At one point Packard had other buildings throughout the Metro Detroit area, including a test track in Utica, and a factory on the Detroit River across from Belle Isle; long since razed. The main factory and primary production plant, however, was on East Grand Boulevard; if you have ever had the fortunate experience of riding in a Packard, it was likely made here. By the 1950s the future of Packard Motor Co. was shaky at best. In the end, Packard could not compete with the more established and better-funded Chrysler and General Motors brands. In 1955 the Studebaker Automotive Co. purchased Packard and its massive industrial complex. 1957 was the last year the Packard nameplate was manufactured; beyond that point all the cars made here were produced as Studebakers. Finally, by 1962 Studebaker decided to exit the automobile industry altogether; the last car rolled of the line later that year. After the carmaker shut down, the space was slowly filled and partitioned off for various tenants who manufactured anything from conveyers for new factories, electrical components, stampings, and even electro plating.

The roof of the Southwest side has collapsed in multiple places. From the top of the elevator housing there is an eye opening view revealing just how massive the Packard compound truly is. A bridge, attached on the third floor, leads to the east side of the factory over Bellevue Street. The eastern portion of Packard contains the main concourse that leads to just about any part of the old factory. Large rooms branch out from the main concourse where workers once assembled cars.

The Norfolk Southern Railroad still has a set of tracks on the west side of the factory. Currently it is mostly unused, but this once was the primary railroad link between Milwaukee Junction in midtown, and the industrial zone located along the Detroit River. Nestled behind the tracks are the remains of a historical cemetery containing tombstones dating back to the 1860s. Also adjacent to the tracks, a part of the Packard that makes up a large room that was used to load and unload trains. Another set of tracks branches off leading inside through a pair of doors large enough to accommodate railcars. Constructed tall and open, including windows high above that allow bright daylight inside, this room would have been a hive of activity as workers processed raw materials and shipped out finished cars. Overhead cranes allowed workers to quickly load and unload materials from the railcars.

Large portions of the building constructed as ground-floor warehouse space are now mostly missing. I have witnessed scrappers working here on numerous occasions over the past years. There is no doubt a professional crew is dismantling the Packard, piece by piece. Observing from two or three floors up, I had a perfect view of a crew at work one day. They were not just removing pipes and wires; they were actually demolishing the building, stealing the roofing and frame itself. On this day, there were three pickup trucks being filled with scrap, at least five or six people working, including a couple guys who had climbed the beams to use torches on the heavy I-beams. Other workers were breaking the larger pieces down and loading them into the trucks. Guard dogs were close by providing security for these criminals while they were hard at work looting the historic Packard plant.

The Packard is filled with the artifacts of Detroit’s underworld. Everything from cars, boats and trailers are taken to the Packard to be stripped and then set on fire. The biggest dangers in the entire place it that from accidental encounters with these car thieves. Many of them use the ramp on the North end of complex to bring the stolen automobiles inside and out of sight. Recently one group of urban tourists made headlines when they decided to push a stolen burnt up dump truck off the fourth floor of the building. I’m not sure what this supposed to accomplish but it did look cool on video.

Dogfights are also a sad reality at the Packard. I have never seen a fight myself, but it is clear that they are occasionally held here. On the second floor we came across a square wall of unsecured cinder blocks forming a ring about 10' to 15' across. There was a blood-covered tarp inside, bloody paw prints, and ropes keeping an area clear near the ring. The only conclusion is that this space was used for dogfights. On a later visit, the fighting ring was taken down, but I would not be surprised to see this activity again. I hate to say it, but this is a good spot for that sort of thing.

Making way through the Packard you may notice that the factory once had hardwood floors like the ones you would see in your house. As time passed, the wooden floors have absorbed moisture from the air, swelling up and buckling away from the concrete sub floor. Other parts of the building have wooden blocks instead. The blocks were used because of their ability to absorb oil, grease and other spilled fluids, and, most importantly they reduced noise and vibration. It was easy and cheap for workers to swap out the tarnished blocks with fresh ones when spills occurred.

Unlike the pieced together make up of the south end, the north side of Packard is a vertical cavern of offices, assembly lines, and workspace. Stretching five to six stories in some areas, and hundreds of yards deep, it’s easy to see why this was such a prolific factory for its day. Workers, tradesman and office personal all toiled day in and day out on the grounds of the luxury auto facility. Today she is now home too much more devious and dishonest trades. The “Swiss cheese” appearance of the Packard is largely due to scrap thieves and the local biker gang. The Wildcat Motorcycle Club attracts bikers who use the vacant rooms of Packard like rooms of a seedy motel. The club’s old ladies or prostitutes turn tricks in the entrances of garages along Concord. Some years ago while exploring with two friends, we managed to become separated, and in the process of finding our other friend we stumbled upon a sight I’ll never forget. In a large room full of decaying boxes and garbage I spied two fat naked white people. A portly man with a couple tattoos and what appeared to be his “old lady”. They were shocked to see us as well and just simply froze in place. The man in his underwear, and the nude woman who was sitting up on a table just stared back at us and said nothing. I looked at my friend; we silently agreed it was time to go and promptly turned and left. We managed to run into these people no fewer than three times before leaving that morning. One time crossing paths in the tight confines of a dead end stairwell, and not once were they wearing any shoes, just underwear.

Directly above the bridge that crosses over from south to north, there is an oddly shaped room of angled windows. A large section of windows and framing that face due east is missing. What this room was used for is beyond me, but over the years of coming back to this point it has become my personal favorite place in the summer. As if the earth was uninhabited for many years the plants, moss, and wildlife have completely overtaken this structure. Faint light and constant moisture provide the right environment for dark green moss and ivy to spread out over a reddish clay like floor. The large missing window on the east side of the room offers a serene view of a sleepy East side Detroit.

The Packard complex is made up of a vast amount of broken up space. This once helped the complex to grow and adapt during its operation. This also helped the Packard plants resurgence during the 1990s as “Splatball City,” a paintball heaven. It was opened in approximately 1992 and remained running for some time. Its lifespan is not exactly known, but it was officially open for at least three or four years. Even after it closed, renegade paint ballers were still using it heavily. Playing their games in the dark, some rounds would last all night long and into the morning. It has obstacles like no other course in the world. From historic old cars and military vehicles, to junk and debris, anything and everything was game. This included the collapsed sixth floor of one section in north Packard. The collapsed area was the base that one team would use during games of capture the flag. Intense night games were often played here. Accounts of it confirm that this was a hardcore paintball facility in all respects.

The 1930s Packard car that was left on the grounds for nearly 70 years is longer there. Though it was covered in rust, and the interior was completely rotted away, the chrome and other engine parts were in surprisingly good shape and shortly after the city lost its lawsuit to take control of the property, the car was stolen.