The Fisher Body Company Plant No. 21, located in Detroit, Michigan, produced automobile bodies for General Motors (GM). The Albert Kahn-designed facility was constructed in 1919 to provide wooden automobile bodies for a variety of companies, later manufacturing exclusively for GM. As early as 1930, GM downgraded the status of Fisher Body’s Plant 21 as being inefficient. GM began moving body manufacturing from Plant 21 to other, more efficient locations. However, the limousine body assembly was moved to Plant 21 from GM’s Fleetwood plant in 1955 because its output was only about 1,000 cars annually. On November 29, 1982, GM announced that Fisher Body’s Plant 21, 40, and 41, all part of Fisher Body’s Detroit Central complex, would close. Production would relocate to “Buick City” in Flint, leaving 900 hourly and 300 salaried employees furloughed. The last day of production for Plant 21 was on April 1, 1984. The Carter Color Coat Company purchased the shuttered Plant 21 in 1990, and the building was reused for industrial painting. In June 1992, Carter Color Coat declared bankruptcy, and the plant was abandoned. Ownership reverted to the city of Detroit in 2000.
Category: Explorations
The Detroit House of Correction, also known as DeHoCo, is a former prison complex near Detroit, Michigan.
Before diversifying into wholesale leather production in New Albany, Indiana, the Moser Leather Company primarily manufactured high-quality leather for harnesses and collar manufacturers.
Once a strategically important city at the juncture of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Cairo, Illinois, is in terminal decline after decades of racial turbulence.
The series of buildings at the corner of East 9th and Monmouth streets in Newport, Kentucky, is fascinating, and after years of neglect, is being renovated.
National Acme, located in Cleveland, Ohio, was one of the largest manufacturers of machine tools in the United States. It began as the merger of two notable machine tool manufacturers, the Cleveland Twist Drill Company and the National Acme Company.
Several years ago, I undertook a meandering journey through the Winding Gulf coalfield in West Virginia, delving into the history of this once-vibrant region.
The abandoned St. Joseph Byzantine Catholic Church, situated in Cleveland, Ohio’s Union-Miles Park neighborhood, has been recently demolished.
Yogi Berra once said to trust your instincts, keep trying, and, most importantly, act. For years, I have been traveling to the southeast corner of West Virginia, exploring its many one-lane roads and scenic byways and taking in all the Mountain State had to offer. The desire for wanderlust was just too great.
My October journey through New York state, filled with autumn splendor, abandoned buildings, and vibrant landscapes, left me with a renewed sense of appreciation for the region’s natural beauty and history.
The Van Nattas Pumping Station, located in Ithaca, New York, was constructed by the Ithaca Light & Water Company in 1893. It was built on the site of the Van Natta & Jones Mill.
Molly Stark Sanatorium was a tuberculosis hospital in northeastern Ohio. Constructed during a time when the prevailing medical treatment for tuberculosis was sunlight, fresh air, and rudimentary medicines, the building was constructed with large windows, porches, balconies, and rooftop verandas.
A few weeks ago, I revisited the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant (IAAP). This facility, renowned for manufacturing smokeless gunpowder and other ordnance, held the distinction of being the largest of its kind worldwide upon its completion.
Located in central Ohio, the Knox County Infirmary served children, the elderly, and those with mental or physical illness.
Concluding a journey through the Rust Belt, the exploration of a temple, observatory, and factory en route to Cleveland, Ohio, provided a fitting conclusion to the trip.
Western Pennsylvania is the industrial heart of the Rust Belt, as once-mighty steel mills, coke plants, and machine shops scattered alongside railroads, rivers, and highways have downsized and closed. A globalized economy and increased automation led to many jobs overseas; what remained was a shell, unable to be self-sustaining without government intervention.