Art Deco looking abandon Salvation Army Building on Bagley

[Huggybear]

Was that building always a Salvation Army building? Or did it become one later?

Look at the picture I posted of the building when 2nd ran through there. Do you see the emblem at the top of the building that seems to be carved out of the stone? Does that resemble anything you know of? Think when this building was erected. Prior to what? Now look at Lowell's modern era pic. It's covered up with a sign. Hmmm..

[Retroit]

Look at the picture I posted of the building when 2nd ran through there. Do you see the emblem at the top of the building that seems to be carved out of the stone? Does that resemble anything you know of? Think when this building was erected. Prior to what? Now look at Lowell's modern era pic. It's covered up with a sign. Hmmm..

The suspense is killing me! The lower portion of the carving appears to resemble a modified [[simplified for the ease of engraving?) version of the official Salvation Army Crest:



Not sure about the top part. Kind of reminds me of the Nazi emblem:



Is that what you are referring to?

[Huggybear]

Let me put this in perspective, since you may be too young to know about this.

There was a lot of enthusiasm for ancient Roman motifs in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries - and for good reason: many people thought that the United States was the new Rome. Our money and government buildings were bristling with eagles, laurel wreaths, and fasces [[the bundle of sticks with an axe in the middle that symbolizes the state's power of corporal and capital punishment). Take a walk around the federal courthouse if you don't believe this. Washington DC is jam-packed with this stuff [[as well as neoclassical buildings).

An eagle atop a laurel wreath is the traditional Roman battle standard. That consists of an aquila [[eagle) and a vexillum [[flag). The vexillum had a laurel wreath with SPQR [[senatus populusque romanus - senate and people of Rome). See here for an illustration. This is what was on the Wayne County chariot before WWII. Or watch things like Gladiator or Rome.

Reproductions of Roman standards were not uncommon. Art Deco, though, appropriated the Native American thunderbird motif, and the Nazis essentially made an Art Deco version of the Roman standard. Then the Nazis went and murdered about 13 million people and the Roman-style standard [[along with the Indian swastika and right-handed Roman salute) went out of fashion. It is not surprising that things that even coincidentally resembled Nazi motifs were obscured or destroyed after WWII. It's almost like the drive to wipe out the Diego Rivera Court - created before we were enemies with the USSR - when someone discovered that Rivera had a red star on his glove.

Now what reminds me of Nazis is the neon sign for Thunderbird Lanes on Maple in Troy - which has an Art Deco eagle atop a bowling ball. Built after WWII in an all-white suburb, there is no good explanation.

The suspense is killing me! The lower portion of the carving appears to resemble a modified [[simplified for the ease of engraving?) version of the official Salvation Army Crest:



Not sure about the top part. Kind of reminds me of the Nazi emblem:



Is that what you are referring to?

[Whitehouse]

Close up.

[Retroit]

Oh darn, and here I thought we found a cover-up of pre-WWII Salvation Army Nazi sympathizers.