Durant-Dort Factory One: a Timeline
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Durant-Dort Factory One: A Timeline 1880 The Flint Cotton & Woolen Mills Company builds a new cotton mill on Water Street. William Crapo Durant and Josiah Dallas Dort form the Flint Road Cart Company and lease the 1886 former cotton mill on Water Street, which had closed earlier that year, for $25 a month. 1896 The Flint Road Cart Co. is incorporated as the Durant-Dort Carriage Company. Durant-Dort Carriage Company is the No. 1 producer of horse-drawn carriages in the 1900 country. Durant and Dort’s “Blue Ribbon” carriages make them millionaires. David Dunbar Buick moves from Detroit to Flint and forms Buick Motor 1903 Company. Automobiles start to appear on the streets of Flint. Durant is asked to take over management of Buick, leveraging Durant- 1904 Dort Carriage Company assets. Other acquisitions would follow. 1908 Durant forms a new company with his automobile acquisitions: General Motors. Durant is ousted from GM for the first time. He partners with Louis Chevrolet to create 1911 the Chevrolet Motor Car Company and names Dort president the following year. 1913 Dort steps down from Chevrolet and ends his partnership with Durant. 1915 Dort starts the Dort Motor Car Company. 1916 Durant is back for his second run at GM’s helm. Factory One and others in the Durant-Dort complex are converted to 1917 manufacture automobiles for the Dort Motor Car Company. 1920 Durant is ousted from GM a second and final time. 1921 Durant establishes Durant Motors. Continued on next page Durant-Dort Factory One: A Timeline 1925 Dort dies. 1933 Durant Motors closes as the Great Depression deepens. 1947 Durant dies. After the Dort Motor Company folds, the building becomes home to the Brandt Wholesale Paper 1928- Company, beginning an era of warehousing and commercial use. During the next several decades, it 1970s houses a succession of wholesale grocers, furniture warehouses and paper and stationery companies. An era of use for offices, retail, medical and social services agencies begins. As part of an 1980s effort to preserve the Carriage Town area and develop it as an artistic hub, restoration of Factory One begins. An antique mall and gift stores are among the tenants. The Center for Gerontology, an office for Congressman Dale 1990s Kildee, and the Blarney Stone Restaurant move in. 2000 The building primarily houses medical and social services offices. -2013 2013 GM purchases Factory One and begins exterior restorations. -2014 GM announces the building will feature an automotive archive and research center, 2015 and a conference and event space that can accommodate groups of up to 300. 2016 Interior restoration work begins. 2017 A fully renovated Factory One hosts its grand opening.