History of Fisher 21 Lofts
The Fisher Body 21 Plant is rich in history . Here are just a few amazing facts about this historic property.
The Fishers were one of the founding families of the American car industry. They built horse-drawn carriages from the mid-1800s and invested heavily in auto manufacturing from as early as 1900. In 1908, they moved from Norwalk, Ohio to Detroit to launch the Fisher Body Company, a firm that quickly became the world's largest manufacturer of auto bodies.
The Fisher Body Company had eight sites around Piquette Avenue in downtown Detroit, the biggest of which was Fisher Body Plant 21. In 1919, the company was sold to General Motors but retained its name and its sites. At one point, the business employed over 100,000 people around the world.
By 1916, the Fisher Body Corporation had a capacity of 370,000 car bodies per year. Its customers included Abbot, Buick, Cadillac, Chalmers, Chandler, Chevrolet, Ford, Herreshoff, Hudson, Oldsmobile, Packard and Studebaker. But when fully integrated chassis were invented, many car companies began to produce the parts they needed in-house. This removed the need for third-party companies such as Fisher Body.