Downtown Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

David Dunbar Buick
⎯⎯⎯
Buick Motor Company

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 3, 2021

1. David Dunbar Buick / Buick Motor Company Marker

Side 1

Inscription. David Dunbar BuickDavid Dunbar Buick, for whom the Buick automobile is named, came to Detroit from Scotland with his parents in 1856 at age two. A plumbing inventor and businessman, Buick turned to building gasoline engines for boats on the Detroit River during the 1890s. By 1900 his first motor firm, Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, was operating some six blocks north of this site near what is now the southwest corner of Beaubien and Lafayette Streets. The firm’s overhead valve engines became famous for power. The first experimental Buick automobile was built in Detroit circa 1900. On May 19, 1903, David Buick incorporated the Buick Motor Company. That fall the firm was sold to the Flint Wagon Works in Flint where the first retail Buicks were built in 1904.

Buick Motor Company David Dunbar Buick was one of many Detroiters who built gasoline-powered marine and farm engines during the late nineteenth century. Buick (1854-1929) opened his first motor shop, Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, around 1900. Machinist Walter Marr built the first Buick automobile about the same time, and engineer Eugene Richard soon patented

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the powerful overhead valve engine synonymous with the Buick label. In 1903 the Flint Wagon Works purchased what was by then the Buick Motor Company and moved operations to Flint. Carriage maker William C. Durant took control of the company in 1904, propelling Buick to the top of the burgeoning market and using the capital to found General Motors in 1908. In 1998—-nearly 35 million Buicks later—-Buick’s headquarters returned to Detroit.

Erected 2002 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number S0675.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 42° 19.809′ N, 83° 2.4′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in Downtown Detroit. It is at the intersection of East Jefferson Avenue and Beaubien Boulevard, on the right when traveling east on East Jefferson Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 Atwater St, Detroit MI 48226, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 3, 2021

2. David Dunbar Buick / Buick Motor Company Marker

Side 2

this marker is in Southeast Michigan.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: George DeBaptiste Homesite (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chapoton House (about 500 feet away); Mariners' Church / U.S. Topographical Engineers (about 600 feet away); U.S. Topographical Engineers (about 700 feet away); SS. Peter and Paul Church (about 700 feet away); Shrine Circus (about 800 feet away); The Salvation Army (about 800 feet away); Maj. General Anthony Wayne U.S.A. (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Detroit.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, May 3, 2021

3. David Dunbar Buick / Buick Motor Company Marker

Marker seen with Detroit's People Mover and The Renaissance Center behind it.

David Dunbar Buick image. Click for full size.

Public domain, 1891

4. David Dunbar Buick

Photographer unknown, possibly J. W. Hughes.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,270 times since then and 139 times this year. Last updated on August 23, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 9, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

David Dunbar Buick⎯⎯⎯Buick Motor Company

David Dunbar Buick
⎯⎯⎯
Buick Motor Company