This is where your ZENITH TV was Built! Part 2

[drh4683]

Part one was started way back in '03 when I first took photos for the Zenith plants at 6001 W Dickens and 1900 N. Austin. You can view that thread here, but you'll have to search a little deeper into that thread to find the re-uploaded photos, as the original set of photos were lost by AK when there was a server issue back around 2005 or so.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11041

Today after work (12-31-08), I decided to go slightly out of my way home from work and check out the Zenith plant to see if it was still in existence.
From the outside, it still looks the same. The water tower (which is my avatar, from the dickens plant) was still there. I got a late start, so I started to lose daylight rather quickly to shoot the photos. That being, said, I will revisit shortly and take pictures with better daylight. You need to see what I saw. This will help you put a perspective what this country is going to turn into if something isn't done. These photos are actually very depressing. I can visualize what this facility once looked like, even through these disturbing images.

Before you look at the "now" photos of the Zenith plant today, take a good look at the very first photo I've shown. This wonderful 1942 photo of the Zenith plant and some of the employees who worked on the trans-oceanic line. Look at the American flag proudly hanging above, the happy and cheering workers. Commander McDonald proudly standing next to the last civilian made TO before Zenith converted to 100% war production..............Now look whats left today, in 2008. Its hard to believe this is what things can turn into when nobody cares. I see the auto industry going the same way. I'm sure we'll see automotive plants that continue to close in the USA look like the zenith plant as it does today.

So here we go:

You will notice the stairway that is gated off. This was always the case since 2003, it leads to the 2nd floor where the office spaces are, which to this day appear to be untouched since zenith left the property. (It was sold for 1.5 million in 1989). Zenith apparently didn't do a thing in the dickens plant since way before 1989 (like back in the mid 70's). Well, I didn't disturb anything, I didn't cut any locks off. I simply opened "open" doors and walked in to observe. I didn't get too far. I had the potential to "dig" deeper, but safety was a factor. I'm not talking about the buildings structural safety, I'm talking gang land. One of the outside doors I opened brought me into a vestibule, there, I found stairs that went up to the 2nd floor.

Now, back on 9-1-07, I did in fact go up those stairs and everything looked normal, just abandoned. I had to leave as I heard guys talking who worked in the business section below (a granite countertop place). I didn't want to get caught. Even though I was upstairs, I didn't want to risk it. Remember, it looked OK up there, but unfortunately I don't have a "before" photo to prove it.

Today, 12-31-08, I was horrified by what I saw. It started out seeing this "do not enter" spray painted on the wall of the first stair landing. I go up the stairs anyway, and turned to the next landing, again, "DO NOT ENTER" and the graffiti was a bit more extravagant. Then I get up to the top and I couldn't believe my eyes. The derelicts' of society discovered this "open" door to the abandoned floor sometime after my September of 07 visit and completely destroyed the 2nd floor. Graffiti like I've never seen in my life. It made me want to puke. Even the bathroom which was just to the right of the stairway was ruined beyond belief. I don't care what you say about graffiti being art and all that bs. Its vandalism and I hate it.

I was only up there about 30 seconds, and then I started to hear the derelicts talking and could hear them getting closer to the hallway. So I had to literally run down the stairs (quietly) and out the door. I went across the street and waited to see if these punks would come out. Sure enough, they did. 3 of them got into this red camero you see. I didn't know if there were more up there or what, so I just stayed out.

On to more sights. I noticed some cars on the roof the building. So obviously there was a drive up ramp to get up there. At the very northwest end of the building, there were two overhead doors, both which were open. I went into the first one and noticed it was not a ramp to the top, but a loading dock area. The loading dock was horrendous. Filth beyond belief, debris everywhere. Again, destroyed by the derelicts' of society. I saw over 100 corona bottles scattered throughout the floor in this area. However, there was an auto rebuilder that worked in that area. However, it looked like the just did oil changes and let the oil out on the floor without a drain pan. There was oily grease and crap all over the floor. I left that area and then went up (yes, I drove my truck up the ramp) at the adjacent door. I've been car jacked, robbed at gunpoint at a gas station, and had a CRT implode in my face in this great year of 2008, so I figured the odds of me surviving today's experience would be in my favor. (yes, that all really did happen to me this year) Well, here I am writing this.

Anyway, I go up the ramp and now I'm at the roof. The rooftop parking was yet another major unbelievable sight. Atleast I got to see the awesome zenith water tower up close for the first time. However, the roof the Dickens ave plant is literally an auto junk yard. Take a good look. Everything from demolished parted out cars, to boats that caught on fire to any piece of junk one can leave behind.

You can see the water tower is mounted to the roof the building, and below the water tower, it was used as a catch all of any peice of junk that you could throw in there.

I did however, get a nice view of downtown at dusk from up there. In those downtown photos, you can see other parts of the roof of the dickens plant, and you can see the many skylights. The dickens plant is very large, so you are not seeing everything in these photos by any means. You need to see it in person to get a perspective how large this place is. The other photos you see are railroad tracks, across the tracks (which would be to the south from my point of view) is the 1900 N, Austin plant, another huge facility. According to old tv nut (wayne), those two plants were connected together underground via tunnels. This was zeniths newer plant which opened around 1963. The dickens plant was called "plant 1" If I remember correct from what I was told, was still in operation up until the mid 70's, before zenith moved corporate headquarters to suburban Glenview on Milwaukee Ave. (which wasn't far from the Chicago location). The Austin plant will be explored on another date. Again, I had little daylight. I will revisit and take better photos in the day.

