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Michigan's manufacturing is dying...what's it look like?


bneidlinger

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Well, started taking some from the Edisson neighborhood in Kalamazoo today....there is a lot more in kalamazoo besides this which I might add later...

An old wharehouse

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Across the street from that rust bucket...

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Finally, this was just cool....an old firehouse

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It's an old building. It's not dilapidated and it is in use. What's wrong? I'm sure that even when that building was built it wasn't a major employment center. The only difference is that the media is telling us that Michigan is dying so an old building that doesn't say "Information Biotechnology Medical Solutions" is bad.

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There are only a few factory shots in this thread, but the rest kind of make up for it in showing what follows after the fall of manufacturing in Michigan if nothing is done to make up for it.

From what I can tell, these were taken within the past year or two and are within a five mile radius of Kettering University in Flint.

Greg Cumberford Pics

Kind of cheesy because you have to click on each image to see them, no thumbnails.

Edit: If what he says is true, then the empty lot looking place should be where GM's Chevrolet Ave. Plant used to be.

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General Motors is currently bringing down the two Lansing Car Assembly plants in Lansing, and announced just the other day they plan to begin razing the Lansing Craft Centre and Metal Fabrication Plant (along with the old Oldsmobile Headquarters) this summer. Why they've been so quick to decide to raze these is anyone's guess:

Lansing Car Assembly (Chassis), which was the oldest continually operated auto plant in the country until they started bringing it down months ago:

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MichSt - http://www.flickr.com/photos/12299238@N00/

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MichSt - http://www.flickr.com/photos/12299238@N00/

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Churl - http://www.flickr.com/photos/churl/

Aerial showing Lansing Car Assembly Plant #1 and the new Grand River Assembly, next door (top, white)

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Lansing Car Assembly - Verlinden Plant #6 (1920):

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sirwitchalot - http://www.flickr.com/photos/53907620@N00/188975690/

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gustavosal - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gustavosal/

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gustavosal - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gustavosal/

Lansing Car Assembly - Verlinden Plant #6 (lower right), Lansing Craft Centre Plant #2 (lower left), and Lansing Metal Fabrication Plant #3 (upper left)

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I'll post more examples, later. Needless to say, Lansing and Lansing Township have taken a huge chunk out of the tax base of these two communities. All of these plants are literally within a mile or two of each other.

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How is it going to crap? These things aren't even fully demolished yet, and the sites will be cleaned. It's much better than them leaving the structures there to rot for years. The speed at which GM is razing them is impressive. They were barely shut down before GM took the bulldozers to them. These are going to be some serious prime land finally opening up, so I'd hardly characterize this as a bad deal. The only thing I'd wish they'd have done was saved part of the historic factory at Plant #1, which dated back to 1901, but other than that, it's great we're finally going to get these prime pieces of real estate back on the market.

Just look at the land this will open up, downtown:

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Anyway, GM is being very tight-lipped about their plans for the site.

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The amazing thing too is that many of those plants were multiple floors, so the cars would travel up or down through the floors or ceilings suspended by giant "claws" into subsequent assembly areas. And (God forbid) if you had to walk from the South plant to the North plant, it would take you a good 20 minutes or more and you would walk for miles inside the plant.

Anyone ever go on the tram tours of the plants that GM used to do? Some of the robotics areas were unbelievable, with the actuators on the welding robots sped up to just about as fast as the robots would go. Exactly like the commercials you see on TV featuring robotic assembly lines.

It's amazing to see them coming down. Some of the wood floors in the old plant were hanging on by a string.

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I took that tour twice, both in the General Assembly and Fisher Body plants (Both known as "Plant #1").

In Lansing though, there is a great deal of up and running facories, many newer, outside the city, but still quite a few within the city in older buildings. It wasn't until I started going out and applying at these places that I realized just how many there are around, places you've never seen, heard of, or just may have never paid any attention too.

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In Lansing though, there is a great deal of up and running facories, many newer, outside the city, but still quite a few within the city in older buildings. It wasn't until I started going out and applying at these places that I realized just how many there are around, places you've never seen, heard of, or just may have never paid any attention too.
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Very true. Before it closed just a few years ago, a good example was that old factory at Lyons Park 'under' the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge. You know, the one in south Lansing. The name of the place escapes me, at the moment, but I know it started with an "O". I need to get some pictures of it.
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  • 1 month later...

Boy, it's sad in a way to see those old plants being demolished. I recall that when I was a kid, my uncle and cousins came out from Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving. While Grand Rapids had little to offer in the way of auto plants (unless you liked seeing fenders being stamped out at Fisher Body Number 1), an hour's trip east on the freeway led one to the wonders of the Oldsmobile plants, where entire gleaming 98's could be seen coming down the line.

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