Zenith Corporation Plant #1

[19&41]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaYi4X7c7G8

[TC Chris]

As a guy with cars and lots of other cool stuff that takes up more space than I have, I'm always sad to see vast unused space.

The last 3 days were spent working on my boat (sand, varnish, repeat). On the way to the boat yard there is a vast factory building where Dow used to make plastic lined pipe. Dow sold it to somebody who closed it at least 20 years ago and a local buyer-of-distressed-properties bought it and it sat. Recently a local plastic-parts company bought it, put a new roof on and made other upgrades, and settled in.

I'm always skeptical of corporate rationality. When things go bad, the guys all lose their jobs and the CEO gets a big bonus. Sears has always looked like the big example of corporate mismanagement, but there are many other successful enterprises that were managed to death by execs who got their bonuses anyway.. It's one reason I'm happy driving Fords, something my teenage self could never have imagined. They managed to avoid federal bailouts and kept making cars.

The other reason, of course, is my positive experiences with my Mustang and two Rangers. Last night, the nice red truck was making the 145 mile run from Bay City back to Traverse City. At approx. 70 miles into the trip, I had to slow suddenly for a car ahead, and when I went to accelerate, the truck started missing. Oh s___. Pretty soon the 'check engine" light came on. My theory is that if you have coolant and oil, you can keep driving. With a light foot, the missing stopped, but under acceleration, it would return. At that point my goal was to make it to 95 miles, because my towing plan covers 50 miles. Then there was the issue of the big hill--the Sherman Hill--ahead. The downhill got me up to 80 mph and the uphill went just fine, thank you. The truck got me all the way home. No tow needed. It went to the shop this a.m. and got a new coil and plug wires,

Chris Campbell

[William]

Chris, I'm guessing they were the originals? And how many miles are on the Ranger? It was probably time.

Bill

[maxidyne]

Another example of a company that lost its way. Japanese competition and a run of bad picture tubes were no help.

[TC Chris]

Chris, I'm guessing they were the originals? And how many miles are on the Ranger? It was probably time.

Bill

The Ranger has 206K on it (just flipped another K last night). Yeah,originals. I have never had a vehicle I did not like, but this is my favorite. It has perfect numbers. 2 doors, 2WD, 4 cyl., 5 speed, 7 foot bed. Oh yes, and zero touch screens. That's an important number.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Who owns the old Zenith plant? It doesn't say in the video.

[19&41]

Probably some real estate holding company. Places like that can be a can of worms for developers, with all the chemicals permeating the soil beneath the wreckage of the plant. It would take someone who has a definite, immediate purpose for the renovation with a new use for the land.

[electra225]

Abandoned plants could have been put to better use, it seems to me. The old Packard plant, with its walkway across Grand Avenue would have made a condo complex. Instead of letting it fall down, think of the people it could have housed. Same with the old Zenith plant. We have homeless people in this country, yet we let these huge indoor spaces fall to ruin. Something about that seems wrong to me.

[TC Chris]

Down in Bay City, the city built a new water-treatment facility. The old 1920s "waterworks" filter building was sold off to a "developer.' It's a handsome big brick building with a red tile roof. The current owner has allowed it to deteriorate--vandals getting in, windows broken out, but worse, the roof has started collapsing.

Here's a view of the one that's falling apart.

https://mapio.net/images-p/79823828.jpg

And another. The for-sale building is on the left; the damaged one on the right.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41a ... L._AC_.jpg

The city retained a contemporary pumping building until they switched water sources and are now selling that off. They learned their lesson, though. The for-sale sign notes that purchasers must present a viable plan fr development of the property.

I gag at the term "developer" and prefer to say "exploiter."

Chris Campbell

[William]

Chris, that is a shame, but it happens all too often.

Bill

[electra225]

In the community I grew up in, there were 12 community, one-room schoolhouses. Five have been restored. There is a big three-story with basement barn on one of the predominant farms in the community that is undergoing restoration as we speak. It is built in a swag, so the basement and the first two stories are on ground level at some point. The hayloft is the third story. It is 150' X 300' with a quarried-rock foundation. It was built in 1905. It was a point of interest even when I was a kid.

[19&41]

Not all historic structures have gone to waste. Here's one that compliments our love for the the recorded sound.

https://www.livethevictor.com/

[electra225]

That seems like a reasonable use to save an old building.

[walyfd]

I worked in a $20M new 3-story office that was built in the middle of nowhere to promote additional development. There were no taxes due on it for the first 10 years.

In that time, we were consumed by a major IT company, were slaughtered by downsizing, got hit with covid and everyone was sent WFH...

That shiny, new office building was razed in December... and never a penny in taxes were collected on it. But there's a new industrial park partially because it was built.