Ah, yes. From Shorpy Cadillac Square, 1918

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Originally Posted by MikeM

I'm confused at who is responding to whom.

Two buildings. One in foreground demoed 1976. One in background always that size.

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Every now and then I learn something everybody [who know this stuff] knows. I'm amazed that I didn't notice something of that scale. All I can conclude was that I wasn't spending much time downtown at that time.

What threw me off was the similarity of the two buildings. I stand unconfounded. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by p69rrh51

This is the one website I absolutely despise, Shorpy!! I do not understand the fascination with this site here on Detroityes as every photo posted on the site is just a "touched up" version of the original available for FREE from the Library of Congress website.

An image of the corner from another free source the Burton Historical Collection, date unknown, and a color image from the archives of Charles M. Bayer, circa 1950's

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Shorpy has plenty of photos not on the LOC website; people post their own family photos from the 40's, 50's and 60's as well as photos purchased in bulk off of Ebay or other auction type sites and photos found in antique stores. And the discussions of the photos are usually pretty interesting no matter where they came from

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Originally Posted by MikeM

Two buildings. One in foreground demoed 1976. One in background always that size.

Attachment 35457

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To further answer the question asked earlier, the building in the foreground was the Cadillac Square Building [[formerly the Real Estate Exchange Building). The building in the background is the Cadillac Tower [[formerly the Barlum Tower), which is still standing and in use as an office building.

I stumbled onto this video that might be of use to others here:
How to [[legally) use Shorpy images for FREE!.

I couldn't find a better place to post it. Maybe in some DYES FAQ page?

To whom it may concern: Feel free to copy it to a better place.

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Originally Posted by swingline

The color shot gives a rare aerial glimpse of the First National Building's cornice before it was removed and replaced by some gorgeous aluminum siding.

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Interesting but unfortunate. When/Why was this done? And by whom?

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Originally Posted by MrMichigan

Interesting but unfortunate. When/Why was this done? And by whom?

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This should answer your question...

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...roit/15322677/

In 1958 a piece of cornice broke off a downtown building killing an 80 year old woman... so many building owners were advised [[or forced) to remove their decorative cornices.... :[[

But some cornices are slowly returning via a cheaper process involving glass fiber reinforced plastic, made to look like stone.

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Originally Posted by Jimaz

I stumbled onto this video that might be of use to others here:
How to [[legally) use Shorpy images for FREE!.

I couldn't find a better place to post it. Maybe in some DYES FAQ page?

To whom it may concern: Feel free to copy it to a better place.

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Of course, you'll start with the original, public domain images that Shorpy starts with. You won't get the image that Shorpy posts - they change the images to try to make them easier to view. Some people like that, others disapprove - I'm in the former group.

The Building the corner of Cadillac Square and Monroe Block was the Kirkwood Hotel and Family Theatre. The entire Monroe St. Block used to be Detroit's Vaudeville Theater District. The National Theater Building is what's left of it. And will soon be on the demo list.

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Originally Posted by Maof

Wow! So that's how they did it in 1976? Or they couldn't implode it for some reason or another?

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No, because the Real Estate Exchange Building was made out of concrete, marble and filled with asbestos. Look what happen when the implode the Old J.L.Hudson's Building in 1999.