I am doing some extensive [[but not necessarily analytical) research on this geographic area for a project through my internship. It looks like the neighborhood is a mix of Milwaukee Junction, North End, Alden Park and the New Center. Any information or sources for information from fellow Detroityesers would be greatly appreciated. Anything helps. Thanks.
I've often wondered about that area in the old days. It's almost like there was a well-off side and a poor side, and both shared the same streetcar line, which ran up Oakland Avenue.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrpatlast
That's Arden Park, not Alden Park. Is your internship with Vanguard? If not, this would be a good resource to start: http://cwne.wordpress.com/ and http://www.vanguardcdc.org/ They do a lot of work for the majority of the area you describe.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrpatlast
Thanks for the help. I have checked out Vanguard CDC for some information. Thanks for the catch on the neighborhood title.
In the era of Detroit's not-so-distant past when de-facto housing segregation was practiced, that area was home to many of Detroit's black professional class. Streets such as Chandler, Melbourne, Alger, King, and Holbrook had substantial homes that were occupied and impeccably maintained by the residents who were teachers, lawyers, doctors, businessmen and the like. For example, the Pelham family lived on Holbrook. Even after housing patterns changed and professional black families were able to move to the West Side, a number of those families aged in place even as the neighborhood started to change around them and was no longer seen as a desirable place to live by Detroit's elite.
Aretha Frankilin grew up on one of those streets...I think it was one or two north of Arden Park, though it could have been Arden Park. I know the house but forget the street. It should be easy to confirm. She describes the neighborhood of the early 1960s in some detail in her autobiography. Didn't Smokey Robinson also grow up around there? You might check his autobiography for possible recollections of the olde days.
Aretha Franklin's childhood home was 649 East Boston Blvd. in the East Boston/Arden Park Historic District.Quote:
Originally Posted by Carey
Smokey Robinson lived with his sister, Geraldine Burston at 581 Belmont Street.[[Diana Ross lived just a few houses down from Smokey during her early teen years.)
I lived in this area from 1963 to 1976. Melbourne and I believe King streets used to have awesome Christmas displays. Melbourne had a block club and the whole block used to get into it. I also saw Coleman Young give a speech on Melbourne on a Sunday in 1974 or thereabouts.
If you're researching some ghettohoods at the Boston Edison area, you might want to look at this home:
Attachment 9974
The Walter O'Briggs House, 700 West Boston Boulevard, English Manor style,Chittenden and Kotting, This house was built for Walter O. Briggs, the founder of Briggs Manufacturing,a car-body manufacturing firm, and owner of the Detroit Tigers. The house is constructed from light-colored fieldstone.
the sunoco gas station just north of Boston bvrd isnt the best place to fuel up. I dont like to say bad things about peoples neighborhoods but the streets directly behind there have that open air market feel minus the produce stands