Demolition Man 2011.

If anyone has any information on any of these unknown photos, taken during the demolition at the "Buick North Site" during 2011, PLEASE RESPOND. I did my best on identifying the photos that were taken outside, but on these inside ones I'm lost. Shawn Wharton photo.

People who know told me this is factory #05.

This is the only photo Shawn identified for me. He said this was facing north in factory #81. Gerry says: This factory became #81 in 1981. Before that it was the old Grey Iron foundry #70. Shawn Wharton photo.

Here were looking south with building #38 at the left. This is directly south of factory #05. Shawn Wharton photo.

The turnstile shown below can be seen in the right distance. Also the Family Deli and BBQ. I wish I had a dollar for all the semi trailer jack stands I moved at Buick in my life.

This is the turnstile facing Industrial Avenue with the factory #05 parking lot shown. You can see the Family Deli & BBQ in the far left distance on the corner of Industrial Avenue and Addison Street. Shawn Wharton photo.

This sign is on the south-east wall of factory #05 seen from Division street. Shawn Wharton photo.

Looking east towards factory #81 or old #70 in the far right distance. This is the south dock of factory #05. Shawn Wharton photo

This is the old #30 aluminum factory built in 1918. It became the spring plant #03 in 1963 after the demolition of old #03 forge south of Leith street. This is the south-end facing east. They left this skeleton standing for many years like this. Photo by Shawn Wharton.

Inside a locker room in old factory #31/#11. This and the photo below are from Shawn Wharton. 

Click here to see the outside of this part of old #11.

                                                                                                                                                                 
I think that is Shawn Wharton on the right. I believe this is inside the old two story addition made to the south-end office area of old factory #11, located on Leith Street. The only other building I know of with that style of concrete pillar (north of Leith) was in the old aluminum factory #30 that became #03 spring forge in 1963. But it did not even have walls when this photo was taken. And they were still colored blue just as they had been in 1918. These are the Buick City colors on the pillars, which this part of the south-end of #31 (including the old office area) was controlled by Buick City factory #12. Always an exception to the rule. Everything north of Leith Street was known as "GM Powertrain Flint North. Buick City was all the buildings south of Leith Street.

Photo of the White Eagle bar that I took on July 22, 2011 and it was still open. I would say it was still open in the photo below also. It may still be open?

The White Eagle bar located at Tilden Street and Industrial Avenue. This is west of factory #05. I had some friends that really liked this bar, but I was not one of them. You could smell the urine all the way outside. My brother-in law once owned the old wooden phone booth from inside here. He had it in his recreation room. This photo is from Shawn Wharton.

This shows the location and direction of the photo below.

This photo facing west, from just south of the photo shown below, is showing part of "what I believe is part of the old 11-t engine test. This would have just been #31 north after World War II. If you look close after enlarging this photo, you can see the steeple of the Canaan Baptist church located at Industrial Avenue and Gillespie Avenue. Hint: It is seen through the open dock door in the center of this photo. A Shawn Wharton photo.

Looking south towards downtown Flint, Michigan, from just north of factory #31. You can see part of building #65 at the left and also the piles left from factory #31, which back in time were once factories #66, #31, #11-t and #11. This photo is from Shawn Wharton (One of the demolition workers).

Links:

Factory #31 2/28/04

Factory #31 Axle Line

Factory #31 Axle Line

Factory #31 Exhaust Pipe Bending

Factory #81/#70

Factory #70/#71a

Factory #70

Factory #70 POTS

Factory #70 Engine Block Pouring

Factory #01 Roof Trusses

Factory #31 Front Hub Assembly

Factory #31 1960's Axle Line

Factory #31 During Construction

Factory #11 1924

Factory #31 Originally Factory #11

Buick Engine Testing Building 11-T

Buick 1920

View I took from the opposite direction.

Powertrain Flint North Demolition 2011- 2012.

The last of factory #81 / #70. Building #86 is at the extreme left.  All photos from Leonard Thygesen between 2011- 2012. 

Foundry #70 1926 - 2011  Factory #70/#71a Hercules Diesel Engine Block & Head Casting Factory #70 Engine Block Pouring Buick WWII First Metal July 17,1942  Historic photo.

I find it sickening that these German named machines are tearing the factory apart that made parts to fight the Nazi's during World War II.     Imagine all the still living and dead military personnel seeing what their children and great grand children have let happen to their country. This is what happens when we don't learn from history. We are bound to repeat it.  News story from 1981.

A very small section of the north end of factory #81 / #70 is all that is left.

Factory #81 is just a small pile of rubble here. Factory #05 that turned out J-65 jet engine components during the Korean war is still intact in the left background. Factory #10 where all the Liberator cylinder heads were cast during World War II is still intact in the right background.

This map shows the location of the 4 pictures shown above.

The cleared site where factory #81 once stood, which was originally foundry #70 before 1981. Nothing but rusting rails left to tell the tale.

The old magnetic hoist for the old Buick foundry #70 that was changed over to torque converter work in 1981.  At that time it was designated factory #81..

When you enlarge this photo you can see where a guy like me would have entered the building. I was a truck driver for most of my time at Buick. They made torque converters here during the factories waning years. This structure housed the magnetic hoist that was once used for bringing scrap metal into the foundry up until 1981. Leonard Thygesen said the large crane moving back and forth made the whole structure sway. This in turn caused the concrete footings to crack. He stated they had to repair those footings in the early 70's.  Only this small section was left when Leonard took this photo.

This is where factories #81, #05 and #10  once stood. Just one lone shed is all that is left. This elevated photo was taken from the roof of the old Bell produce building.

This is a never before seen look at the south end of factory #81. This view was not possible when factory #31 was still standing. This was the Buick foundry #70 until 1981 and cast iron into engines for most of it's life. Only the south-end is left standing at the time of this photo.

This is the main gate of factory #31 on Industrial Avenue (shown below) and was taken in the early 80's. Check out that stylized script. You are facing east.  This is from Don Bent's book "A Place Called Buick". 

Factory #31 Front Hub Assembly Factory #31 During Construction Factory #31 Axle Line Crankshaft Work Buick North 1966 Overview Factory #31 2008

Facing south-east at the gate of factory #31 on Industrial Avenue.  

This is the south end of factory #31 as never before viewed  from Industrial Avenue facing south-east.

This map shows the location for the 7 photos shown above.

Leftovers From The 2011 Demolition.

Looking directly south towards downtown Flint, Michigan. This view is from the roof of factory #05 in August of 2011. Looks awfully bare now.

Same view as below, only panned farther right.

Factory #10 (shown below) taken from Division Street. Factory #05 is on the left.

Here were looking in the exact opposite direction of the photo below. This demolition photo of factory #10, the famous world War II aluminum plant, is viewed from the roof of factory #05 during the summer of 2011. Viewed north-east.

This south-west view at factory #10 shows the turn off road mentioned in the bottom two photos. The gas pumps we filled up at are located at the roofed over structure shown at the right. This road went all the way to #38 warehouse located at the extreme north-end of the Buick property. Building #38 was originally built for engine emissions testing.

Looking north at factory #03, you are on the turn off from Division Street described below.

Factory #31 on the left with #81 on the right. The skeleton of factory #03 is seen off right center. Some of factory #05 and #10 can be seen in the extreme distance, plus the cultural & Diversity Center . The turn off from Division Street is shown at the right where factory #81 has that familiar bend on it's north-west corner. This is the route you took to get to factory #10 east and #36 engine plant and also #38 Warehouse.

Traveling north up Division Street with factory #31 on the left and factory #81 on the right. I drove this route many times.

Looking west at factory #81 south truck dock on the right. This was the grey Iron foundry until 1981 and was known as factory #70. The north-end of factory #31 is seen in the distance beyond Division Street. This area of factory #31 was a later addition to the original factory #11 engine factory which is considered the first factory built after the creation of General Motors in 1908.

Looking east at factory #81.

Peeking through factory #31 with factory #81 south dock in the distance.

Looking north east through the gutted remains of factory #31. Industrial Avenue is on the left.

Links:

Building #38 Warehouse

Factory Designations

Factory #70 Engine Block Pouring

Factory #31 During Construction

The Weston-Mott Factories At Buick

Inside a Weston-Mott office area.
Updates on the construction of the Weston-Mott factory from 1906.
Inside the Industrial and Hamilton plant.
Inside factory #5 making front axles in 1912.
Inside the Industrial and Hamilton plant making truck axles in 1912.


This map should help you with the locations of the seven buildings which made up the Weston-Mott factories located at the Buick site.
This just about has to be the first photo (colorized postcard) of the Weston-Mott factory #1. What they called "First Steam" back then was supplied to this factory on August 8, 1906. At that time all the axles (front & rear) came from this one factory. The size of this building was 60,000 square feet of floor space. Only twenty men were working on that first day. It was demolished in 1946. This photo was taken from the corner of Industrial Avenue and Hamilton Avenue facing north-east.  The 1909 expansion.
This photo of Weston-Mott #1 (Buick #31) was taken from the W.F. Stewart body factory #4 across Hamilton Avenue. Notice the pristine pasture beyond the factory. It was said that back in 1900 this was one great place to hunt rabbits.                                                                                                                                                           
       

This scene is the same as shown below, only a couple of years earlier. Notice the water tower and (single) smoke stack. Also note that the office in the photo below has had an addition built on the west and east end. 

Weston-Mott factory #1, #2 and #3. (Buick #31, #32, #33). That is the office in front. This shows good detail of the east and west wing additions which are shown four photos below.
I like this view ( Identical to the one below) which shows the gentleman selling lunches on the corner of Industrial & Hamilton. Most views I see show paper boys (as shown below). Some traditions always remain and they were still selling lunches outside the gates when they closed the factory. 

By the time of this photo Weston-Mott was part of Buick. 

Hamilton & Industrial Avenue 1915.

1910.

Weston-Mott office with red & white awning.

Weston-Mott office at left.

Weston-Mott office at left. Buick factory #01 & office beyond.

This is the same view as shown below only from the south end of the factory. This north-east view has Weston-Mott #1 (Buick #31) in the foreground.
This south-east view shows the complete Weston-Mott factory #1, #2 and #3 (Buick #31, #32, #33). The #3 (Buick #33) addition is in the foreground.
This north facing view of Weston-Mott factory #1, #2 and #3 (Buick #31, #32, #33) shows great detail of Industrial Avenue. Notice that the main factory floor remained as a single floor, whereas the wings on the east and west walls were two floors.
Same view of Weston-Mott #4 (Buick #34) as shown three photos below from the south-west. 

Weston-Mott #4 when new.

A different perspective showing the positions of the Weston-Mott factories #6 (Buick #36) and #4 (Buick #34). That is factory #40 on Division Street in the distance.
A south-west view showing the factories grouped together near factory #4 (Buick #34). These factories are east of the Pere Marquette (now CSX) main line which was the C&O rail line in my time.
A north-east view of Weston-Mott factory #4 (Buick #34). This factory was built in 1909 and ( partially) demolished in 1939. "First steam" in this plant was December 16, 1909. This plant made hubs and rims. The original cost of this factory was $20,000.
A north facing view of Weston-Mott #5 (Buick #35). This is the axle plant that Harry Bassett (Weston-Mott General Manager) requested to be built next to factory #4 in his letter dated July 31, 1909 to William "Bill" Little (Buick Manager). It just ended up a bit farther north. These factories back then could be up and running in as little as 3 months from the time you contacted the builder. "Not as much red tape as today". At the time of this photo I believe it was still an axle plant but when this was published in "The Factory Behind The Car" Buick labeled it as to it's then current use. 

This is the west end of Weston-Mott #5.

This west facing view shows Weston-Mott factory #5 (Buick #35). This photo was taken from St Johns Street (now James P. Cole blvd.). This factory was built in 1909 and demolished in 1936.
This is a photo of Weston-Mott #6 (Buick #36) in a south-west view of the power plant used by the Weston-Mott factories. 

Weston-Mott #6 facing south with Weston -Mott #4 on right.

This is the Weston-Mott axle heat treat plant #7 (Buick #37) This factory was built in 1909 and demolished in 1936. This view is facing north-east. This factory was for front axles only as far as I know at this time. 

Inside factory #7 (Buick #37). For the complete story on these factories just read the article below. It is from "THE HORSELESS AGE" dated April 8, 1914. Just double click to enlarge any portion. Most of these photos are from the Buick Research Gallery in Flint, Michigan. The rest are from my collection. I could supply much more background information about these factories, but this site mostly deals with the workers and the buildings. I only supply the information that I feel is important to the researcher looking for "additional" or missing information on these buildings.

Links: Factory #35 And #94 Industrial Avenue Revisited. Hamilton & Industrial Avenue 1915. Industrial & Hamilton Avenue 1915. Weston-Mott At Industrial & Hamilton Industrial and Hamilton Avenue Early views of Buick & Weston-Mott. Weston-Mott Powerhouse #6 Weston-Mott Officers Industrial & Hamilton Avenue 1913 Weston-Mott Employees Factory #10 and #07 during construction. Plus Industrial and Hamilton Factory #34 Weston-Mott #4 Industrial and Hamilton Avenue Weston-Mott Demolition 1946 Weston-Mott 1923 Inside Weston-Mott Weston-Mott Company Hamilton Avenue #4-#08 And Weston-MottEngineering & Experimental 1923

Inside Weston-Mott

April 1917.