Vintage Kodachrome: Model Detroit 1956

[Dent]

Found photos of Detroit 1956. The city plans toward the future as this diorama displayed at downtown Hudson’s [[?)shows.

[Dent]

I’m not sure if this is Mayor Albert Cobo, or Lewis Mirian since the date on the slide is 1956.

[Dent]

Perhaps someone here can name the VIP's shown in these shots.

[Dent]

More of the Mayor and a worker bee.

[gazhekwe]

I believe the lady in the tan dress, bottom photo, far right, is Mary Beck, first woman elected to Council in 1949.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=10421313

[Dent]

Way to go, gazhekwe, I think you are correct. I believe the man to the Mayors right is Jim Smith from architecture firm Saarinen and Associates.

[gazhekwe]

I found a list of council members in 1956:

Louis Miriani, Eugene Van Antwerp, Mary Beck, William Rogell, Edward Connor, Del A. Smith, Charles Youngblood, James H. Lincoln, Blanche Parent Wise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_City_Council

The only other thing I determined so far is that the grey haired lady is not Blance Parent Wise.

[Dent]

More of the River Front.

[Dent]

So Louis Miriani it is. I'm really not sure where this was set up at. For some reason I thought it was at Hudson's, but it could be City County Building or DIA.

[jcole]

This is Mayor Mariani in 1960
https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/6574

[jcole]

And this is Mayor Albert Cobo on the left, with Pres. Truman and Gov. 'Soapy' Williams

http://detroitcommanderyno1.org/leadershipheritage.htm

[Dent]

Thanks for the above link, jcole. Coolsite. I will post more photos tomorrow when I have time to scan them.The collection is in the 100's so I need to cherry pick some choiceones from the lot.

[SteveJ]

Thats neat. Thanks for sharing it.

[DetroitPlanner]

Plenty of space for parking lots in those pics!

[Cincinnati_Kid]

So that's what the racist Mayor Miriani looks like? I've always wondered.

[EastsideAl]

I think the woman on the left in the glasses in the second photo from the top may be Jo Gomon, longtime head of the city's Housing Commission [[and labor activist, one of the founders of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Michigan, secretary to Frank Murphy, and assistant to Clarence Darrow during the Ossian Sweet trial). She was a friend of my family's and, although 1956 is before my time, it makes sense that she'd be at this event and that side view sure looks like I remember her.

[Ray1936]

So that's what the racist Mayor Miriani looks like? I've always wondered.

All us white folk are racist, Kid, didn't you know?

[Dent]

This slide is marked with "Gratiot 3-55"

[Dent]

More "Gratiot 3-55" Street view.

[Dent]

"Gratiot 3-55" Any one know this building?

[Cincinnati_Kid]

All us white folk are racist, Kid, didn't you know?

I don't know about all white people, but Miriani was. It's well documented his hatred of blacks. And he was as corrupt as they come.

[barnesfoto]

I don't know about all white people, but Miriani was. It's well documented his hatred of blacks. And he was as corrupt as they come.

If being a corrupt racist is not enough, this POS was responsible for demolition of Old City Hall...And some people think that Coleman Young was the worst mayor in Detroit History!

[EastsideAl]

"Gratiot 3-55" Any one know this building?

The "Gratiot project" was what eventually became Lafayette Park. So I assume those are early planning versions of Lafayette Park.

[Hermod]

And this is Mayor Albert Cobo on the left, with Pres. Truman and Gov. 'Soapy' Williams

http://detroitcommanderyno1.org/leadershipheritage.htm

"Lets go, Cobo"

The last decent mayor we had.