So you can get a good perspective what is going on. The TV's and Radios that we all enjoy were all made at this very building. And here it is today, whats left of it. A once world leader in electronics now nothing, and what the scum of society can do to a building............Certainly something we can be proud of isn't it? Hey, we need to be globally competitive, so lets continue to outsource our jobs so all of our manufacturing facilities will look like the zenith plant someday. Its not just manufacturing either, its everything. Especially in the technical fields. I can only hope my job doesn't get outsourced someday.

[marty59]

Doug, Thanks so much for sharing...as a fellow Detroiter it saddens me what is becoming of our great cities. There used to be a time when these same places were proud to be manufacturing centers..and all our technology is leaving too..
But Doug, you are "The Man"...be careful risking your life..it's too short!!

[zenithfan1]

That is awesome and very depressing at the same time. I have been meaning to go there too but it sounds pretty dangerous to do so these days. I still might though. I am pissed that people effed it all up with their idiotic graffiti and garbage. It is very sad what is happening to our once great country with the best in manufacturing and quality. Now all we do is "consume"

[Plumberboy1]

It sure is sad to me that this great part of America no longer exists. I really miss all the cool kits that Heathkit offered in the late 50's and 60's When tube stuff was the norm. People just don't build stuff for themselves much anymore.

[zenithfan1]

Nor could they figure it out. People are not the same today as they once were. That type of stuff is no longer taught as "everyday" knowledge. I work in a school and they have phased out all but what can be done on a computer.Which is also sad. We are a dying breed.

[Pete Deksnis]

Interesting that there's power there. Who the dickens keeps changing the fluorescent lights?

Pete

[andy]

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[marty59]

There's less people around nowadays that wish to put any thoughts into electronics...kinda like something that's taken for granted. There's no appreciation for the past and we would not have anything today without all the great contributors large and small! What a throw away world we've become....
Thank goodness for us all of us (especially here) to have the opportunity to teach and learn and mentor!
There used to be a time when Electronic Technicians were aplenty...now we're (I'm) a niche!

[batterymaker]

So, is it safe to say Dickens is completely abandoned? Or are there a few tenants still inside, besides homeless, derelict cars and taggers?

[bgadow]

I'm guessing the auto dismantler (?) is paying rent, which accounts for the lights?

Seeing things like this makes for a surreal experience. Reminds me most of a mall I used to hang out at, which later was totally abandoned. Strange to see the mighty fall like that.

Seeing any kind of manufacturing plant here in the US is special to me. There never was any heavy industry locally, and much of the light industry has left. To go in someplace and see them still actually MAKING something...wow! As has been discussed before, we cannot just keep on as a nation if we cease to produce anything.

[zenith2134]

We're heading down an unfortunate path. All we produce is trash and waste, it seems. On a less negative note, I think it's great to see the old water tower still standing there. Sort of a left-over tribute to the once-mighty company.

Great thread idea and pictures, DRH! Would love to see some more in the future.

[radotvguy]

Its a shame and it makes me sad to read that .

Here in NJ , once there was rca, emerson and i think dumont in monmouth county as well . All gone . I can only imagine how many people those plants employed . Now everything is made in china and there are no more factory jobs like that around here . Basically just retail stores most young people work at , which is sad . I see the car industry going down the toilet as well .

[Fisherdude]

I would be very, very reluctant to go back inside that building. There's a good chance you have stumbled on a "chop shop", where local gangs take stolen cars to strip for parts. Your life could be in danger.

[Carmine]

Originally Posted by Fisherdude

I would be very, very reluctant to go back inside that building. There's a good chance you have stumbled on a "chop shop", where local gangs take stolen cars to strip for parts. Your life could be in danger.

I usually call BS on posts like this, but I think Fisherdude might have a point...

I'd suggest you phone the po-po (anonymously) and make them aware. If they blow you off like I expect they would, try calling your local EPA office. Tax dollars are going to pay for this clean up one day, why not burn this scum before it gets any worse?

Have a little revenge on the SOBs.

If all else fails, you could call the governor of Illinois. If they haven't paid their bribes, they might get busted!

[Einar72]

Originally Posted by andy

Times change. Today's nerds tinker with computer programming instead of electronics. Instead of going on to found a company like Zenith, they go on to found a company like Google, or Myspace. A part of me wishes I was interested in programming rather than electronics. Most of the great opportunities (in the US) seem to be in software rather than hardware. I could have made a killing a few decades ago.

First of all, software folk aren't nerds, they're usually GEEKS. Nerds are lovable, cuddly and always have a DVM handy.

Now, the serious part. If that building were to be demolished, probably NOTHING would rise in its place. American Rust-belt cities are in rapid decay. Twenty-five years of Import-mania have decimated the mightiest industrial empire in history.

I just finished a very busy year at MS, and, let me tell you, there's no difference between what's going on in the software industry today from what went on in manufacturing just two decades ago. EVERY industry that uses software engineers hires H-1B visa workers, usually from India. Now that the quotas are tightening on these, software vendors are OUTSOURCING work to India or Red China. We, as Americans, stand little hope of ever being a great industrial power again. Occasionally, a foreign manufacturer who, through the miracle of politics, puts a plant in the Bumpkin Belt (sorry, Sandy) where wages are traditionally lower, and drives wages (and hope for us elsewhere) further down. It's five to midnight, and noone is there to turn back the clock!