Images of Detroit circa 1910

**Ray1936** · April-22-13, 09:52 PM

Cornices had a way of weathering badly and presenting an opportunity to conk some passerby on the head; thus many have been removed.

**shirlselects** · April-22-13, 11:07 PM

Nice pictures. Will look at all of them when I have more time. My Mother came to Detroit from Poland in 1911 with her family when she was six years old. It must have been something to see all those big buildings and houses, coming from farm country. I remember a lot of the buildings myself as I lived in Detroit
before all the expressways were built and a lot of the homes were torn down to make way for the roads. Thanks for posting the pictures.

**ghettopalmetto** · April-23-13, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Cornices had a way of weathering badly and presenting an opportunity to conk some passerby on the head; thus many have been removed.

All buildings age and weather. It's when you don't maintain them that they become problematic.

**Hermod** · April-23-13, 08:28 AM

Those beautiful homes were products of the "gilded age" of income inequality. that is what we want in Detroit?

**lpg** · April-23-13, 09:03 AM

1910, the year my dad was born in Delray.

**gnome** · April-23-13, 09:52 AM

Does anyone else think the interior decorating shots are disturbing?

The chairs look like they could eat a person.

thx for taking the time to post all those shots, PR. Your contributions here are outstanding.

**p69rrh51** · April-23-13, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by gnome

Does anyone else think the interior decorating shots are disturbing?

The chairs look like they could eat a person.

thx for taking the time to post all those shots, PR. Your contributions here are outstanding.

Thx gnome!! A set of images from 1916 issues of The Western Architect. Unlike the Inland Architect images many of the buildings in this group are still standing. Also for casscorridor a few smalls.

**p69rrh51** · April-23-13, 10:16 AM

Western Architect group 2

**p69rrh51** · April-23-13, 10:17 AM

Western Archiect group 3

**oladub** · April-23-13, 12:04 PM

Mind boggling. What can one say? Thanks for all the photos. We think of the ascendency of Detroit as being tied to the auto industry and as the arsenal of democracy but these photos precede the auto industry.

**1953** · April-23-13, 01:57 PM

Yes, thanks for the shots! This made me proud to be a Detroiter, and sad about bad architecture [[can you say new police station?)!

**marshamusic** · April-23-13, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by oladub

Mind boggling. What can one say? Thanks for all the photos. We think of the ascendency of Detroit as being tied to the auto industry and as the arsenal of democracy but these photos precede the auto industry.

Yes...what accounts for so much obvious wealth? Prior to the auto industry that is. For sure, it would indicate that the city had a vibrant life before the domination of auto - and can have one again, after.

These photos also confirm the reason that Detroit was called "The Paris of the Midwest". A younger folk scoffed at me on this in a post once, simply couldn't believe it. But in school, we were always taught this.

**EastsideAl** · April-23-13, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by marshamusic

Yes...what accounts for so much obvious wealth?

Of course, part of it goes to what Hermod alluded to earlier. The enormous disparities of wealth in the pre-income tax, pre-organized labor era, and the hordes of cheap labor available to build and staff these homes.

Originally Posted by Hermod

Those beautiful homes were products of the "gilded age" of income inequality. that is what we want in Detroit?

Of course, it is rather ironic that many of these same homes, particularly the ones inside the City of Detroit, can now be bought at sub-middle class prices [[and often have few takers at any price).

**Smirnoff** · April-23-13, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Those beautiful homes were products of the "gilded age" of income inequality. that is what we want in Detroit?

No, you must be kidding? We surely do not want beautiful homes & buildings designed by world class architects.....this looks much more appealing to the eye & neighborhood

**p69rrh51** · April-23-13, 07:23 PM

A mix from a architectural journals.

**p69rrh51** · April-23-13, 07:29 PM

One more group 2

**marshamusic** · April-23-13, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by p69rrh51

One more group 2

Thank you for taking the time to share all of these. In this 2nd group 2, the Detroit Public Library! Wow, and no trees or foliage around it.

I never think of the public schools as architectural wonders, but they were too.

all of these photos are proof that "arts in Detroit" is not new [[something I'm writing about, at the moment).

**p69rrh51** · April-23-13, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by marshamusic

Thank you for taking the time to share all of these. In this 2nd group 2, the Detroit Public Library! Wow, and no trees or foliage around it.

I never think of the public schools as architectural wonders, but they were too.

all of these photos are proof that "arts in Detroit" is not new [[something I'm writing about, at the moment).

The article touting us over Chicago was right about our architecture! I have cataloged almost 4 thousand buildings from our architects/well known builders and it keeps growing.
One of the most overlooked aspects are the schools around the metro area. We are fortunate for have a large number of excellent designs all over town. 88 DPS schools were nominated for the national register. Here is a link to an interactive map with the locations of the schools nominated.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...AL01/100702003

Also if you have a facebook account you can see images of the buildings I have cataloged.

https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.gr...2305272732%3A6

**MrWCF** · April-24-13, 01:20 AM

The photos in your post are powerfully moving, especially for older Detroiters [[like me)--thank you for your efforts!

