Plans unveiled to turn infamous Detroit ruin into electronic music museum
Having sat empty for over 60 years, the Packard Automotive Plant was the location of Richie Hawtin's famed Spastik warehouse parties in the late '90s
Title image source: www.mixmag.net
One of Detroit's most infamous ruins is set to be transformed into an electronic music museum as part of a $50 million project unveiled by city officials.
The Packard Automotive Plant on Detroit's East side has long been a symbol of the city's post-industrial decline, sitting mostly abandoned since the car factory ceased operations in 1958.
In the '90s, the Albert Kahn-designed building was the "epicentre" of Detroit's underground rave scene, with Richie Hawtin's Spastik warehouse parties and the famous DJ Godfather vs. Gary Chandler battle held within its walls.
More recently, the plant has been a shooting location for film and TV, including two films in Michael Bay's Transformers franchise, 2014 horror It Follows, and the music video for Eminem's 2009 single 'Beautiful'.
In 2015, a mural from Banksy was discovered inside the ruins; entitled I remember when all this was trees, the piece was later sold at auction in Beverly Hills for $137,500.
In an announcement on Monday (December 1), Mayor Mark Duggan shared plans to transform the 28-acre southern half of the factory into a multi-purpose development, which will include housing, an indoor skatepark, two acres of indoor/outdoor public space and recreation areas, and the Museum of Detroit Electronic Music (MODEM).
“Five years ago, the Packard Plant was still standing as Detroit’s most iconic ruin, continuing to drag down the surrounding neighborhood,” Mayor Duggan said. “It took an incredible amount of work to gain title to the property and tear down everything that could not be saved in hopes for a day like this.”
Incoming Mayor of Detroit Mary Sheffield has also praised the plans, writing in a statement: “For more than 60 years, this site sat idle. Today, we declare that those days are over. The Packard Park will be a symbol of what is possible when Detroiters, public partners, and committed developers work together with imagination and purpose.”
“This is how we honor our past while building our future — by preserving history, creating jobs, expanding housing, and investing in culture and community all at once," she continues.
The project will also include a 393,000 square foot, Class-A industrial building, designed to create 300 jobs in the city; if approved, work is expected to be completed on the project in 2029.
Article Originally Posted on www.mixmag.net