Factory #04 Collage

These views of the factory #04 demolition in early 2002 show (at top left) that the north end Demolition has barely begun. In the distance you can see bridge #43 with an open end. The demolition of #40 was also going on at the same time. The area shown in the distance is #16 north. In the foreground the south end of factory #12 is already gone. At this time the first floor of #04 (in this location) was an open aisle. The second floor was office space, and the third floor was the Buick City store and crib. The photo below that is an overview of this demolition showing Oak Park in the foreground. At the right are three views of the Oak Park entrance showing where the hawk once flew . This brick structure was a combination stairwell and elevator.

Leonard Thygesen the Buick worker who did the fine film documentary on the demolition of Buick and Chevy in the hole, used the film of him and his grandson at the swing set in Oak Park for his opening. At that time you can still see part of #04 in the background. The white area on factory #04 was the location of dock #4 located just south of the Oak Park gate. The swing still exists in 2008.  Theodore Roosevelt visits Oak Park September 1920.

1912

The top two photos are during the demolition of #04 south. The tiny structure in the top left photo near the stack was used for the storm spotters. The bottom left photo shows #04 south as (dock 7) this was it's designation after the creation of Buick City. Then (at bottom right) the Buick shield was still in place, but removed in the photo above it. The mezzanine just to the right of the Buick shield was where a worker from the paint shop (old factory #11) on the third floor of #04 grew his marijuana plants in 1975.

This is the same exact view across Hamilton and Industrial Ave. as the previous post. Weston Mott has been torn down and replaced by the new sheet metal plant #04 built in 1947.This was my truck dock in 1981 when I was the clerk on the south end. All photos from Leonard Thygesen except the bottom one, which is from Don Bent. Second from top was taken by myself.