Abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21 – Detroit If you’ve ever driven through Detroit at the I-75 and I-94 interchange, you’ve seen it. The massive concrete structure overlooking the freeway. That’s the Abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21. The plant was finished in 1919, back when Detroit’s auto industry needed huge factories to keep up with demand. Fisher Body didn’t build entire cars — they built the bodies that companies like Cadillac and Buick used. The “21” was simply the number assigned to this facility as Fisher expanded its network of plants. By the mid-1920s, Fisher Body became part of General Motors, and Plant 21 remained active for decades. It produced more than standard car bodies — buses, ambulances, and specialty vehicles were built here as well. During World War II, the plant shifted to support wartime production, like many factories in Detroit. By the late 1970s, the building was outdated compared to newer facilities. Manufacturing ended in 1984 after more than sixty years of operation. A paint and coating company briefly used part of the structure afterward, but that didn’t last. By 1993, the building was fully abandoned. The City of Detroit took ownership in 2000, yet the size of the property and environmental issues kept it sitting idle for years. I explored it in 2013, when it was still completely empty. The scale inside was hard to grasp — wide open floors, long stretches of space, and layers of wear from decades of work followed by neglect. It felt less like one building and more like multiple factories connected together. Now the site is being redeveloped into Fisher 21 Lofts, a large mixed-use project that will bring hundreds of apartments into the old structure, including affordable housing units. Plans also include retail space and shared work areas. Construction and environmental cleanup have been underway, giving the building a new purpose instead of tearing it down. Plant 21 has gone from active factory, to abandoned landmark, to redevelopment project — a path that mirrors a lot of Detroit’s industrial history. No matter what stage it’s in, it’s one of those buildings you don’t forget once you’ve seen it.

Abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21

January 21, 2026 Leave a comment

Abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21 – Detroit The Abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21 stands beside one of Detroit’s busiest freeway…

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