"National embarrassment": Detroit begins long-awaited demolition of Packard Plant
To write about the history of Detroit, it will be hard not to mention the Packard Plant. And Thursday is no story book ending for a place that was once home to a thriving auto maker.
Those days are long gone.
"The abandoned Packard Plant has been a source of national embarrassment for the city of Detroit for many years," said Mayor Mike Duggan.
Broken windows, overgrowth and debris are what you will see when you visit the property, but not for long.
The city of Detroit has finally started the demolition process.
"We're going to reuse what we can and tear down what we can't…because we finally have the resources not just to take this down, but to reuse this site and make it a source of jobs," Duggan said.
Duggan said this was a long time coming after the city and a judge tried to get the owner to tear it down. But after the owner ignored court orders, the city has decided to move forward with the demolition.
He said it poses a danger to community members and also a business that's housed on the property.
Lifelong Detroiters Varleria Berry and Tara Moxley live near the Packard Plant.
They've raised concerns about the dangerous building and are happy demolition day is finally here.
"It has been a long time coming and I'm so glad that we're finally getting a victory," said Moxley. "We've been waiting for this for a very long time."
Berry added, "I would like to say thank you to the mayor, to Ms. Count, the demolition crew, to everyone for giving us this opportunity so that we can have our beautification in our area to be able to look outside of our doors and see change."
The city is planning to tear down two blocks of the structure this year and a section south of Grand Boulevard.
The initial portion should be complete in December.