General Motors is poised to demolish its old Pontiac division headquarters building in the city of Pontiac.
The administration building opened in 1970 and once held the address One Pontiac Plaza.
Although the building is commonly associated with John DeLorean, the automotive wunderkind who was general manager of Pontiac during its planning, DeLorean had moved over to manage Chevrolet by the time the building opened.
A GM spokesperson said on Tuesday, July 14, that the building — now known as the Pontiac Engineering Center’s Building A — has been vacant since 2020 and they are now in the process of starting demolition.
“Its removal is part of ongoing site improvements to optimize our footprint and align with our business strategy,” the automaker said in a statement. “The demolition work will be carried out under a detailed plan designed to prioritize safety, minimize disruption to nearby employees and community neighbors, and meet or exceed all applicable environmental and local regulatory requirements.”
The GM spokesperson said the company will share details regarding future use of the site once the demolition is closer to completion.
Past news reports described the building as over 300,000 square feet in size with enough space for about 1,000 employees. It was designed by Argonaut Realty, which was GM’s real estate arm.
Terry Connolly, board chairman of the Pontiac Transportation Museum, said in a phone interview that DeLorean had a hand in the building’s design, although he never had his office there. The building initially housed Pontiac’s sales, marketing and public relations staff, essentially most of its non-engineering and non-manufacturing employees.
Connolly said he was in the building many times before he retired as a Pontiac engineer, and recalled how a large 1935 painting of Chief Pontiac by the artist Jerry Farnsworth was once on display in the lobby.
“We’re obviously sorry to see it go,” he said of the building, “because to any of the Pontiac faithful, it is a very famed thing and represented Pontiac’s glory days.”
He added, “I can’t speak to GM’s decision as to whether it’s a viable structure anymore or not, but it certainly has a lot of history to it.”
Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: General Motors preparing to demo old Pontiac division headquarters
Reporting by JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
