It was part the plant’s assembly line that crossed East Grand Boulevard. It was also right next to our old Detroit office.

You’ve probably seen pictures or videos of decaying factories in Detroit over the past 30 years. The ruins of this once-great factory are located just a few minutes north of downtown, near GM’s Hamtramck manufacturing plant. They represent the decline and decay of the Motor City. The iconic bridge that span East Grand Boulevard, which used to connect the assembly line between the south and north buildings, collapsed onto the road today. Although no one was hurt, the collapse is a major setback for Motor1.com. Because we lived a few years right next to it for a while.

This is a brief history of this remarkable, but utterly destroyed factory. Construction began just after the turn century, as in the 20 ^th century. The facility was officially opened in 1911. It was an engineering masterpiece at the time and remained a landmark in the Motor City for many decades. The factory was closed in 1958 with Packard’s death. A few companies, primarily storage businesses, remained in the complex until 2010. However the factory was left to the elements for 60 more years.

The scavengers, the vandals and graffiti artists followed. Finally, the ravers and the ravers came and the old factory became a strange symbol of the resilience of Detroit, the city , and its inhabitants. Beaten, broken, but still standing.

The bridge that crosses East Grand Boulevard was a ruined open structure for a long time. Large wraps depicting the bridge in its golden years were placed on each side as developers started to show interest in the site’s repurposing. We knew the bridge best because Motor1.com’s Detroit headquarters was in an office next to the factory. Every day, we passed under the bridge. Many motoring journalists and enthusiasts, as well as the former Top Gear trio Clarkson, Hammond and May, have actually passed under that bridge. You can see the bridge last week if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber or a fan of the presenters.

Ambitious plans are being made to renovate the plant after decades of neglect. They’re supposed be in progress. Over the past 20 years, many investors looking for “big plans” have left this historic facility. However, some progress is being made. Arte Express bought the property in 2013. Clean-up is ongoing under the Packard Plant Project. However, there has not been any new development.

Although we moved out of the East Grand Boulevard office last summer, we still miss the grand old plant. We will be pouring one this evening to the iconic bridge.