Durant-Dort Carriage Company

06/01/2026

Flint’s State Park work just down the street from the Historic Landmark !

05/29/2026

05/25/2026

05/24/2026

On May 23, 1875, Alfred P. Sloan, the longtime chairman and CEO of General Motors, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan started making his mark running the Hyatt Roller Bearing Company and becoming a valued supplier to the fledgling automotive industry.

In 1916, Billy Durant bought Hyatt and rolled the company into his United Motors Corporation, a consolidation of five suppliers created to primarily supply GM. United was absorbed into GM two years later, and Sloan was made a vice president and director.

Sloan's blueprint of "decentralized operations with coordinated control" successfully reorganized the company and earned him the role of president and CEO of GM in 1923. His financial acumen and marketing motto of "a car for every purse and purpose" made GM the world's largest automaker.

In 1937, he was elected board chairman and continued in that role until being named honorary chairman in 1956, continuing to stay involved the company until his death in 1966.

05/24/2026

The Durant Dort National Landmark is happy to report that we will participate in This year’s Carriage Town Porch Fest, July 17. We will be open from 5 PM to 9 PM. More info to follow

7.17.2026
See you there.
https://porchfestflint.com/

05/23/2026

We are open today until 3. Stop by and check us out. 316 W. Water in Carriage Town in Downtown Flint.

05/09/2026

Our gift shop which includes books from the Genesee County Historical Society now accepts credit/debit cards. Spend away !@@

05/09/2026

We are happy to announce that the National Landmark is now open for public tours Wednesday thru Saturday from 10am-3 PM. Admission is free thanks to our Sponsor General Motors and support from GFAC and the Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Enrichment funds. Your tax dollars at work.

05/02/2026

On May 2, 1918, General Motors, on its way to becoming the world’s largest automaker, acquires Chevrolet Motor Company. GM had been founded a decade earlier by William C. “Billy” Durant, a former carriage maker from Flint, Michigan, whose Durant-Dort Carriage Company had taken control of the ailing Buick Motor Company.

In September 1908, Durant incorporated Buick into a new entity, General Motors, which within a couple years added other leading auto manufacturers –including Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Oakland – into the fold. When GM started struggling financially in 1910, stockholders pointed to Durant’s aggressive expansion and removed him from the company he founded. In November 1911, Durant launched the Chevrolet Motor Company, named for his partner, the Swiss race car driver Louis Chevrolet.

Still in possession of a significant number of GM shares, Durant started purchasing more shares in the company with profits from his new venture. In his final move to regain control, Durant offered GM stockholders five shares of Chevrolet stock for every one share of GM stock. Despite GM's very high stock price, the market interest in Chevrolet made the five-for-one trade impossible to resist for GM shareholders. With the sale, Durant regained control of GM.

03/27/2026

Employment Opportunity

We are accepting applications for two part time positions to open the National Landmark to the public between May and September , Wednesday-Saturday., 10 am-3 pm. Hours could continue at reduced time after Labor Day. There could also be occasional extra hours for special events. Pay is $15. an hour.

Candidates should be interested in meeting the public, able to operate a computer, do minor research, knowledgeable about social media, and able to use stairs. An interest in Flint and automotive history is a plus. Employees will give tours, operate gift shop, and oversee social media to encourage visitors.

If you’re interested send a resume to DurantDortLandmark .com