The Detroit Gray Iron Foundry was built in 1897, when it started out as Michigan Bolt & Nut Works. Michigan Bolt & Nut Works became the Detroit Gray Iron Foundry in 1916. The Detroit Gray Iron Foundry had also built a few larger additions to the original building in the 1930’s. The Detroit Gray Iron Foundry was located at 282 Iron Street, near East Jefferson Avenue, on the east side of Detroit. The Detroit Gray Iron Foundry employed approximately 300 men and manufactured jigs, fixtures, dies, and castings for many of the auto makers and businesses around Detroit.

The business of the Detroit Gray Iron was still solid in the 1950’s and 1960’s, though competition from foreign companies began eating away at the bottom line of American firms, including the Detroit Gray Iron Foundry. In 1974, the Detroit Gray Iron Foundry Company declared bankruptcy.

In 1978, anther metal production company, Global Metals Inc., began operating their business out of the foundry. Global Metals Inc. didn’t last too long and was closed in 1987. The foundry has been abandoned ever since.

In 2014, the former Detroit Gray Iron Foundry was cleaned out and speculation was it was going to be demolished, but nothing happened.

In 2015, the former Detroit Gray Iron Foundry still sits abandoned.