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The Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Assembly Plant in Doraville was built on a former cow pasture. The site was initially 386 acres, but some of those acres were later sold for a housing development, Chevrolet parts warehouse, and other industrial development and highway and access road construction.
The groundbreaking took place in 1945 and in 1947 the first automobiles were produced and shipped from the plant. The assembly plant would later become the General Motors Assembly Plant. It was 980,000 square feet, eventually expanding to about 1.5 million square feet. By 1948, there were 1,363 employees. (“History of Doraville GM Plant”, DeKalb History Center archives)
The town of Doraville held a major cleanup to prepare for the civic, industrial, and business leaders who were invited to the opening ceremonies, including the president of General Motors. Doraville’s Mayor Carlos Jones worked alongside the community cleaning streets, washing windows, cutting weeds, and removing trash from vacant lots. (Atlanta Constitution, June 13, 1948, “GMC Plant Open House Arouses Doraville Pride”)
A grand opening celebration was held in the plant cafeteria on June 15, 1948. Guests saw an exhibit of various models of the three car lines in production. Following the grand opening, employees and their families were invited to visit the plant, followed by the public. Directions were provided for drivers, but visitors were also told they could take the Oglethorpe trackless trolley to the end of the line, where buses would be waiting to take them to the plant.
In 1949, development in the surrounding area included the extension and paving of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (now known as Peachtree Boulevard) and new homes in the Longview subdivision. Plans for Longview included 2000 homes on land on both sides of North Peachtree Road, extending into Dunwoody. Ten years went by before construction of homes in Longview began. Lots were later sold to other developers and the portion of Longview that was completed became part of Huntley Hills. (“A History of the Longview Development,” Ellen Rankin)
One million vehicles were built at the plant by the 1970’s. A celebration was held at the plant with Governor Jimmy Carter to help commemorate the milestone. (“Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History," Vivian Price)
The Doraville General Motors Assembly Plant closed in 2008 during the economic decline, but it was not demolished until 2015. Since the closing, various plans for development have fallen through.
Now the old location of the GM Assembly Plant is getting a new life and once again has been given the name Assembly. Third Rail Studios built their film studios on a portion of the former GM property in 2016 and in early 2021, Gray Television announced their purchase of the remaining 127-acres with plans to construct a minimum of ten film studios, residences and a hotel.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported in February of 2023 the first phase of studios would be ready for filming in June of 2023. They also announced the delay of the second phase of the project due to economic conditions. (AJC, Feb. 27, 2023, “Gray Television delays second phase of massive Assembly project in Doraville”) You can learn more about Third Rail Studios by visiting their website at thirdrail.com.
The DeKalb History Center has more information on the GM Assembly Plant in their archives, including this document with a summary of the early history.