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Crosley Motors Marion, IN Plant Photos
Marion, IN
1945-1952
Crosley Motors Factory Site
 1906-Present

This page updated 3-21-2021.

An American Auto Industry in World War Two Special Edition
The Crosley Motors vehicle plant in Marion, IN was not the same company that produced V-T proximity fuzes and other products for the winning of World War Two.  That company was sold to AVCO on August 8, 1945.  Crosley Motors was the portion of the former Crosley Corporation that was kept by Powel and Lewis Crosley to pursue Powel's dream of building a small, affordable car for the masses.  The Crosley brothers really wanted to find a plant for their new company in the Cincinnati, OH area that had been their home for most of their lives.  However, none were available that were appropriate for building vehicles, and the former Hoosier Truck Company plant in Marion, IN was. 

Once I started researching Crosley for its accomplishments in World War Two, references revealed that the post-war Crosleys were built in Marion, which is not far from my home.  Researching the plant and how many vehicles it made for the several years it was in production, no location nor address in Marion was ever stated.  This piqued my interest, as I always want to know where a plant is located, especially when it is located in a neighboring city.  The Marion, IN Public Library was able to provide both the location of the plant, photos, and history of the plant site, which goes all the way back to 1900.  Therefore, this page is being added as a Special Edition of an Indiana historic plant site.

The first two buildings were constructed in 1906 at this location north of downtown Marion, IN by the Marion Iron and Brass Bed Company.  In 1920 the company was incorporated as the Indiana Truck Corporation, who produced trucks at this location until 1932.  In 1927 Indiana Truck became part of Brockway, which in turn sold it to the White Truck Company of Cleveland in 1932, who then moved production to its main plant in Cleveland, OH.

Several other small manufacturers used the plant until the Crosley Brothers purchased it in 1945.  Due to material shortages, production of the Crosley vehicles did not start until 1946.

Indiana built 600 Liberty Trucks during World War One.

This World War One Class B Liberty Truck has been restored to operating condition by the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.  The Indiana Truck Corporation- built trucks would have been identical, as the trucks were all standardized.  Author's photo added 3-7-2021.

Author's photo added 3-7-2021.

This Indiana Truck Model 85A is typical of the trucks built at the Marion plant.  This one was probably built at the White Plant in Cleveland, OH.  The Marion plant closed in 1932.  This truck is on display at the National Automotive and Truck Museum in Auburn, IN.  Author's photo added 3-7-2021.




This Sanborn insurance map from January 1920 shows the layout of the plant.  Photo courtesy of the Marion, IN public library.

This photo and the one below show what the plant looked like in 1932 when production of the Indiana Truck moved to Ohio.  Photo courtesy of the Marion, IN public library.

The plant was located 2.4 miles from downtown Marion, which at the time was in the middle of farm fields.  The photo is looking north.  The curved road that comes in from the lower right corner of the photo and crosses the railroad tracks is now North Park Avenue.  Note that the main factory complex is directly north and west of Park Avenue.  The final assembly building is to the east of the main complex.  Photo courtesy of the Marion, IN public library.

Ninety years later everything is different.  Civilization has arrived with housing additions and fast food restaurants.  The plant has also changed.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps.

 Most, if not all, of the original buildings are gone.  There are no buildings left in front where North Park Avenue comes into the factory complex.  The long final assembly buildings are gone and there is no outline of where they once were.  Over the past 120 years, things have changed significantly.  Parts of the building just above the name "Central Industrial Contractors" may be part of one of the original buildings.  Photo courtesy of Google Maps.

Even though the Crosley Motors station wagon was not built in the first production year, it turned out to be the most popular of the vehicles built in Marion.  1948 was the high water mark for the company.  One, if not the main, reason for the high number of vehicles built in 1947 and 1948 was the shortage of new and used cars on the market after World War Two.  New car production was still ramping up, as material shortages began to wane and the many strikes in all industries were resolved.  The little Crosley was a necessary purchase if none of the bigger cars from the main-stream auto manufacturers were available.  But once the pipeline filled with bigger cars, customers returned to them.  Also, the Crosley was small, cramped, and uncomfortable.  It also had brake issues and the engines were subject to corrosion that required replacement. 

This cool photo shows the body drop on the third vehicle back down the assembly line.  The body is ready to be placed onto the chassis with another one in overhead. 

This 1948 Crosley station wagon was built in Marion, IN, which was the most popular year for this type vehicle.  It was on display in 2014 in front of the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum at the Columbus, IN Airport.  Author's photo.

This 1951 Crosley Super station wagon, once owned by Powel Crosley, Jr., is now part of the Cincinnati Museum Center.  This photo was taken in July 2017, while the vehicle was on display at the Cincinnati airport.  Photo courtesy of Rudy Lev.

Photo courtesy of Rudy Lev.

This 1951 Crosley Super Convertible sedan is on display at the Cincinnati, OH airport.  Photo courtesy of Rudy Lev.

Photo courtesy of Rudy Lev.

This 1951 Crosley Super Sport was also on display in at the Museum in 2014.   Author's photo.

This 1952 Crosley is on display in the lobby of the Marion, IN library.  It is 2.4 miles from where it was built.

This 1952 Crosley Super Sport in on display with the Cobra engine at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, IN.  Author's photo added 3-7-2021. 

Author's photo added 3-7-2021.

Author's photo added 3-7-2021.

Author's photo added 3-7-2021.

This 1952 Crosley convertible is on display at the National Automotive and Truck Museum in Auburn, IN.  Author's photo added 3-7-2021.

Former Crosley Marion Motor Company automobile plant photos:  The former Crosley plant is part of a larger industrial complex on the north side of Marion, IN.  It still has several different factories in the area.  This area is 36 miles north of where I live.  I have driven by this area many times on trips going north on Indiana SR 9 and SR 15.  So in early June 2020, I visited the area.  I was totally unaware there were factories just to the west of SR 9.

The current address of the former Crosley Marion plant is 1700 West Factory Avenue, which is at the corner of Factory and Park Avenues.  Every factory area has to have a bar.  This is the one for this area.  Author's photo.

This is looking north along Park Avenue towards the factory complex.  The factory is offset one block to the north of Factory Avenue.  Author's photo.

There was a small factory complex in this area west of Park Avenue at one time.  Author's photo.

This photo was taken where Park Avenue enters the factory complex.  When Indiana Truck and Crosley Motors was here, there were factory buildings where today there is a big parking lot.  Author's photo.

Parts of this may be from the original Indian Truck plant.  Author's photo.

This photo is looking northeast from the entrance to the complex.  This set of buildings appears to be in the location, that in the 1932 photos, was an open area east of the main complex and west of the long final assembly building.  Almost ninety years later, everything is different.  Author's photo.


Park Avenue Industries is the sole occupant of the area.  There were several semi-trailers in the area, and only one employee.  Author's photo.

This view is looking west from the main entrance.  In 1936 there was a road that went west along the south side of the complex and then turned north.  This appears to be part of that road.  Author's photo.

This photo was taken from North Theater Road looking southwest into the main complex.  Author's photo.