Anderson, IN, was the Remy of Delco-Remy. Delco started in Dayton, OH. In fact, Delco stands for Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company. In 1896, the Remy Brothers, Frank and Perry, acquired "a 14x20 foot shack at on the southwest corner of Meridian and 12th Street in Anderson, IN, to experiment on improved ignition systems for gasoline engines." They developed dynamos and magnetos that were successful. As their business grew, they kept building new plants further south in Anderson. In 1906, they bought the land that allowed them to start buidling what we see in the postcard below by 1929. As automobiles became more sophisticated, Remy's product line expanded and production grew. "In 1914 the company was producing generators, magnetos, combined starting motors and lighting generators, starting motors, ignition distributors, coils, switches, steam driven turbine generators for steam locomotives and locomotive arc and incandescent lamps." Remy produced its first self-starting cranking motor in 1912. (Delco beat them by one year. Charles F. Kettering was the president of Delco.) In 1918, GM owned both Remy and Delco, but they still competed with each other. In 1926, production of all automotive electrical products was moved to Anderson. (This move was probably made to allow Delco to concentrate on Frigidaire's products in Dayton. [Dennis DeBruler]) In 1928, Delco-Remy got into the battery business using a former Durant automobile plant in Muncie, IN. Because batteries are heavy and have high shipping costs, plants were also built in New Jersey, California and Kansas to be closer to GM assembly plants and aftermarket customers. In 1975, "Plant 25 in Meridian, MS is purchased for the production of 5-MT motors. This was the beginning of the end for Delco-Remy in Anderson. DR had purchased and owned at that time all of the land that is now part of the Hoosier Downs Racetrack and Casino. However, when approval was sought from GM for increased production of starting motors in Anderson on that property, it was refused by GM management due to the size, power, and attitude of the DR UAW. So the production of the motors went to Meridian." [DelcoRemyHistory_history]
Now DelcoRemy produces just heavy duty starters and alternators. [DelcoRemy]
This is obviously a cropped version of the above.
This was Plant #16.
The shorter tall building is along Columbus Avenue, and we are looking Southwestish.
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| ebay and MarylMartin |
This is obviously a cropped version of the above.
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| Savannah Jhon posted Delco-Remy Corporation Plant in Anderson, Indiana Bryan Little: Back in the day 22 plants total, today 0. [Actually, Plants #16 and #18 are extant. See below.] Greg Locke: Plants 1,2,4,5,6,8,&16. [The researchers and the comments agree that the local union helped pushed GM out of town. Some comments also blame Bill Clinton's NAFTA.] David Devore: My ex father in law was the Property accountant supervisor, and he told me after marriage that Delco Remy was moving [and] had started moving production and lines out in 1967. |
This was Plant #16.
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| Street View, Aug 2013 |
This was Plant #18, the Engineering Building.
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| Street View, Jun 2025 |
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| Renee Repine posted What was this place at one time? Were transplants from NE Indiana, been here 7 years now. Curious to know what it was and my 9yr old is too! Mary Louderback: It was the Plant 18 Delco Remy Office Building, on 109 in Anderson, Indiana. I worked in it for several years. It housed mostly engineers and was called the Engineering Building. [The current owner comments a few times that break-ins and vandalism are a problem. David Devore: My ex father in law was the Property accountant supervisor, and told me after marriage that Delco Remy was moving had started moving production and lines out in 1967. Barry VanTrees: Of all the buildings in the photo above, are any left standing? Or have they all been demolished? |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Barry VanTrees comment They are all gone. I roughly outlined in red the land that we see in the postcard, https://maps.app.goo.gl/J4XZ8vP94j5dFJwv9. ERTL was Plant 16, built in 1959. Plant 18, https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wi4sciSDMKVjyjKQ6, was built in 1962. https://www.delcoremyhistory.com/theplants.htm |
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| Kristina Gentry commented on Renee's post Here’s a pic of the last kid who thought it would be fun to break in my family’s building and smash things up. He’s sitting in jail right now!! Lori D Young: Kristina Gentry do you need a hug because he broke into your building? [I marked this comment as sad.] |
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| DelcoRemyHistory_theplants, this webpage has a history of the plants. "Plant 18 during better times in 1986. 1977 was the year the pictured logo was introduced. Gene Phillips photo." Delco-Remy pioneered computerized engine control in the late 1970s. |
