TIL about the startup hub hidden inside the old Fisher Body plant on Piquette

I stopped by the TechShop popup last Thursday and heard they're turning the third floor into a co-working space with metal fabrication tools, how many other Detroit tech folks know about this spot for prototyping hardware?

3 comments

3 Comments

hayden_craig951mo ago

Ngl I've worked in three different makeshift maker spaces in Detroit and the biggest issue is always getting the landlord to actually pull permits for the vent hoods. Check if they've filed with the city yet, because that'll tell you if this is real or just someone renting cheap space and hoping for the best.

gray_morgan1mo ago

Lol I actually have mixed feelings about this. Turning the third floor into a hardware prototyping hub sounds cool on paper but the Fisher Body plant has been a ghost town for years. I walked through that building last spring and most of the lower floors were just dusty concrete and broken windows. Putting metal fab tools up there without proper ventilation or fire safety upgrades seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Plus the parking situation around Piquette is already a nightmare, so good luck getting anyone to actually show up regularly.

adams.uma1mo agoMost Upvoted

gray_morgan's painting a pretty grim picture but honestly the whole thing sounds overblown. People act like every old building needs to be perfectly renovated before you can do anything in it, but that's just not true. The Fisher Body plant has been sitting empty for years and nobody's been using it for anything, so even a half-baked plan is better than letting it rot. Ventilation and fire safety are real concerns but calling it a disaster waiting to happen is dramatic. Parking on Piquette is bad but Detroit has worse spots and people still manage to show up. Seems like folks just want to find reasons to shoot down any idea that requires effort, even if it could turn into something decent.