Statement from Mark Pischea, Executive Director, MotorCities National Heritage Area on Studebaker Plant Fire

DETROIT, June 21 -- The following is a statement from Mark Pischea, Executive Director, MotorCities National Heritage Area regarding the Studebaker plant fire:

"Last night's fire was a devastating reminder of how important our automotive historic sites are to all Detroiters and to car buffs everywhere," said Mark Pischea, executive director of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. "The old EMF (Everitt-Metzger-Flanders) Studebaker plant was built in 1906 and was used primarily to manufacture, store and ship service parts. It's a huge loss but the Detroit fire department did a fabulous job in protecting the other sites in the area, particularly the nearby Ford Piquette plant.

"The Ford Piquette plant is an automotive icon that's been undergoing extensive renovation for what we hope will make it the centerpiece of the historical Milwaukee Junction area in the future," Pischea said. "Milwaukee Junction was home to 60,000 workers every day. It was home to Ford, Cadillac, the Fisher Brothers and, of course, Studebaker. The EMF Studebaker plant would have played a big role in the redevelopment of the area and will leave a big gap in that piece of Detroit's storied automotive history."