  Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1563 Registered: 11-2005 |
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12 /13/opinion/13mcgraw.html?_r=1 &ref=opinion Freepster tells the world what Detroit has known for 50 years: what happens when an auto plant closes and is left to rot. | ||
Macknwarren Member Username: Macknwarren Post Number: 88 Registered: 10-2007 |
Too bad the Times couldn't have run a photo. | ||
Renf Member Username: Renf Post Number: 35 Registered: 11-2003 |
Bill McGraw's essay about the Packard Plant was excellent. However, there are excellent examples of converting industrial plants into other productive purposes in Detroit. The Murray Body plant is home to many ateliers for creative people. The Buick and Willys buildings just off Cass are now condos. Except for Soho, the remodeled Parke-Davis campus may be the best example of reusing industrial buildings in this nation. The Stearns industrial building on East Jefferson has also been converted into condos. The Packard Plant is not the only model. The location in Highland Park where Chrysler had their plants and offices for years was razed and now you find a number of employers there. | ||
1953 Member Username: 1953 Post Number: 1007 Registered: 12-2004 |
Thanks for the negative press, Bill. | ||
J_to_the_jeremy Member Username: J_to_the_jeremy Post Number: 148 Registered: 03-2007 |
I don't think it was unrealistic though. He's just telling people that decisions that will be made about the auto industry REALLY affect our region, probably more than they should. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1569 Registered: 11-2005 |
It's not negative press. It's not like he went digging this up. The damn thing has been rotting for FIFTY YEARS and is huge. I hate to break it to ya, but the Packard is not a secret. | ||
Macknwarren Member Username: Macknwarren Post Number: 89 Registered: 10-2007 |
Renf makes some good points, but nothing has replaced the many good-paying jobs that once were found in those buildings. And that seems to be the bottom line for Detroit: Nothing has come along to replace the bounty brought by the auto industry, which is now, painfully, disappearing. But converting to housing is certainly better than the crumbling ruins of the Packard plant. | ||
Ashdetroit Member Username: Ashdetroit Post Number: 59 Registered: 08-2008 |
1953, why would you say something like that? I'd say Bill McGraw is one of the best, if not the best journalist working in this city. You should be proud of him--getting a column printed in the NYT is a big moment for a Detroit journalist. We're not getting the money if everyone thinks Detroit will be peachy keen without a bailout. I'm sorry, but that's just stupid. |
