Grand River & Greenfield Shopping Area

highjinx · February-26-12, 07:39 PM

Revived Thread: Jump to 2015 Revived Discussion >>

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What year was the overpass walkway constructed that linked the old Federal & Ward buildings together?

**Ray1936** · February-26-12, 09:22 PM

Good question. My memory says late sixties. Hope someone can nail it. Maybe even mid sixties.

**catch22** · February-26-12, 10:16 PM

I think it was later than that, 1976 or 1977 maybe.

**Parkguy** · February-26-12, 10:48 PM

I moved to the area in '79 and it was already there.

**Hamtragedy** · February-27-12, 12:20 AM

catch 22 is close. I thought late 70s. Federal's was still open, but not for long. It became a Kingsway afterward. I used to catch the Greenfield bus at that corner 81-83, and Federal's was gone.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-27-12, 09:44 AM

It definitely was not there until the late 1970's. My grandparents lived behind the JC Penny's and the A&P that was in that area and we would go by there all the time to visit. This was our primary shopping district until Fairlane opened. Most likely it was a reaction to the opening of that mall as they wanted to do things that would keep as much business in the area as possible.

**Danny** · February-27-12, 11:23 AM

The catwalk on Grand River and Greenfield commercial district was there since the mid sixties connecting Montgomery Ward's to Federal's without crossing the intersection. I have been on that catwalk with my family from the Kingsway side to Montgomery Wards side on the second floor. When those dept stores were in business in the 1980s it was full of retail wonderland. Now its ghetto mess filled with up and coming strip malls that means nothing to me.

I do miss Baker's Shoes, Crowley's JCPenny's, Hughes-Hatcher and Saffrin, Meyer Treasure Chest Jewerly Store and S.S. Kregse's- McCorey's

**Ray1936** · February-27-12, 11:55 AM

There was an entranceway between the Ward's store and S. S. Kresge store. Right next to the entrance on the dime store side was a pop corn machine that you just couldn't resist.

**Parkguy** · February-27-12, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

I do miss Baker's Shoes, Crowley's JCPenny's, Hughes-Hatcher and Saffrin, Meyer Treasure Chest Jewerly Store and S.S. Kregse's- McCorey's

Danny, I can't help but notice that virtually all of those companies are out of business. I think only JCPenny remains. Retail was a different animal in those days-- and much nicer, I think.

**ct_alum** · February-27-12, 04:13 PM

Danny:

It is [[was) Hughes, Hatcher, Suffrin. Originally it was Hughes & Hatcher with Harry Suffrin's as a separate company before they merged.

**SMRJim** · February-27-12, 06:27 PM

I'm 99.99% sure it wasn't there til the mid 70s at least. I grew up on Prevost just three blocks away, went there all the time as a kid, and lived there til 1983, and I'm sure it wasn't there when I was a kid. If it had been there when I was a kid I definitely would have used it! And I never once walked on it. Stopped shopping there by 1975 or so.

highjinx · February-27-12, 07:45 PM

Thanks! This picture was taken about 1976; and you can see there isn't a pedway as of yet.[

highjinx · February-27-12, 07:46 PM

Olson Electronics was still open when this picture was taken.

**1986Tbird** · February-28-12, 09:42 AM

My immigrant Italian mother used to refer to Hughes & Hatcher as "Arri Suffri". I always thought she was just butchering "Hughes, Hatcher, & Suffrin", but later came to realize she was referring to the Harry Suffrin store!

highjinx · February-28-12, 09:07 PM

I just love those relatives from the old country and the way they spoke.
My aunt Colombia was telling us a story about the kids in the park.
She told us that they all were Tubacooning.
When she was asked what is Tubacooning?
She replied, Tubacooning, Tubacooning, Tubacooning while make a sliding motion with her hands which left all of us very puzzled.
My mother finally figured it out, Colombia was telling us about the kids in the park Tobogganing.
Just love all those people and their kids from the "old country" who we knew as uncle, aunts and cousins who were not related to us in the slightest except as life long friends.
So next time you may go tobogganing, remember to yell Tubacoonie as you go down the hill, Colombia would get a big kick out of that as we did in her many broken stories she told.

highjinx · February-28-12, 09:10 PM

I just love those relatives from the old country and the way they spoke.
My aunt Colombia was telling us a story about the kids in the park.
She told us that they all were Tubacooning.
When she was asked what is Tubacooning?
She replied, Tubacooning, Tubacooning, Tubacooning while make a sliding motion with her hands which left all of us very puzzled.
My mother finally figured it out, Colombia was telling us about the kids in the park Tobogganing.
Just love all those people and their kids from the "old country" who we knew as uncle, aunts and cousins who were not related to us in the slightest except as life long friends.
So next time you may go tobogganing, remember to yell Tubacoonie as you go down the hill, Colombia would get a big kick out of that as we did in her many broken stories she told.

**daddeeo** · May-28-12, 01:29 PM

I'd sure like to see if any neighbors of that area ever took any photos of those buildings. I'd pay a pretty penny for some.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-28-12, 06:56 PM

Overhead walkways were rare until the mid 1970's. The building that started the craze was not opened until 1973 [[IDS Minneapolis). http://www.placeography.org/index.ph...lis,_Minnesota

**daddeeo** · May-29-12, 10:35 AM

It was just a dying, last minute gimmick used here to get shoppers back in the area. Most were heading out to the suburban Malls like Livonia Mall, Northland and Wonderland.

**daddeeo** · July-06-13, 10:26 AM

Anyone else have photos of the area from back in the 50's, 60's or 70's????

**daddeeo** · October-09-14, 10:38 AM

Still looking for old photos of the neighborhood from 1950's-60's. Thanks

Originally Posted by daddeeo

Anyone else have photos of the area from back in the 50's, 60's or 70's????

**paddlebobb** · October-13-14, 12:53 PM

Steven West became owner of Federal's during the last half of the seventies' decade until its final demise. I remember the string of fires that occurred at their stores foretelling their demise.

**56packman** · October-13-14, 01:20 PM

That whole thing was part of the city's drunk-fest on federal money, most of which was blown on all of this awful Alex Pollack modern smoked glass BS--the covered sidewalks, the covers covered the existing sings of the stores, the cast concrete trash containers, which no one emptied. They planted all of these trees on the sidewalks, which covered the rest of the signs and building fronts, then died. The concrete kiosks, which you couldn't post anything on because of the texture. All a huge waste of federal money, and it uglied up some nice looking areas fast. Grand River/Oakman, Grand River/Greenfield, Grand River/Lahser all got this treatment.

**DetroitPlanner** · October-13-14, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by 56packman

All a huge waste of federal money, and it uglied up some nice looking areas fast. Grand River/Oakman, Grand River/Greenfield, Grand River/Lahser all got this treatment.

I can also remember Dexter Davison, Woodward & the Blvd, and Chene getting some of that cr@p. $$$ would have been better spent on security, making the place more walkable, and marketing.