Bcscott Member Username: Bcscott
Post Number: 21 Registered: 05-2008
| Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 4:46 pm: | |
When I head to Detroit like I'll be doing this Saturday and next Friday I always see this old factory building on my left from 375 just as I get into town. I've tried to read part of the signage on the building and it looks like Murray Body Co. I know that Murray used the Russell Industrial Complex on Clay Street and I assume this is the building I'm seeing from the expressway. If that's the RIC, what is the building on Russell Street just south of Piquette? The one where they work on the semi's and I guess rent out for storage. It looks like an Albert Kahn building and I was wondering if anyone knows its origin? Thanks, Scott. |
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 2696 Registered: 07-2004
| Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 4:51 pm: | |
Is that the old Square D building? |
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 2697 Registered: 07-2004
| Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 5:10 pm: | |
The old Square D building is the one south of Piquette on the west side of Russell. It's bounded on the west by Rivard. It often has trucks there. Was once the Detroit plant of Square D. They went to some pains to avoid demolishing it when they built the freeways. Once the freeways were done, Square D hopped on the expressway and left town. (Boy, those freeways sure did a job on Detroit.) If that's the building you're thinking of, it's now a storage warehouse. IIRC, it was briefly owned by the United Way before that. |
Bcscott Member Username: Bcscott
Post Number: 22 Registered: 05-2008
| Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 5:39 pm: | |
Thanks DN, I always thought that was the Russell Industrial Center due to the building's location on Russell Street. I just stumbled upon it one day while exploring Piquette Ave. I couldn't see 375 but I assumed this was the same building that I was seeing each time I came to town. Am I correct in identifying the RIC as the building on the left visible while heading south on 375? |
56packman Member Username: 56packman
Post Number: 2357 Registered: 12-2005
| Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 7:04 am: | |
That building was built as the American Blower plant, making large whole-building fan systems. Square-D took it over from A-B and they were by far the longest owners/occupants. Suqare-D sold the building to the Volunteers of America, who operated a rescue mission with a return-to-work element, rebuilding mattresses for resale. My friend has co-owned the building since the late 80s and offers storage there. Bscott--the Russel Industrial Center was built as the Murray body plant, just as Ford,GM or any other large industrial concern built their own plants back in the industrial boom. Murray built bodies for many auto manufacturers, Ford was a repeat client until 1951, the last auto body manufacturing Murray completed was the 1953-'54 Hudson Jet and Willys Aero Ace compact auto bodies. They did not "use" the Russell Industrial Center, they built the complex as their plant. It became the RIC after Murray left the body fab business for the plumbing fixture biz (Elijer,Crane brands) and presumably, someone named Russell took over the complex as a real estate venture, as others did with the Ford Highland Park plant and the Packard plant after the original business left. |
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289
Post Number: 465 Registered: 08-2007
| Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 4:31 pm: | |
I,d been wondering where the Detroit Square D plant was, seen quite a few breaker boxes made in Detroit. Also Bulldog brand was somewhere in Detroit. |
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 2701 Registered: 07-2004
| Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008 - 4:53 pm: | |
56: That's correct. If I remember it right, it was only a small building when American Blower owned it. Square D was the company that kept adding on to the building until it took up the whole block. I believe they left Detroit before 1960. And, yes, the do-gooders who moved in were VOA, not United Way. I think I met your friend once when I dropped in. Must be a heckuva view of the freeway interchange from atop that building. BCS: You can't see RIC from I-375 because I-375 is a very short leg of freeway extension that begins well south of there. RIC is visible from I-75 between Clay and Holbrook. |
Hamtragedy Member Username: Hamtragedy
Post Number: 220 Registered: 10-2007
| Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 2:34 am: | |
Yeah 375 starts where 75 veers west and heads toward Toledo. 375 is only 1/2 mile and ends at Jefferson. |