GM to Convert Historic Flint Plant into Archive and Research Center

General Motors Co. plans to convert the former Durant-Dort Carriage Co.'s "Factory One" building in Flint, Mich., into an archive and research center.

GM purchased the 25,000-sq-ft building in 2013. The carmaker already has spent about $3 million in renovations and plans to invest several million more over the next two years.

Once completed, the two-story facility will house an automotive archive historical photos and documents that currently resides at nearby Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute). There also will be space for a classic car collection, research areas and meeting rooms for community and educational groups.

Flint Cotton & Woolen Mills opened the factory in 1880. Six years later William Durant and Josiah Dort, who formed the Road Cart Co., leased the facility. Durant later took over Buick Motor Co. and leveraged the plant and other Durant-Dort resources to expand the business, founding GM in 1908.