General Motors has officially sold its former Janesville, Wisconsin, assembly plant, the GazetteXtra reported on Wednesday. The facility was once home to car, truck and SUV production.
St. Louis, Missouri’s Commercial Development Company signed on the dotted line this morning and officially closed the sale. The company did not provide additional details on the sale and what will become of the former manufacturing facility. General Motors and the new owner will hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss the site’s future. GM shut the plant down in 2009 during the height of the Global Financial Crisis and officially took the facility offline in 2015.
Original plans surrounded clean-up and repurposing for new industrial tenants. However, if Commerical Development Company cannot find a suitable tenant, portions of the plant could be demolished. Razing the plant entirely isn’t off the table, either.
At its peak in the 1970s, Janesville employed 7,000 workers and produces hundreds of thousands of cars.
Comments
Being from Janesville, this is sad news but great news! This plant has affected my life since its closing in 2008. I was a kid when it closed but my dad worked 22 years at that plant. My grandma and grandpa met working together at the plant and they both worked there for over 30 years. My uncle also worked at the plant for more than 30 years. Then we were transferred to 2 other GM plants. The rest is history. Excited for what the future holds.
Agreed. When one door closes, another one opens. More jobs will be forthcoming.
Brings back memories. I had a client in NWOH back in the late ’70s that was large supplier for fuel and brake line assemblies. They were one of the first to do “just in time” type of supply chain business. One of their principle customers was the Janesville plant. They eventually got bought out and closed. The world keeps turning.