Industry Automotive Area served Doraville, Georgia Founded 1947 | Defunct September 26, 2008 Products Automobiles Parent organization General Motors | |
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Similar Doraville station, Atlanta Assembly, General Motors Fairfax As, Oshawa Car Assembly, Buick City | ||
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.
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Doraville Assembly was one of two General Motors factories in Atlanta, the second one was called Lakewood Assembly, in the southeast community of Lakewood Heights, built in 1927.
The site is adjacent to the four-track Doraville Yard, a railyard that primarily loaded GM automobiles into auto carriers, and is still served by Norfolk Southern for other uses. MARTA's Gold (formerly Northeast) line passes nearby, providing the rapid transit for the new land development around the Doraville station.
As of 2014 the entire assembly facility has been torn down to make way for a new mixed-used, transit oriented development. A corner portion (about 20 acres) was sold off to the Nalley Automotive Group and will be located next to the current Brandsmart. It's the farthest location from the Doraville MARTA station, hence the least walkable. The site was purchased by Integral Group and Macauley + Schmit. They have developed a master plan of streets, parks and such which was approved by the City of Doraville. Plans include a "covered street" that will connect Park Avenue to the Assembly Doraville, by going under the MARTA station as well as 13 Norfolk Southern railroad tracks
The former training facility on the Southern portion of the site has been converted into Third Rail Studios, a full service film and television production facility to serve the growing film and television industry in Georgia. Third Rail Studios opened in August 2016.
Past products
Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division (1945-1965)
Plants operating under Chevrolet Assembly management prior to General Motors Assembly Division management (most established pre-1945) were located at St. Louis, Missouri; Janesville, Wisconsin; Buffalo, New York; Norwood, Ohio; Flint (#2), Michigan; Oakland, California; Tarrytown, New York; Lakewood, Georgia; Leeds, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; Los Angeles (Van Nuys), California; Ypsilanti (Willow Run), Michigan; and Lordstown, Ohio. Framingham, Massachusetts is unusual in that it changed from B-O-P to Chevy management prior to becoming GMAD.
The terminology is confusing because most plants assembled more than just Chevrolet or B-O-P, and refers to the management structure only. The five brands originated vehicles from their respective "home" plants, where vehicles were assembled locally for their respective regions. Vehicles were also produced in "knock-down" kits and sent to the branch assembly locations. The "home" branches were Flint, Michigan for both Buick and Chevrolet; Oldsmobile at Lansing, Michigan; Pontiac at Pontiac, Michigan; and Cadillac at Detroit, Michigan.