By
Team Writer
/ May 11, 2017
General Motors has been restoring Durant-Dort Factory One. The factory located in Flint, Michigan was used by General Motors founders in 1886. Originally it produced carriages until in was closed in 1924. General Motors purchased the factory in 2013, replacing most of the windows and brick to try and revive the old factory and make it usable for today.
Key Takeaways:
- William Crapo “Billy” Durant and Josiah Dallas Dort used the facility to manufacture carriages for the Durant-Dort Carriage Company.
- The factory was closed in 1924, after ceasing production of carriages in 1917 due to declining sales.
- GM purchased it in 2013 and added new, period-accurate windows and doors, as well as a new roofing system with the goal of preserving the original architecture.
“General Motors is wrapping up a restoration of Durant-Dort Factory One, the historic Flint, Mich., building that was used starting in 1886 by the early founders of what became General Motors.”