| Framingham Assembly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Operated | 1947 - August 1, 1989 |
| Coordinates | 42°15′45.79″N71°24′42.78″W / 42.2627194°N 71.4118833°W |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Owner(s) | General Motors |
Framingham Assembly was a General Motors factory in Framingham, Massachusetts which opened in 1947.
The plant was built on the location of Framingham Airport, and ground was broken in 1945. [1] The plant cost $12 million ($172,502,773 in 2020 dollars [2] ) and was one of three new plants that year. At one point, the Framingham Assembly plant was one of the largest automotive manufacturing plants in the United States, employing over 5,000 workers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
The first vehicle, produced on 26 February 1948, was a Buick, with 23,388 more produced that first year. The factory was used by "BOP" (Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac) and was under the management of GM's newly created Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division created in 1945. The factory had produced 697,574 cars by 1959. In August of that year, it became part of Fisher Body, producing Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile cars.
The factory was re-purposed again in May, 1968, changing from separate Fisher Body and Chevrolet Division operations to a combined operation under the new GM Assembly Division, to produce the Chevrolet Chevelle and Pontiac Le Mans. The Pontiac GTO was added in 1969. The Buick Skylark and Oldsmobile Cutlass were added in 1970. In 1981, the Chevrolet Celebrity and Pontiac 6000 were produced, with the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera added for the 1983 model year.
The Framingham location was the center of several contentious tug-of-wars between Governor Michael Dukakis and local politician Anthony M. Colonna. After the town refused to sell General Motors a 35-acre (140,000 m2), town-owned piece of property GM desired for the construction of a new paint and plastics facility, [3] Dukakis used the state's power of eminent domain to take the property from the town and sell it to GM so the company could construct the $224 million facility ($703,573,506 in 2020 dollars [2] ). Colona, head of the town department public works and a powerful local politician, had desired a new, unified DPW facility to be constructed on the site. After the taking, state officials and executives at GM claimed that Colonna used his political influence in the community to delay the company's expansion of the facility and drum up support against the company. [4] [5]
When the facility was closed, GM stated that it was due primarily to a slowdown in the economy as well as the relatively small size of the facility. However, GM spokesperson Mark Leddy stated that local officials in Framingham were also partially to blame, declaring "You look at your labor climate, your relationship with the community and the quality of product being built at the plant" when explaining why the company chose to shutter the unit. [6]
The plant was idled on October 4, 1982, with a single shift recalled on March 14, 1983. The second shift started again on December 12, 1983. The factory was closed permanently on August 1, 1989.
The facility is now the location of an ADESA automobile, truck, and boat warehouse and live auction site. The company claims that the facility is the largest indoor auction house in the world, capable of housing 10,000 autos and 4,000 people.
Framingham Assembly was located just South of downtown Framingham at Loring Drive and Western Avenue. The address of the ADESA auction site is 63 Western Ave.
A small landfill formerly used by General Motors at the site still exists and is part of the "Old GM", the leftover portions of the company after the 2009 bankruptcy. The administrative trust overseeing the former corporate assets has the property up for sale as of June 2012, but does not expect a buyer due to the nature of the facility. [7]
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory alone. During its time as a division of General Motors, Oldsmobile slotted into the middle of GM's five divisions, and was noted for several groundbreaking technologies and designs.
The W-platform was a General Motors automobile platform which underpinned both mid size and full-size front-wheel drive cars. Originally code named GM10, it began development in 1982 under Chairman Roger B. Smith and debuted in 1987 with the Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Regal, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupés. The four-door sedan version was introduced for 1990.
The General Motors N platform was a front-wheel drive compact automotive platform produced from 1984 to 2005. The GM N platform was based on the GM J-Body and replaced the GM X platform.
The Oakland Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, was an American automobile manufacturer and division of General Motors. Purchased by General Motors in 1909, the company continued to produce modestly priced automobiles until 1931 when the brand was dropped in favor of the division's Pontiac make.
Lansing Car Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Lansing, Michigan. It contained two elements, a 1901 automobile plant in downtown Lansing, and the 1920 Durant Motors factory on Lansing's Far Westside.
Arlington Assembly is a General Motors automobile factory in Arlington, Texas. The plant has operated for more than 60 years and today manufactures large SUVs from GM's Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac divisions.
