Another Detroit shot on Shorpy, 1903

[Packman41]

Damn, Detroit was a handsome looking city in 1903.

The detail in this photo is AMAZING -- you need to hit the zoom link. Check out the billboard on the right hand side that says William E. Metzger - Automobiles. In 1903 Packard was just moving from Warren, Ohio and building the plant on East Grand Boulevard on the outskirts of town.

[RealityCheck]

Check out the billboard on the right hand side that says William E. Metzger - Automobiles.

I see your billboard, Packman, and raise you a few more bits of local automotive lore:

• A year before this spectacular photo, Bill Metzger [[Detroit High, '85) was among founders of the Cadillac Motor Car Co., where he stayed as sales manager until 1908.
• Four years before this scene was preserved on an 8x10 glass negative, Metzger helped organize the Detroit Auto Show.
  

As for the endlessly fascinating details visible, isn't it cool to count six modes of travel:
Foot | Horse carriage/wagon | Trolley | Sidewheel steamboat | Freighter | Bicycle [[center, to left of restaurant sign)

Nearly 11 decades after an anonymous photographer on a rooftop or high ledge snapped a shutter, the scene he recorded speaks vividly of how downtown Detroiters lived, dressed and conducted business. Not bad for a commercial photo.