Free Press photographer Brian Kaufman matched 21st century scenes from the Packard Plant with images captured in historic photographs from the National Automotive History Collection at the Rose and Robert Skillman Branch of the Detroit Public Library.

For Kaufman, determining the right angle and camera lens were key to capturing an almost identical image. Kaufman shot several variations of each scene and then used Photoshop to align the images.

READ THE SERIES Why the Packard Plant has to go • INTERACTIVE AERIAL See the 35 acres of the Packard Plant from an interactive feature • INSTAGRAM Using #PackardPlant, share your photos of Detroit's incredible hulk • PHOTO GALLERY Explore the Packard Plant through historic and present day photos

The Packard plant overview

It was nearly impossible to match the exact location of the aerial photograph from 1939 to 2012, so the images were skewed in Photoshop to compensate. The basic footprint of the structure aligns, while its proportions and dimensions are slightly off.

Move your mouse across the photos below to reveal how it looked in the past.

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Packard Plant bridge

The bridge spanning East Grand Boulevard was built in the late 1930s. Before that, materials and parts were ferried south across the boulevard, while completed cars were driven north, halting the flow of traffic from east to west. Historic photo from 1954.

Move your mouse across the photos below to reveal how it looked in the past.

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Interior bridge

During its day, the Packard Plant boasted some of the longest assembly lines in the world, including this one, which crossed the bridge over East Grand Boulevard. In 2010, filming for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" took place at the plant. Security sealed off all the entrances north of the boulevard, including the bridge, but by 2011, many of the boards had been torn down.

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East Grand Boulevard

This 1919 historic photograph was taken during a time of rapid expansion at the Packard Plant. Construction materials can be seen lying in an empty field nearby. Building No. 13 (right along East Grand Boulevard) was the hub of business operations for the company. During the 1980s and 1990s, when many businesses operated out of the Packard complex, the bridge's windows said, "Motor City Industrial Park." Most of those windows have been broken out since 2010, when the comparison photo was taken.

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Packard Avenue

Several buildings were torn down as part of a $5-million demolition plan in 1999, but the project hit a roadblock after it was discovered that the City of Detroit failed to do a proper title search in the tax foreclosure. Years of legal wrangling ensued and the city eventually lost. The Packard survived.

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South end

The first floor of these buildings contained the executive garage and customer drive-away center. The stop sign signals the end of Packard Avenue at East Grand Boulevard. Historic photo from 1925.

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Concord street

Exhaust stacks rise from the paint department along Concord Street in 1923. Today, Chemical Processing Inc., the last remaining business at the Packard complex, is located here.

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Office

The scheduling center at Packard was located on the third floor of Building No. 13 along East Grand Boulevard. In its years as an industrial complex during the 1980s and 1990s, this room was separated into offices. Today, only their frames remain.

Move your mouse across the photos below to reveal how it looked in the past.