The plant is slated to close later this year. Grubb & Ellis has been hired to market the property, which includes 2,100 feet of frontage along the Detroit River, is within the 1.5-mile stretch between Joe Louis Arena and the Ambassador Bridge that a quasi-public civic group is attempting to revitalize. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has been pushing a plan to transform the riverfront from a mostly industrial area to one with parks, residential and commercial use.

An asking price for the property has not been listed. "The site itself has been totally underutilized," says Geoff Hill, senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis Co. "We're going to look at seeing if there's a higher and better use for the site."

In the past, the location has been mentioned as a possible site for a new convention center or for a park, loft-style housing, stores and restaurants. The riverfront plant was built in 1979 by the Detroit Free Press and expanded in 1987. It will be empty after the newspaper agency finishes a $170-million expansion of its main printing facility in Sterling Heights.