Factory One

The Origin of General Motors

An automotive archive, a research center and the birthplace of General Motors, Durant-Dort Factory One is where bold, innovative visionaries William “Billy” Crapo Durant and Josiah Dallas Dort helped put the world on wheels.

GM’s renovation of Factory One brings their story – and the building where it all began – full circle, preserving the shared heritage of GM and honoring the legacy of Durant.

The History of Durant-Dort Factory One

Factory One tells the story of the visionaries and innovators who helped revolutionize personal transportation around the world.

The factory was originally built by the Flint Cotton & Woolen Mills Company, before being leased by Durant and business partner Dort in 1886 when they formed the Flint Road Cart Company – which became the Durant-Dort Carriage Company and one of the largest carriage builders in the world.

Eventually, Durant would take control of another company – Buick Motor Company – and leverage his Durant-Dort resources to grow the young automaker into one of the most successful car companies in the country. Durant used Buick’s success to found General Motors in 1908 and turned to his friends from Flint’s carriage industry to form Chevrolet in 1911. This series of acquisitions and integrations would put Durant on the path to conceiving a crucial business model at the heart of the automotive industry to this day – many marques under one organization.

As the carriage market eroded with the seismic societal shift to automobiles, the Durant-Dort Carriage Company ended production at Factory One in 1917. With his keen eye for opportunity, Durant instituted the conversion of this and other buildings in the complex with the help of his partners to create the new Dort Motor Company. That business ceased operation in 1924.

In the more than 130 years since Durant and Dort set up shop at Factory One, it has housed countless other businesses and was renovated in the 1980s, before falling into disrepair.

GM purchased Factory One in 2013 and transformed it, with the goal of preserving and showcasing the original architecture, as well as safeguarding the birthplace of General Motors and a physical symbol of the spirit of Durant for future generations.

The renovation of Factory One as a modern archive and research center serves as a tribute to the vision and spirit that drive GM to this day. The founding of the Durant Guild in the China market is an extension of this philosophy.

As our platform moves forward, spreading our fearless spirit throughout the world, we continue to leverage Factory One of a symbol of our innovative roots and the story of how GM and Durant changed the face of the automotive industry and, thereby, the world.