The Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District is a
historic district located along Piquette Street in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, from
Woodward Avenue
A woodward is a warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to:
Places
;United States
* Woodward, Iowa
* Woodward, Oklahoma
* Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place
* Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which bisects th ...
on the west to Hastings Street on the east. The district extends approximately one block south of Piquette to Harper, and one block north to the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Line. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2004.
The area along Piquette was an important center for automobile production in the early 20th century.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
,
Studebaker,
Cadillac,
Dodge, and Regal Motor Car had plants in the area, as well as suppliers such as
Fisher Body.
["Huge fire destroys century-old warehouse in Detroit" from ''USA Today.''](_blank)
/ref> In 1910, the two largest automobile producers in the world, Studebaker and Ford, were located next door to each other on Piquette. Although the area is largely empty and derelict now, as recently as the 1950s there were 50,000 workers employed in plants in the district.
General history
Major railroad infrastructure, known as the Milwaukee Junction
Milwaukee Junction is an area in Detroit, Michigan, east of New Center. Located near the railroad junction of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad's predecessors Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway and the Chicago, Detroit and Canada Grand T ...
, was built in the 1890s to facilitate industrial expansion in the city of Detroit.[Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, and the American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter](_blank)
''AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture,'' Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 2002, . pp. 168-169. The heart of Milwaukee Junction was Piquette Avenue, although industrial plants were built in this area on both sides of Woodward Avenue, with the automotive industry prominently involved. The area west of Woodward and south of the railroad tracks is the New Amsterdam Historic District
The New Amsterdam Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan. Buildings in this district are on or near three sequential east-west streets (Amsterdam, Burroughs, and York) on the two blocks between Woodward Avenue and ...
, while a portion of the area east of Woodward is now the Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District.
Buildings
Autocar Service Building
The Autocar Service Building is located on the southwest corner of Piquette and Brush. It is currently owned by the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department.
E-M-F/Studebaker Plant (201 - 285 Piquette)
The Studebaker Plant was located on the north side of Piquette, between Brush and John R. The building first housed Wayne Automotive in 1906. In 1908, Wayne merged with Northern Motor Car to form the E-M-F Company. The owners of E-M-F formed a manufacturing and distribution partnership with Studebaker, and eventually Studebaker took control of E-M-F (and the plant) in 1910. Studebaker continued to manufacture automobiles in the plant until 1925. After Studebaker left the plant, Chrysler used it until the mid-1960s as a parts facility.
The building was used in part for warehousing after that, as well as home the Piquette Market, a meat wholesaler. The building was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
in 2003. In June 2005, the plant was completely destroyed in a fire. As of 2008, a shelter for homeless veterans was planned for the site.
When Studebaker began production of the two models of the Rockne, the larger "75" was produced in South Bend, beginning December 15, 1931; and the smaller "65" went into production at the old E-M-F plant on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, February 22, 1932. This Piquette Avenue plant was the same plant at which the 1927 and 1928 Erskine models had been built. Rockne's were also produced at Studebaker's Walkerville, Ontario plant.
The 1933 Rockne line was reduced to one line, the "10". The Rockne "10" was an update of the "65". When Studebaker went into receivership on March 18, 1933, it was decided to move production of the Rockne to the Studebaker plant in South Bend. The Rockne "10" was built in South Bend from April through July, 1933.
Ford Piquette Avenue Plant (461 Piquette)
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is located at 461 Piquette, on the northwest corner of Piquette and Beaubien. It is a three-story mill-style building designed by Field, Hinchman, and Smith for Ford in 1904.[Ford Motor Company Piquette Avenue Plant](_blank)
from Detroit1701.org The first Model Ts were built in this building. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
on February 17, 2006.
Fisher Body Plant 23 and 23B (601 Piquette)
The Fisher Body Plant 23 is located on the northeast corner of Piquette and Beaubien and includes a single-story building (#23B) and a six-story building (#23). The six-story structure was designed by Albert Kahn, Architects and Engineers and constructed by H. G. Christman Co.[Joel Kurth and Douglass Dowty](_blank)
"Flames char piece of Detroit auto heritage," ''The Detroit News,'' June 22, 2005
Fisher Body Plant 21 (700 Piquette)
The Fisher Body Plant 21 is located on the southeast corner of Piquette and St. Antoine. It was designed in 1921 by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls for Fisher Body, who manufactured Buick and Cadillac bodies in the plant until 1925. The plant is six stories tall, with a footprint of by and an interior area of . During the Great Depression, Fisher suspended production and the building was used as a soup kitchen and homeless shelter. The plant was used as an engineering design facility from 1930–1956; during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the factory produced Lockheed P-80
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
Shooting Star Planes, Vought F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...
Shipboard Fighters, and some assemblies for B-25 Mitchell bombers. After 1956, the plant was used to build Cadillac limousine bodies; GM closed the plant in 1984. After GM left, several paint companies used the building; it closed for good in 1994. In 1999, as a result of unpaid property taxes, the building became the property of the City of Detroit and was re-addressed as 6051 Hastings Street. The building was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
in 2003.
References
{{Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
Historic districts in Detroit
National Register of Historic Places in Detroit
Unused buildings in Detroit
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan