Formed in 1908, The Fisher Body Company built car bodies for the automakers before they made their own.
Now the abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21 building at the intersection of I-75 & I-94 is getting new life.
Designed by the Detroit architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, Plant number 21 opened on Piquette Avenue in Detroit in 1919. During World War II, Plant 21 made parts for five different aircraft, helping make the Motor City into the “Arsenal of Democracy.”
In the 1950s Plant 21 was building bodies for Cadillac limousines. GM closed the Fisher Body division in 1984. Plant 21 was closed and sold to a paint company that went bankrupt and abandoned the building in 1993. The city of Detroit took it over in the 2000s and had plans to demolish it. Developers Gregory Jackson of Jackson Asset Management and Richard Hosey of Hosey Development had another idea. Fisher Lofts 21: 433 apartments, with 20% guaranteed to have below-market rents. The first floor will have over 40,000 feet of commercial space and a parking garage.
The site is located within walking distance to public transportation like the Q-Line and Amtrak station. Daniel Gough, Brownfield Redevelopment Coordinator for Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, said, "I think the push to move more residents in there wouldn't be possible without that access to (public) transit."
The developers plan to put three atriums in the building and add a rooftop gathering place. The EGLE is awarding a $1 million Brownfield Redevelopment Grant to the project to dispose of contaminated soil and install a system to keep vapors out of the building.
The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
