Detroit's Historic Washington Blvd. Renamed John Conyers Blvd.

**Eric_c** · February-14-12, 11:54 AM

Ha! Let's rename a street for a congressman when it's already named for a president! Whatever!

**Detroitnerd** · February-14-12, 12:33 PM

I expect this to be one of those honorary designations. The green and white sign will remain, with a brown and white sign below it bearing the honorary designation. It's too much of a burden on the residents and businesses on a street to expect them to change all letterhead, mailpieces, ads, etc.

**poobert** · February-14-12, 01:23 PM

I love how Grand Boulevard was named General Motors Boulevard...in honor of the company that flattened the neighborhood there...and Berry Gordy Boulevard...in honor of the guy who moved his business to LA...it was fine as JUST Grand Boulevard, thank you.

When does Lonnie Bates get a Boulevard?

**Detroitnerd** · February-14-12, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

I love how Grand Boulevard was named General Motors Boulevard...in honor of the company that flattened the neighborhood there...and Berry Gordy Boulevard...in honor of the guy who moved his business to LA...it was fine as JUST Grand Boulevard, thank you.

I don't think General Motors flattened New Center. It was all built new in, like, 1910-1920, when New Center was pretty much empty, right?

**poobert** · February-14-12, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

I don't think General Motors flattened New Center. It was all built new in, like, 1910-1920, when New Center was pretty much empty, right?

Yeah, I meant Poletown, which is straddled by EGB. I don't really know, or care, where "General Motors Boulevard" and "Berry Gordy Boulevard" begin and end either.

Didn't we used to reserve this shit for dead people, not just those dead from the neck up?

I have done much for this city and believe there should be a Poobert Boulevard.

[[disclaimer: I am a Democrat but Mr. Conyers doesn't appear to be high-functioning anymore)

**firstandten** · February-14-12, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

When does Lonnie Bates get a Boulevard?

He already has a school named after him its one of the few jewels that DPS has. But thats it, I don't want anything else named after him and if they renamed the school as well I would be ok with that.

**goirish1966** · February-16-12, 01:40 PM

[QUOTE=poobert;303607]I love how Grand Boulevard was named General Motors Boulevard...in honor of the company that flattened the neighborhood there...

The old General Motors actually did quite a bit to revitalize this New Center area. My memory is starting to fail me on the time frame, but in the late 1970s or early 1980s, the company purchased nearly all the residences on Pallister, Delaware & Bethune [[between Woodward & Second Ave.). They were stripped to the studs and completely renovated each one including new garages. This did spur some conversion of some rowhousing into condominiums and construction of new condominium units on both sides of Second Ave. GM was attempting to lure employees into the area. it had hoped that this would spread up through Seward & Virginia Park, but it never happened.

The old GM did a lot more for the area in which it was located than most other businesses within the city

**EastsideAl** · February-16-12, 02:07 PM

The area you're talking about is called New Center Commons, and it is very nice.

Further east, the area they flattened was called Poletown. It's now mostly a prairie and a giant wind-swept parking lot with an auto plant in the middle of it, which has never employed anywhere near as many people as they promised it would back when they were convincing the city to do their dirty work for them at the taxpayers' expense.

**Gistok** · February-16-12, 02:18 PM

[QUOTE=goirish1966;303938]

Originally Posted by poobert

I love how Grand Boulevard was named General Motors Boulevard...in honor of the company that flattened the neighborhood there...

The old General Motors actually did quite a bit to revitalize this New Center area. My memory is starting to fail me on the time frame, but in the late 1970s or early 1980s, the company purchased nearly all the residences on Pallister, Delaware & Bethune [[between Woodward & Second Ave.). They were stripped to the studs and completely renovated each one including new garages. This did spur some conversion of some rowhousing into condominiums and construction of new condominium units on both sides of Second Ave. GM was attempting to lure employees into the area. it had hoped that this would spread up through Seward & Virginia Park, but it never happened.

The old GM did a lot more for the area in which it was located than most other businesses within the city

General Motors did do a lot of renovations and new residential building in the area around their former HQ in New Center... "New Center Commons" was one such area that they revitalized.

Now granted that the North Poletown site was razed for the Poletown plant, and I won't deny that folks were forced from their homes... but the neighborhood was pretty much half de-populated by then anyway. Had it survived it would likely today look like the South Poletown area around the now closed St. Stanislaw Church on the south side of I-94.... the neighborhood is a no-mans land that is nearly de-populated of inhabitants.

It was however the Eminent Domain taking of the North Poletown land that got the State Supreme Court [[and later ballot initiative) to end Eminent Domain for any private use. So now a new car plant or other large land user [[such as a new Hockey Arena) become extremely expensive, since the only way to obtain large tracts of land is to pay whatever the seller demands. Ditto for the stalled Aerotropolis commercial park that was planned for next to Metro Airport.

The only way now to decimate a neighborhood [[via Eminent Domain) like they did North Poletown, is if it is for a real public use.... such as the on-again-off-again public DRIC bridge downriver of the Ambassador.Bridge.

I will admit that I don't know how the level of depopulation of the 2 neighborhoods compare to each other.