General Motors has confirmed it will demolish the former headquarters of its defunct Pontiac division, erasing another piece of American auto history.
The building, known as One Pontiac Plaza, opened in 1970 on GM's Pontiac campus in Michigan.
It housed the sales, marketing, and public relations teams during Pontiac's heyday, when models like the GTO and Trans Am defined performance culture.
Although often associated with Pontiac legend John DeLorean, he had already moved to Chevrolet before the building opened, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Building Vacant Since 2020
Now called Pontiac Engineering Center Building A, the structure has sat empty since 2020.
Pontiac built its last car in 2010, and GM says the demolition is part of streamlining its real estate footprint.
The company has not revealed what might replace it.
Terry Connolly, chairman of the Pontiac Transportation Museum and a retired Pontiac engineer, expressed regret over the loss.
“We’re obviously sorry to see it go,” he told the Detroit Free Press.
“Because to any of the Pontiac faithful, it is a very famed thing and represented Pontiac’s glory days.”
The demolition highlights how dramatically GM's presence in Pontiac has changed. At its peak, the city hosted tens of thousands of GM employees.
After the company's bankruptcy and Pontiac's cancellation in 2010, much of that footprint disappeared, with other buildings sold off and residents finding work elsewhere.
