Photos of Grand River and Greenfield area

**daddeeo** · May-06-12, 12:23 PM

I've been on a search for photos of my old neighborhood in the Grand River-Greenfield area in Detroit. Does anyone have any?

Most of the ones on the net are from my sister. She had photos of Wards, Federals and Hughes and Hatcher.
I've been to the Burton Collection at the main library and sorted through stuff in the Detroit News and Reuther Library without much success.

Thanks for any help.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-06-12, 10:07 PM

There are several old threads on this area with photos.

My grandparents lived here while I was a youngster. This was our main place to shop prior to the opening of Fairlane which was much closer to where I grew up.

You forgot to mention JC Penny's Crowleys, dime stores, Big Boy's Meyers, United Shirt.........

**SMRJim** · May-07-12, 04:16 PM

Just a thought, but do local library branches keep any photos? Probably not, but if they did the Cheney Branch could be a potential source. Another thought - St Marys of Redford church? They may have some, or may have ideas on where to get some. Leddys Candy wholesalers have been in the neighborhood forever, they're on the N side of GR just west of Prevost, couldn't hurt to see if they have any or know where you might be able to find some. These days it's called Janco Distributors.

**Lowell** · May-07-12, 07:24 PM

Here is a panorama I made in 2004. Little has changed.

Some past discussion...
Federals, Wards, Hughs Hatcher Suffrin

This thread has some nice pics by Daddeo here.

**daddeeo** · May-07-12, 09:45 PM

It's amazing how the neighborhoods just never got much notice. Downtown is always featured in photo books etc.
Our old neighborhood was a city unto itself. Just imagine all these stores like Montgomery Wards, Federal Department store, Alberts, Baker Shoes, Olson Electronics, Mariannes, Winkelmans, Meyer Jewelry, Hughes and Hatcher, Cunninghams, Lerners, Himmilhochs, Sanders, Crowlets, J.C. Penny, Kresges, Woolworths A & P and Revco etc all within a 1/4 mile.
It's incredible when you think about it.

**daddeeo** · May-10-12, 09:48 AM

You'd swear the place never existed when you look at photo books of Detroit.
No one seems to have photos of the place.
Burton Collection, Detroit Historical Museum, Reuther Library and even Wayne State/Detroit News photo archives are sadly lacking pics of the area.

**313WX** · May-10-12, 10:26 AM

Agreed daddeeo. All of Detroit's history, and what really made it great, is disappearing before our very eyes and many folks seem not to care because it's not downtown or midtown.

People around here rant and rave about how nice Royal Oak and Birmingham is, yet I bet many of them don't even know Detroit was filled with several Royal Oaks and Birminghams, Grand River/Greenfield being one of them. It was these areas that also added to Detroit's beauty, besides downtown.

I've only seen one thread on this forum about 7 Mile and Gratiot, and the pictures were sorely lacking in it.

There's no way to know many of these places exist since there are very few pictures of them, which is why it's really painful when they're lost.

**daddeeo** · May-13-12, 02:29 PM

Verbal history is one thing but it would be nice to have the photos to prove how nice the area was at one time. It's my mission to seek out these "lost" photos.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-13-12, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

Verbal history is one thing but it would be nice to have the photos to prove how nice the area was at one time. It's my mission to seek out these "lost" photos.

I would suggest contacting all of these store's corporate HQ's to see if they have archives, but all of them are long gone. No HQ's to contact.

**bahbay** · May-14-12, 10:50 PM

Hey Daddeo,

I lived on the corner of Whitcomb and Lyndon. The area surrounding GR & G was my stomping ground from 1951 until 1962; ages 7 - 18. At that time it was all anyone could hope for in terms of liveability, opportunity, and boyhood adventure. I can't even begin to describe what a blast we had runnin that hood. Went to Burns elementary, St. Marys of Redford, and Cooley. I thank you for this thread and will follow it to see if anyone can come up with any photos. I belong to Facebook pages:"The Old Neighborhood 48227/48228". You should check it out cuz there's a few photos there. I have 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters who I'll ask for any photos they may have.
Hang loose and keep up the good work on this, ok?

