The abandoned Packard plant in Detroit.

©Peeter Viisimaa/Getty Images

Packard Plant

Detroit


Renowned architect Albert Kahn designed this 3.5-million-sq-ft factory, which opened in 1905, but after years of neglect it became one of Detroit's most iconic ruins. Now, a Peruvian developer has plans to turn it into an office and entertainment complex over the next decade. Phase one of the project broke ground in 2017, but it has been progressing more slowly than anticipated due to finance issues. Meanwhile, you can tour the site on Saturdays with Pure Detroit. Book in advance.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Detroit attractions

1. Heidelberg Project

1.42 MILES

Polka-dotted streets, houses covered in Technicolor paint blobs, strange doll sculptures in yards – this is no acid trip, but rather a block-spanning art…

2. Ford Piquette Avenue Plant

2.07 MILES

Henry Ford cranked out the first Model T in this landmark factory. Admission includes a detailed tour by enthusiastic docents, plus loads of shiny…

3. Scarab Club

2.26 MILES

The Scarab Club transports you back a century to a gilded age of arts appreciation when costumed balls and visits by Diego Rivera and Norman Rockwell were…

4. Eastern Market

2.33 MILES

One of the oldest and largest year-round bazaars in the United States, Eastern Market draws Detroiters of all types to its six-block spread of wares…

5. Detroit Institute of Arts

2.37 MILES

The DIA holds one of the world's finest art collections. The centerpiece is Diego Rivera's mural Detroit Industry, which fills an entire room and reflects…

6. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

2.47 MILES

MOCAD is set in an abandoned, graffiti-slathered auto dealership. Heat lamps hang from the ceiling over peculiar exhibits that change every few months…

7. Fisher Building

2.63 MILES

This 1928 masterpiece from the man who built Detroit, Albert Kahn, has an imposing art deco exterior made from Minnesota granite and Maryland marble, and…

8. City Sculpture Park

3.06 MILES

Local artist Robert Sestok bought a forlorn lot by the freeway where cars whizz by, and plunked down his hulking abstract sculptures welded from scrap…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/great-lakes/detroit/attractions/packard-plant/a/poi-sig/1426066/361937",
      "destination": "Detroit",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "region": "Michigan",
      "city": "Detroit",
      "position": "superzone"
    }