difficult to run one and support one anymore.
I have to say I have been lucky to see many of the great GM cars at the Henry Ford Museum on special exhibits there. They have done a great job of displaying much of GM’s history over the years.
I wish something could be worked out to where they could add an addition and rotate cars in and our of GM’s as I think it would have many more visitors there.
The HF is run very independent of Ford and show cases much more than just Fords. They even have the first American made Honda.
As for the Buick plant even if they turn it into condos it is better than tearing it down. Once it is gone you can never get it back.
What would be nice is if it could be moved to Greenfield Village and restored to the original plants config. Dreaming I know but that would be the coolest idea though it would take too much money.
I see a big great future for Detroit and flint MI my hopes and positive thoughts soon the population will grow big again up to 960,000 in 2018 I believe
Umm, that won’t happen. Flint is the new murder capital of the world, Detroit is now second. Flint HAS the great Sloan museum, did everyone forget about that? It’s a great one. (Wow, I was there in 1999 and Flint was DEPRESSING back then!).
Flint and Detroit are both “over” as manufacturing cities. You can thank the Demcorats that have run it since 1961, the greedy unions that drove all new manufacturing south to TN, AL, KY, MO and OH, and inept auto company management. Lots of auto jobs in Texas with the new plants opening there including the Toyota truck plant in San Antonio.
Your second paragraph pretty much sums it up for the now bankrupt Detroit. It’s a sad self inflicted wound in my opinion.