Bob

**daddeeo** · May-15-12, 01:56 PM

Thanks Bob. I was over on Winthrop by Kendall from 1951 to 1978. I've gone back and took photos of what's left every so often. Except for old LIkers, Cunninghams, Wards, Federals and shells of Crowley, Kresge and Penny's bldg not much is left to see.
Except for Cunningham's bldg, that whole NW block has disappeared.

**SMRJim** · May-15-12, 03:44 PM

Bahbay, there's also FB pages for people who grew up by GR/Greenfield

https://www.facebook.com/jim.burke.9...s/47874964535/

and for those who went to St Marys in the 60s and 70s.

https://www.facebook.com/jim.burke.9...s/52305877275/

Daddeeo is frequent contributor to both, including many pictures.
I was on Prevost near Eaton from 60 to 83 and went to St Marys for 1st thru 12th grades.

**daddeeo** · May-18-12, 12:23 PM

Name: SMR Bowling -Grandway Lounge.jpg
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Grand way bar had bowling on Grand River between Greenfield and Mansfield.

**Parkguy** · May-18-12, 10:04 PM

The Emmert Chevrolet ad in your jpg made me remember: their showroom was mostly demolished, but part of the building was converted to a Family Dollar store that still operates on Evergreen at Grand River. The auto storage lot on the NE corner became a White Castle, which moved there from GR/Southfield/Fenkell [[where KFC is now), then that was demolished and replaced with Auto Zone. I know that's not Greenfield and Grand River...

**daddeeo** · May-19-12, 02:25 PM

The Grandway Bar is what I was trying to showcase.

**daddeeo** · January-09-13, 10:00 PM

Still looking for any old photos from 50's, 60's and 70's of the area.

**daddeeo** · May-04-13, 08:41 AM

Photo of corner of Kendall and Winthrop April 2013. Name: kendall and Winthrop 2013.jpg
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Originally Posted by daddeeo

Still looking for any old photos from 50's, 60's and 70's of the area.

**Vitalis** · May-09-13, 07:22 PM

Dear Daddeeo,
Open any high school year book from SMR or Cooley and in the back you'll discover ads that supported the publishing of that year book, and many of them will have photos of their establishments, circa whenever. On a related theme, I recall a shoe store near [[or on) the corner of Longacre and GR that displayed Lionel railroad sized billboards for first run films appearing back in the early 60s, and these billboards were sponsored by United Detroit Theatres. I love to find out what happened to them.

**daddeeo** · May-10-13, 01:36 PM

This is the problem when so many people move out of an area. You either need to find a family member or another train enthusiast.

Originally Posted by Vitalis

Dear Daddeeo,
Open any high school year book from SMR or Cooley and in the back you'll discover ads that supported the publishing of that year book, and many of them will have photos of their establishments, circa whenever. On a related theme, I recall a shoe store near [[or on) the corner of Longacre and GR that displayed Lionel railroad sized billboards for first run films appearing back in the early 60s, and these billboards were sponsored by United Detroit Theatres. I love to find out what happened to them.

**daddeeo** · May-10-13, 01:40 PM

Name: kendall and Winthrop 2013.jpg
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Corner of Kendall and Winthrop looking southwest May 2013

**bahbay** · May-12-13, 09:55 PM

Yo Daddeeo,
I am a member of a FB page called "If You Lived or Grew Up Near Grand River and Greenfield.
There are tons of photos of that intersection as well as other nearby points of interest.
I went to SMR and Cooley for high school and Burns elementary and SMR for grade school. How about you?

**daddeeo** · May-13-13, 01:10 PM

Went to Cadillac, MOS and graduated from St. Mary's in 1969. I've put a bunch of photos on that site. Most photos ARE of area but not many of those buildings directly at Grand River and Greenfield. For instance, no outside pic of Woolworths or Cunninghams from 1950's or 60's.

**Smirnoff** · May-13-13, 01:49 PM

Need to checkout the FB site - grew up as a kid near GR & Meyers until the riots in '67, family bolted right after. Its amazing how all of those nice stores, banks, dealerships, restaurants, movie theaters, boat/auto repair shops, etc. which lined GR for miles & miles also bolted after '67 [[very quickly).

**daddeeo** · May-14-13, 06:49 PM

It was easier and cheaper to do business in burbs. A lot of their customers went away and they followed. Recall all the car dealerships that are in burbs that used to be in city?