42 Staggering Photos Of Abandoned Detroit Buildings

Published September 20, 2013
Updated November 7, 2023

The Motor City has officially run out of gas. And as evidenced by these photos, it was not just industry that abandoned Detroit; it was its livelihood.

As of July 18, 2013, the Motor City officially ran out of gas. Filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, Detroit’s debts–a whopping $18 to $20 billion–represent the largest municipal filing for bankruptcy in United States history. And as its solvency has gone down the drain, so too has its population.

In 1950, the burgeoning industrial city was home to nearly two million Americans. But today, as Detroit’s population has dwindled to a mere 700,000, the only boom Detroit has seen rests in the number of abandoned buildings popping up within city limits.

As evidenced by the following photos of abandoned Detroit, those remaining might have a hard time forging optimism about the future when constantly surrounded by brick laid ghosts:

Detroit People Burning Building

Detroit Plant
Source: Flickr

Abandoned Detroit High School

Abandoned Detroit Street Corner
Source: Flickr

Warehouse Floor
Source: Flickr

Detroit Home Next To Building

Detroit Window Skyline
Source: Z Fein

Abandoned Detroit Armory

Barbed Wire Building
Source: Flickr

Abandoned Detroit Town Theater

Detroit Church

Detroit Club

Abandoned Detroit Crumbling Houses
Source: Agonistica

Decaying Homes Detroit
Source: Z Fein

Decrepit Neighborhood Detroit
Source: Z Fein

Abandoned Detroit Gym

Detroit Harbor
Source: Z Fein

Detroit Hole In Wall
Source: Flickr

Abandoned Detroit Hospital

Detroit Library

Packard Plant In Detroit

Abandoned Detroit Roofless House
Source: Agonistica

School Hall

Abandoned Detroit Slide
Source: Flickr

Detroit Standing Water
Source: Z Fein

Stereotype Graffiti
Source: Flickr


If you enjoyed this fascinating tour of abandoned Detroit, be sure to see our galleries on 1960s Afghanistan and beautiful abandoned photographs!

author
Savannah Cox
author
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.