William C. Durant, better known as Billy Durant, built this small barn behind his home on Garland Street in Flint's Carriage Town area, most likely between 1890 and 1900, as a typical outbuilding of the period. Born in Massachusetts, Durant left school and moved to Flint to work in the lumber yards of his grandfather, former Michigan governor Henry H. Crapo. He first became a manufacturer of horse-drawn carriages and later an automobile pioneer who founded General Motors in 1908. Durant used the barn to house his automobile, and it faced First Avenue away from his carriage barn so the automobile's noises would not frighten his horses. It was the last building in Flint directly associated with Billy Durant and was moved to Crossroads Village in May 1975.