Symbol Of America’s Post Industrial Collapse Is Up For Tax Auction

After a nearly two decade dispute over who owns the 40 acre 42 parcel site of the dilapidated symbol of America’s post industrial decline that has been sitting virtually empty since the Packard Automobile Company stopped building automobiles there in 1956, the city of Detroit was able to wrestle it from alleged owner, Dominic Cristini, last year for unpaid taxes.

For nearly the past 15 years, the Packard Plant, symbol of America’s post industrial collapse opened in 1903 became a hot spot for for artists, photographers, graffiti artists, tourists, urban spelunkers and urban adventurers from the around the globe all interested in Rust Belt Chic but as cool as the 40 acre Packard plant may appear, it has seen it’s share of arsonists, scrappers, vandals and death.

Several weeks ago, a Chicago developer expressed interest in the property but missed several deadlines by Wayne County to secure the $1 million the county treasurer wants to repay the back taxes.

The property has been listed on the Wayne County Treasurer’s online auction website since Sept. 5 but Wayne County Assistant Treasurer David Szymanski has said owners had until Friday to redeem their properties and get them removed from the sale.

Bidding starts at $1 million for a symbol of America’s Post Industrial Collapse and continues until Sept. 26. If there are no buyers, the property will go to a second auction in October starting at $500 per parcel, or about $21,000 for 42 parcels.