Fisher Body Plant Number 21
Piquette Avenue between Hastings and Saint Antoine in
The Milwaukee Junction Area of Detroit
The early era of the world's automobile industry was centered in this neighborhood of Detroit, largely because of access to rail lines. The Ford Piquette Avenue plant is very close to this Fisher Body plant, the large Studebaker plant is also on Piquette. Cadillac's Amsterdam Avenue plant and dozens of other factories including four other Fisher Body plants were within a short jog. They were concentrated here because of access to the Grand Trunk and Michigan Central Railroads.
This plant is historically interesting since it illustrates the development of Albert Kahn's skills. It is a six-story building constructed of reinforced concrete with glass wall construction. Please compare this building to the nearby Ford Piquette plant completed just 15 years earlier. The Ford plant resembles a mill and has few windows to admit any light; indeed, it must have been very dark inside. But Fisher Body #21 is extremely different, reflecting the contributions of Albert Kahn to industrial architecture. This building also reminds us of the origins of the great fortune that the Fisher Brothers amassed building bodies, primarily for General Motors cars.
Architect: Albert Kahn
Date of Completion: 1919
Use in 2002: Vacant
This building is not listed on the state or federal historical register.