Difference between revisions of "Buick City"

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'''St. Catharines Plant''' is a [[General Motors Canada]] engine plant in [[St. Catharines, Ontario]]. Opened in [[1954]] and located on Glendale Avenue.
[[Image:Buickcityflint.JPG|thumb|right|Flint's 235-acre complex known as Buick City was in operation from 1904 until 1999. The facility was demolished in 2002.]]


Terry White, St. Catharines GM Plantchair Person stated on April 18, 2007 that the engine plant is not scheduled to be closed in 2008.{{Fact|date=December 2008}} He stated that there are three long term projects there. His comments were sent to Arnold Handelman, a real estate investor who presented him with the entry above that indicated that the engine plant will close. Arnold Handelman had contacted the CAW, the autoworkers union by email through their website,and Mr. White replied directly in response.{{Fact|date=December 2008}}
'''Buick City''' was a massive [[automobile]] manufacturing complex in the northwest of [[Flint, Michigan]].  Elements of the 235 acre (951,000 m²) complex dated from 1904, but it became known as Buick City in 1984. The complex was closed on [[June 29]], [[1999]] and demolished in March 2002.  It was the last [[Buick]] plant in Flint, long a center of automobile production. The final cars built at Buick City were the [[Pontiac Bonneville]] and the [[Buick LeSabre]].


==Products==
The plant originated with [[Buick]] before the formation of [[General Motors]]. Other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like [[Fisher Body]]. GM employment in the city peaked in 1978 at 77,000, with Buick City workers reaching a high of 28,000 in the 1980s.


* Vortec engines
The Buick City concept represented a failed attempt by General Motors to ramp up production volume in response to Japanese manufacturers. However, the experiment wasn't without its successes: The 1989 Buick LeSabre built in Buick City was ranked the top car in the [[J.D. Power and Associates]] rankings for that year; it was the first American built car to show up on the list. In 1999, the year the plant was closed, Buick City won the Platinum Award.  As of 2006, it was the only General Motors plant given this award.
** 4.8L
** 5.3L
* 5.7L V8 GEN III Engines.  
* 3.6L and 2.8L HFV6 Engines
* aluminum blocks
* cast-iron blocks
* cranks, heads, rods and cams


{{coord|43|8|24.95|N|-79|11|10.21|E|region:CA_type:landmark|display=title}}
On [[July 31]], [[2007]] it was reported that a major shipping company wants to turn the old Buick City site into a shipping mecca. The company would utilize I-75, I-69, I-475, and the railroad. The shipping center could bring 600 new jobs and spur multiple small businesses around the center.


==Cultural references==
* [[Old 97's]] have a song set in the area called ''Buick City Complex''.
* The failure of auto manufacturing in Flint was lamented in [[Michael Moore]]'s [[documentary film]], ''[[Roger & Me]]''.
==See also==
* [[List of GM factories]]
==External links==
* [http://www.buickclub.org/BuickCity/buick_city_demolition_march_2002.htm Demolition photos]
* [http://www.friendsofbuick.com/about.html Friends of Buick FAQ]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/j-d-power-and-associates JD Powers and Associates from Answers.com]
==References==
* {{cite web | title=General Motors closes Buick City complex in Flint, Michigan | work=World Socialist | url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jul1999/auto-j02.shtml | accessmonthday=May 10 | accessyear=2005}}
{{coord|43|2|52.8138|N|-83|41|5.406|E|region:US_type:landmark|display=title}}
[[Category:Buick]]
[[Category:General Motors factories]]
[[Category:General Motors factories]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in St. Catharines]]
[[Category:Economy of Flint, Michigan]]
[[Category:1954 establishments]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Flint, Michigan]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle assembly plants in Canada]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle assembly plants in Michigan]]
 


{{auto-factory-stub}}
[[nl:Buick City]]

Revision as of 15:28, 3 February 2009

Flint's 235-acre complex known as Buick City was in operation from 1904 until 1999. The facility was demolished in 2002.

Buick City was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northwest of Flint, Michigan. Elements of the 235 acre (951,000 m²) complex dated from 1904, but it became known as Buick City in 1984. The complex was closed on June 29, 1999 and demolished in March 2002. It was the last Buick plant in Flint, long a center of automobile production. The final cars built at Buick City were the Pontiac Bonneville and the Buick LeSabre.

The plant originated with Buick before the formation of General Motors. Other elements were built by early manufacturers and suppliers like Fisher Body. GM employment in the city peaked in 1978 at 77,000, with Buick City workers reaching a high of 28,000 in the 1980s.

The Buick City concept represented a failed attempt by General Motors to ramp up production volume in response to Japanese manufacturers. However, the experiment wasn't without its successes: The 1989 Buick LeSabre built in Buick City was ranked the top car in the J.D. Power and Associates rankings for that year; it was the first American built car to show up on the list. In 1999, the year the plant was closed, Buick City won the Platinum Award. As of 2006, it was the only General Motors plant given this award.

On July 31, 2007 it was reported that a major shipping company wants to turn the old Buick City site into a shipping mecca. The company would utilize I-75, I-69, I-475, and the railroad. The shipping center could bring 600 new jobs and spur multiple small businesses around the center.

Cultural references

  • Old 97's have a song set in the area called Buick City Complex.
  • The failure of auto manufacturing in Flint was lamented in Michael Moore's documentary film, Roger & Me.

See also

External links

References

Coordinates: 43°2′52.8138″N -83°41′5.406″E / 43.048003833°N 82.315165°W / 43.048003833; -82.315165

nl:Buick City

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