To the corner of Fort & Livernois for today’s P.D.J.
This handsome peice of automotive history was built in 1928
The same artist who painted the windows at the U.A. prior to its superbowl wash also did the former offices of Fisher Body. Does anyone know the significance of the “S” and the “C”?
Although the name has been off the building for a long time, the GM logo as well as Fisher Body are both still visible.
Here is a present day shot from Google Earth of the offices. You can see the original structure outlined in red, as noted on the Sandborn below.
From the Sandborn map from 1921, the office building (much smaller) and factory show up as the Ternstedt Manufacturing Company.
Here’s a little blurb from 1968 about Ternstedt:
Ternstedt Rejoins Fisher Body
DETROIT, MICH., Nov. 4, 1968– Ternstedt and Fisher Body Division– separated two decades ago when Ternstedt was made a separate General Motors division– are being united again.
Chairman of the Board James M. Roche announced today that consolidation of Ternstedt into Fisher Body Division will permit increased coordination of automotive body design and engineering. The headquarters of the two divisions now face each other across one of the Technical Center lakes.
Ternstedt was named after its founder, Alvar K. Ternstedt, inventor of the first practical car window regulator. A native of Sweden, he applied for a patent on his invention in 1911 but it was not granted until 1916.
The regulator utilized a chain and sprocket mechanism that offered greater east of operation than any previous device. Ternstedt needed financial backing to start his own company so in 1917 he invited the Fishers and several others to join him. At that time, the Fisher organization was already the largest body-building firm in the world.
At a meeting in Detroit on April 17, 1917, the Ternstedt Manufacturing Co. was incorporated. Ternstedt was elected chairman. The seven other directors were four of the Fisher brothers and three other major Fisher Body Company shareholders.
But Ternstedt didn’t live long enough to enjoy the success of his venture. He died six months later and in 1920, Fisher Body acquired the Ternstedt firm.
When Fisher Body became a division of GM in 1926, Ternstedt became a division within Fisher Body. Ternstedt became a separate division in 1948 and now, 20 years later, is now rejoining Fisher Body.
Alvar Ternstedt lived long enough to start manufacturing operations at a building located at Fort Street and Livernois in Detroit, site of the present Fisher Body Fort Street Plant. That remained the Ternstedt headquarters until a new divisional office building on the Tech Center site in 1962.
At present, Ternstedt operates seven plants and has nearly 25,000 employees. There are 400 Ternstedt products on the average GM car such as door handles, window regulators, locks, wheel covers and many of the brightly-plated trim parts found on vehicles.
Also from the GM corporate history section of their website:
1926 – General Motors purchases the Fisher brothers’ remaining interest in Fisher Body Co. William Fisher, president of Fisher Body Corp., becomes general manager of GM’s new Fisher Body division. The acquisition includes Ternstedt Manufacturing Company, which is engaged in the manufacture of automobile body hardware and metal stampings. In 1933, Ternstedt is made a division of General Motors. Brown-Lipe-Chapin, a supplier of differential gears for General Motors cars acquired in 1922, is made a division of General Motors in 1926 and consolidated with Ternstedt in 1962. In 1968, Ternstedt Division is consolidated into Fisher Body Division.
Click here to see some the the radiator caps produced by the Ternstedt Mfg. Co.
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My Friend, The front of that building, says FISHER GUIDE, not body. :)
I know this, as that is my old stomping grounds... I lived off woodmere in Southwest will 1989.
-Chuck
Make that TILL 1989...
I believe the reason It was called Fisher Guide there was because some of the steering parts were made there. I've taked to people that worked there. and my dad's freinds with a guy who worked at fleetwood, till it closed, he went to the Poletown Plant in 'Tramic after it closed up.
That whole area there... on Fort Street from I-75 down to almost downtown was a haven for factories for years. A Friend of mine's dad worked for Composite Forging, which is close to downtown on Fort. they are still there, I think.
Nice Photos... Good memories of growing up in the ghetto! :D of course, it didn't really become a "ghetto" till like the early 1990's. :D ;)
Hi, My grandfather worked at the Fisher Body plant in thethirties and forties. He lived on Fulton St. I visited him many times and remember riding the street cars on Fort St for 5cents. ron
Hi , I'm from New Zealand and have been fighting fires in Australia recently.
I've come across a burnt out vehicle. The body Name Plate read like this:
FISHER.BODY.CORP
DETROIT MICH.
correspondence pertaining to the
body must bear these numbers
JOB N0. 8470
BODY NO.1604
Just wondering if anyone would have pictures of this vehicle or information about it?
I believe that SC is survival crackers a group who explores in detroit
I had something to do with that "SC" gag... For the record it had nothing to do with the window paintiings. Long story...
Does anybody know anything about William Schnell, a mascot designer who worked in this bldg between 1925 and 1934? He lived at 5571 Clarendon Ave. in Detroit, received a number of patents for his mascot designs, but I can't seem to get any bio info on him.
Thanks a lot.
does anybody know anything about body by fisher door emblems. I have a us patient die stamp
I remember Fort Street and Livernois Plant - called Termstedt of General Motors - I remember after 14 years of service I had to sued GM - due to many of hourly employees suggestions was being stolen. This suggestion committee was very clever, and I would imagine that this type of operation of stealing hard working hourly employees suggestions was a major part of management plans of get all you can get out of the hard working employee who would think that management was fair. I learned first hand how this operations was so clever and no one would have known, not until they had stolen one of my suggestions. There are names of some very wealthy people who benefitted from the well plan out deceptions of ripping out the small guys who worked and fresh good suggestions that they were blessed with are being ripped - off by GM management who were the con- artists.
This is how it was plan - an employee will come up with a applicable suggestion that would save time and money and would have to enter his suggestion on a form. The next step will be that Management will contact you letting you know if your suggestion was accepted or not, giving you a practical type reason(s) why your suggestion is not financial reasonable at this time or could not be accepted. Here is the back slash! The rules of the game tell you that your suggestion that have been turn down, will be considered your for 12 months, afterward if you to do tell them again about your initial suggestion, they management or anybody can own it. You must re-enter that same suggestion again.
IF I WAS TO TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU, WOULD YOU FORGET IT AFTER A YEAR OR TWO, IF THIS SUGGESTION WAS VERY GOOD FOR YOU AND SAVE YOU MONEY? (I DONâ€T THINK SO)
GM Suggestion Coordinator over this Program was passing out hard working employees suggestions to his family members and who ever else I assumed was on or in is click.
I know this to be true – you may contact me – GM management tried scare tactics of using the MAFIA to BUMP me off. – I have quite a story I would like to tell. (real names)
like The NAGY's of GROSS ISLE of Wyndotte Michigan - If anyone worked at TERNSTEDT during the early 70' and late 80's -- you will know me...email me @ dwight.norris@cox.net
Yes I remember the fisher door emblems
dwight.norris@cox.net