I can remember going for Sunday drives with my parents and grandmother in the 1960s. Although Grandma greatly enjoyed it, there were always some tears that she would shed when looking at what had become of the city that she remembered from the turn of the century and so loved.

**marshamusic** · April-24-13, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by p69rrh51

The article touting us over Chicago was right about our architecture! I have cataloged almost 4 thousand buildings from our architects/well known builders and it keeps growing.
One of the most overlooked aspects are the schools around the metro area. We are fortunate for have a large number of excellent designs all over town. 88 DPS schools were nominated for the national register. Here is a link to an interactive map with the locations of the schools nominated.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...AL01/100702003

Also if you have a facebook account you can see images of the buildings I have cataloged.

https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.gr...2305272732%3A6

Oh my goodness! What an endeavor! I scrolled over the facebook albums and I was just amazed. I will look at every one of those pictures. I love how you categorize them by architect.

I think I don't generally realize how much I love houses and architecture until a conversation like this, and seeing all of these photos.

I grew up in one of the big Mission Style homes in Highland Park, and, since all of our homes in the neighborhood were beautiful, I just took lovely homes for granted - but I guess it did give me an appreciation for beautiful houses and buildings.

I got a sick feeling scrolling throught the photos - these you've posted here, and the facebook albums. So much gone. Yes, this is the Detroit where our grandparents actually lived, if you are "a certain age". The Detroit that they mourn.

I also think that, when you see the magnitude of what was once here, how absurd it is to believe that most of these structures are no longer here because of the recent past - because of Kwame, or Coleman, or the '67 riots, or even freeways. Many, if not most of these grand buildings were were probably gone by the 60's.

There must be is a deep vein of obsolesence in this town; maybe it comes from the wealth that was here, allowing for a continual ability to build "new" and destroy the old. So many other cities [[like SFO) still have so many of their structures built long ago [[in that case, after the Fire) .

I'm sure this has been discussed here a zillion times, but these photos surely bring this question up again.

Is there a way to archive these photos, or this thread, for access?

**p69rrh51** · April-24-13, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by marshamusic

Oh my goodness! What an endeavor! I scrolled over the facebook albums and I was just amazed. I will look at every one of those pictures. I love how you categorize them by architect.

I think I don't generally realize how much I love houses and architecture until a conversation like this, and seeing all of these photos.

I grew up in one of the big Mission Style homes in Highland Park, and, since all of our homes in the neighborhood were beautiful, I just took lovely homes for granted - but I guess it did give me an appreciation for beautiful houses and buildings.

I got a sick feeling scrolling throught the photos - these you've posted here, and the facebook albums. So much gone. Yes, this is the Detroit where our grandparents actually lived, if you are "a certain age". The Detroit that they mourn.

I also think that, when you see the magnitude of what was once here, how absurd it is to believe that most of these structures are no longer here because of the recent past - because of Kwame, or Coleman, or the '67 riots, or even freeways. Many, if not most of these grand buildings were were probably gone by the 60's.

There must be is a deep vein of obsolesence in this town; maybe it comes from the wealth that was here, allowing for a continual ability to build "new" and destroy the old. So many other cities [[like SFO) still have so many of their structures built long ago [[in that case, after the Fire) .

I'm sure this has been discussed here a zillion times, but these photos surely bring this question up again.

Is there a way to archive these photos, or this thread, for access?

marshamusic almost all of the buildings in my images are still standing. Condition on the other hand is all over the map.
Some more images from The American Architect circa 1917. There are a couple dupes and some smalls for casscorridor.

**p69rrh51** · April-24-13, 09:29 AM

American Architect Group 2

**marshamusic** · April-24-13, 09:34 AM

[quote] p69rrh51: marshamusic almost all of the buildings in my images are still standing. Condition on the other hand is all over the map. [quote]

No!! I don't mean the ones on your facebook page, I mean the scans you've posted here. This can't be so!

**EastsideAl** · April-24-13, 09:34 AM

I LOVE that Facebook album. Thank you so much for posting the link. The only problem with it was that it kept me up until damn near 4:00 looking through the albums of the various architects.

Lots and lots of beautiful Indian Village homes there, several of which I was inside of as a kid [[and, as with Marsha in HP, didn't seem at all special to me back then). And you even included a few houses from my old block. I spent a lot of time trying to remember which kids I knew went with which house.

**marshamusic** · April-24-13, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

I LOVE that Facebook album. Thank you so much for posting the link. The only problem with it was that it kept me up until damn near 4:00 looking through the albums of the various architects.

Lots and lots of beautiful Indian Village homes there, several of which I was inside of as a kid [[and, as with Marsha in HP, didn't seem at all special to me back then). And you even included a few houses from my old block. I spent a lot of time trying to remember which kids I knew went with which house.

I love that FB album, too!

Al, you made me think of the time that I spent in the houses of Boston-Edison as a kid; my some of my parents' best friends lived in that neighborhood of spectacular homes, so I was in and out of - or spending the night at - many of them.

But I was never over in Indian Village until I was near grown [[and I actually lived in a huge house on Atkinson and second, back in the day).

I wonder, does p69rrh51 have any photos of Highland Park homes/buildings?