Oklahoma City Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Doraville Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Doraville, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta. The plant opened in 1947 and was under the management of GM's newly created Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division created in 1945. It was closed on 26 September 2008 as part of the company's cost-cutting measures. According to an article that appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on January 28, 2010, New Broad Street Doraville, LLC, a development company, has executed a purchase contract with General Motors to purchase the former plant, with plans to build a mixed-use, transit-oriented development. New Broad Street's deal fell through when, DeKalb County decided against using its federal stimulus and property taxes dollars to partially fund the project.
Wilmington Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Wilmington, Delaware. The 3,200,000-square-foot (300,000 m2) factory opened in 1947, and produced cars for GM's Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Opel, Buick and Daewoo brands during its operation. GM closed the plant on July 28, 2009.
Linden Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Linden, New Jersey. The plant operated from 1937 to 2005 and made cars, trucks and SUVs for various GM automotive divisions. Engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations, internal engine components were created at Bay City Powertrain and the engines were then assembled at assembled at Tonawanda Engine and Romulus Engine.
Sainte-Thérèse Assembly was a General Motors Canada automobile factory.
Leeds Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Leeds, Missouri. It was closed in 1988. The factory produced the A-bodies and J-bodies.
Fremont Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Fremont, California in the San Francisco area, replacing the older Oakland Assembly. Groundbreaking for the plant occurred in September 1961, and the plant produced its first vehicle on May 1, 1963. Production continued through March 1, 1982, when the plant was closed after production problems. After closure, the plant was refurbished and reopened as the more successful NUMMI joint-venture between GM and Toyota between 1984 and 2010, and later became the Tesla Factory in 2010.
Marquette was a brand used on several different automobiles, most recently on Buick's companion make for the 1929, 1930 and 1931 model years.
The Chevrolet Series AB National is an American vehicle manufactured by Chevrolet in 1928 to replace the 1927 Series AA Capitol. Documented production numbers show that 1,193,212 Series ABs were manufactured in a variety of body styles with 69,217 originating from the Oshawa factory alone. Chevrolet instituted serial number recorded on the front seat heel board on either the left or right side, using the listed numbers to designate the point of origin of the vehicle identified.
The Chevrolet Series AC International is an American vehicle manufactured by Chevrolet in 1929 to replace the 1928 Series AB National. In all, 1,328,605 Series ACs were manufactured in a range of ten body styles, with 73,918 from Oshawa. The Series AC was the first introduction of the overhead valve Chevrolet straight-6 engine since the 1915 Chevrolet Series C Classic Six, and was advertised as "A Six in the price range of the Four", and was only $10 more than the outgoing four-cylinder Series AB. To simplify production operations, each factory was designated one body style for national consumption and shipped by railroad to major American cities. The serial number of origin was relocated to the right body sill underneath the rubber floormat except for the roadster and phaeton, which were inscribed on the right side of seat frame. Prices listed started at US$525 for the roadster or phaeton to US$725 for the Landau Convertible.
Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division was a designation applied from 1933–1965 to a group of factories operated by General Motors. The approach was modeled after the Chevrolet Assembly Division where cars were assembled from knock down kits originating from Flint Assembly and a collection of sites Chevrolet used before the company became a part of General Motors in 1917.
Chrevrolet Assembly Division was a designation applied from 1933–1965, then renamed the General Motors Assembly Division until 1980.
The Model 42 was an entry-level four seat passenger car produced by GM's Oldsmobile Division in 1914, offered as a replacement to the Oldsmobile Curved Dash runabout when it was discontinued in 1908, and was the junior platform to the Oldsmobile Six introduced in 1913. GM had acquired Elmore Manufacturing Company, Oldsmobile and Oakland Motor Car Company in 1908 and Cartercar and Rainier Motor Car Company in 1909 as their entry-level models, and Oldsmobile products were being repositioned in their new hierarchy as GM began to consolidate operations after William Durant had left.
The Buick Six was a top level automobile produced by GM's Buick Division which was first introduced in 1914, and was the senior vehicle to the Buick Series B Four. It was an all new platform which was shared with the Oldsmobile Six and was the first Buick to implement a steering wheel on the left side, and electric starter provided by Delco Remy along with an electric lighting system. The gearshift and emergency brake were relocated to a central position inside the vehicle, an approach used on all GM products for 1914. It continued to use the patented overhead valve engine implemented by Walter Lorenzo Marr while the cylinder head was not removable until later developments. The engine displacement was 331 cu in (5.4 l) and the wheelbase was 130 in (3,302 mm). The first year Buick Six was only offered as a touring sedan for US$1,985.
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