WXYZ electric sign on Maccabees Bldg.

[Stosh]

This one posted by Whitehouse seems to have the Translux sign on it?

[EastsideAl]

The Knights of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization that, like a lot of fraternal organizations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily functioned as a benefit society by writing low cost insurance for its members. It built that building in 1926 and eventually morphed into a regular commercial life insurance company. Maccabees moved to Southfield in the early '60s, into a new building along Northwestern next to the freeway. They were bought out by a large British insurance group in the early '90s.

The building became the headquarters of the Detroit Public Schools for several years [[as The Schools Center Building), which is what it was during my childhood. My mother worked out of there for a short while, and I was in the building several times [[which was definitely open to the public then). The lobby is quite nice, with gold mosaic ceilings of tropical scenes [[related, I assume, to the history of the actual Maccabees), and looks like a sort of mini Fisher Building. There used to be shops operating on the ground floor that opened to both the lobby and the street. I went to the barber shop there a few times back then. The DPS moved out and sold the building to Wayne in 2002, and I don't know if it is still open to the public in any way.

WXYZ broadcast from there from their earliest days on the air. I believe that the original Lone Ranger was produced and broadcast from the studios in that building. I don't think that electronic board was up for very long, because WXYZ moved out of that building sometime in the 1950s, and that I imagine that is also when the scrolling sign underneath the letters was taken down. I certainly don't remember it from my years around there in the '60s and '70s when WDET broadcast from there and the roof sign carried their call letters.

With the decline of locally produced studio broadcasting, WXYZ apparently began renting out some of its space. From the late '40s into the early '50s I believe the UAW and CIO produced their radio shows from there, at some point I believe running their own station from there [[WCIO?) having bought WXYZ's FM license. I know the famous labor commentator Guy Nunn used to record his shows there. WDET's broadcasting license came from the UAW and was sold by them to Wayne for $1. Which why WDET's broadcast frequency is outside of the part of the FM spectrum normally reserved for non-commercial broadcasting.

[EastsideAl]

Here are a couple of shots I found of the Maccabees Building lobby ceiling:

[Jimg]

Wow, great info, Al, thanx...
I remember a plaque in the 'DET lobby honoring the transfer of license from the UAW to WSU.

[Hermod]

WXYZ radio always used "from our studios atop the Maccabees Building" in their station break announcements.

[Route29]

Yeah, you can just walk in...there is a Chase bank and a Michigan First Credit Union[[I joined them after Comerica abandoned Detroit) on the first floor. It's a gorgeous building, but mostly I associate it with going to bank.
I imagine they don't want you walking around on the other levels.

[Whitehouse]

This is sooooooooooo eighties!!
1985 WXYZ promo :"Tell 'em you're from Detroit".
[[At 38 seconds the butt of the St. Claire, which was back then still running up and down to Bo-blo.)

[Ed Golick]

Nothing above the lobby is very interesting. Just old offices. Nothing very ornate.

[KENSINGTONY]

Maybe it was my teen aged [[and younger) eyes but I thought that some of the executive offices on the lower floors were very fancy-lots of high quality wood paneling and fixtures.Only the carpet seemed worn,as I recall.I don't think the school board replaced anything that was left from the Maccabees tenure.My experience was during the Schools Center years.My Mom worked in the building from 1963 to 1991 and I worked there for a while in 1972-73.

[Fury13]

I don't think that electronic board was up for very long, because WXYZ moved out of that building sometime in the 1950s, and that I imagine that is also when the scrolling sign underneath the letters was taken down.

WXYZ moved to Broadcast House in Southfield on 10 Mile Road in 1959. My mother was a receptionist for WXYZ in the late '50s and remembers the move. The new facility was considered "out in the sticks" at that time.

[Ed Golick]

Maybe it was my teen aged [[and younger) eyes but I thought that some of the executive offices on the lower floors were very fancy-lots of high quality wood paneling and fixtures.Only the carpet seemed worn,as I recall.I don't think the school board replaced anything that was left from the Maccabees tenure.My experience was during the Schools Center years.My Mom worked in the building from 1963 to 1991 and I worked there for a while in 1972-73.

You're probably right. I've been all through that building over the last 30 or so years, but I've never been in the executive offices.

[M CD M]

Nothing above the lobby is very interesting. Just old offices. Nothing very ornate.

Well that may be, but what I am looking for would be in the center core of the building, about 5 floors up and about 5 floors down from the roof, and below street level
Photo is from Woodward side

[KENSINGTONY]

My Mom has told me that the basement there used to flood regularly.Many records were stored down there and many were lost.In later years[[after my Mom retired) many of the surviving records were just tossed without regard to preserving the information in them in some electronic form.Yes, that meant some then current emloyee's information too.

[M CD M]

Even so, I'm not after stored survival supplies.[[even though a few freebee's never hurt)
But more of what signs are left on the inside, and what capacity number it showed.
Out of 100+ shelter locations I have found, only 3 or so still have numbers left on the outside.

[Ed Golick]

http://www.detroitkidshow.com/cdvid.wmv

[MikeM]

According to a map I have from 1947-1948, these two towers [[each 355' tall) were the transmission site of WXYZ 1270 AM:

Attachment 5480

Northwest corner of Joy & Greenfield Roads. Was their signal ever broadcast from the Maccabees?

[MikeM]

Also in that image you can see [[in the distance) the Stroh's Headquarters, with its' twin red roof pavilion top. These pavilions were later removed in a remodeling, and the building still exists [[later became the Michigan Mutual Building).

Coincidently, the 17th floor of the Stroh Building was where WXYZ's offices were before moving to the Maccabees.

WXYZ moved to Broadcast House in Southfield on 10 Mile Road in 1959. My mother was a receptionist for WXYZ in the late '50s and remembers the move. The new facility was considered "out in the sticks" at that time.

It was about that time that these towers were brought down. I'm wondering if they were used for broadcasting up to then.

[MikeM]

Searching for pictures of the area of the transmission towers in the Virtual Motor City archives, I found this picture of Herman Gardens under construction in 1941:







In the background the two towers are visible, painted red & white:

Attachment 5487


Those of you who posted the postcards of the Maccabees, do you know the age of the postcards or which one is oldest?

[Neilr]

Maybe it was my teen aged [[and younger) eyes but I thought that some of the executive offices on the lower floors were very fancy-lots of high quality wood paneling and fixtures.

You're quite correct. The executive offices on the 2nd floor [[not the mezzanine) were very nice, not at all like the upper floors.