Posted on 04/14/2012 7:55:46 PM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of Detroit "ruin porn" is it inherently ignores the very real people who still live in the city. Now there's a convergence the amazing story of Allan Hill, the man who legally lives inside the city's abandoned Packard Auto Plant. What's most surprising about this moving mini-documentary is Hill's "quality of life" doesn't look as terrible as you'd imagine, nor does his reasoning for choosing to stay in the largest abandoned factory in the world seem so unsound. The whole creation is a huge gut-check to our biases. Yes, the Packard Plant is so giant and empty and strange they shoot Michael Bay movies there. And, occasionally, kids push a dump truck out a window. Yet, Hill has power, Internet access, a welding setup, and a small kitchen. He even maintains a webcam. The owner apparently gave him his blessing so long as Hill works as a custodian of the property.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
Welcome to FR.
Great story, very amicable, humble man. Thanks for the post, link worked fine for me.
Works for me. May have gotten fixed.
Thanks for the welcome. I wish I were more computer savy. Someone posted that the link works now. Maybe a website tech fixed it.
Why would a building for a company that’s been out of business for decades and still not occupied by another business still be standing? I would have thought if it couldn’t be converted to something else it would have eventually been demolished to save on property taxes.
Is there something you can do if your link doesn’t work or if you copied it wrong?
You're assuming everyone pays all appropriate taxes.
I grew up near the area. There are a lot of abandoned buildings and warehouses in Detroit. I'm sure it's similar in other big cities.
The true owner must be doing “something” there. He seems to appreciate Mr Hill's presence.
The city is bankrupt and cannot afford to demolish the empty houses and buildings in its environs. So it sits.
Packard did build great cars, though.
The parade of corrupt mayors and grifter CONgressmen had more important pursuits.
use the autos.yahoo.com link
That’s what I thought I did! I’m learning as I go...
Yep. Report your post by clicking on “Report abuse.” Then tell the moderator about the change you need made. The mods are usually pretty good about this. They’ve corrected several silly errors I’ve made in the past.
The city is bankrupt and cannot afford to demolish the empty houses and buildings in its environs. So it sits.
The old Packard auto showroom in Oakland, CA is now a live/work space:
http://packardloftsinoakland.com
Packard did build great cars, though.
Someday, God willing, I will own a Packard. :)
I live within 5 miles of downtown Detroit. In the 1950’s Detroit had 10 times the number of people that my city has. Now it has 3 times. My city has not grown that much, Detroit is shrinking.
Sounds like a writer pushing the benefits of poverty and third world living
Boy there’s a sobering thought.
Packard went out of business in the 50’s.
So in fifty some odd years there’s been no demand that would have caused the factory to be put to some other commercial or redevelopment use? Talk about zero growth.
Just think of the industrial powerhouse we were during World War II, and then look at us now. Yikes!
Santa Monica CA had a lovely old building that was a Packard showroom. My grandparents drove Packards. What a gorgeous car.
I had never rode in a cold air conditioned car and one that ran so quite. Spooked me, it even crossed my mind he could be the devil. But he wasn't, just a nice guy who even drove me home couple miles down the gravel road where we lived.
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