The Lansdowne

[Detroit Stylin]

Any one on this Forum remember where it was docked at while it was operational?

[Smirnoff]

Near Hart Plaza.....

[Wheels]

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

[tg_jessica]

Behind Cobo

[EastsideAl]

Pretty much where the Detroit Princess riverboat docks now.

[birwood]

I remember as a kid in the early 1950's coming home by train from somewhere in Canada with my parents, and crossing the river on the RR Ferry Lansdowne still in the train car. The original dock was between where the Bob-Lo boats were at the foot of Woodward and the Ambassidor Bridge.

[EastsideAl]

Ahhh, that's a question that should have been asked of the original poster: do you mean "operational" as a rail ferry or as a restaurant?

[rb336]

as a restaurant, wasn't it down off Rivard, near where the carousel is now??

[EastsideAl]

as a restaurant

Then it was where I and others here described it as being - at the far western end of Hart Plaza behind Cobo Arena. Right where Civic Center Dr. [[the street that snakes down through an underpass to the river from Jefferson) runs into Atwater.

Here is a shot from one of the Grand Prixs showing the Lansdowne in place as a restaurant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjm...5039/lightbox/

[douglasm]

Nice confusing thread. When operational as a car ferry, its slip was at Brush Street Station just "east" of the Robin Hood Flour mill. AS a restaurant, you're on your own.

[Whitehouse]

Here's another thread.


Reading back that thread, I really outdid myself back then!!

[EastsideAl]

Nice confusing thread. When operational as a car ferry, its slip was at Brush Street Station just "east" of the Robin Hood Flour mill. AS a restaurant, you're on your own.

It is a bit confusing, mostly because of people's conflicting remembrances. But in the end it's pretty simple. In its use as a rail ferry it apparently docked near the Brush St. Grand Trunk depot, just east of where the Ren Cen is today [[and not terribly far from that Rivard Plaza carousel).

As a restaurant, it was at the other [[western) end of Hart Plaza, behind Cobo Arena.

To add some additional locational perspective to the photo I linked to in my post above, here is another Grand Prix shot from the same set that I believe was taken from the Lansdowne restaurant:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjm...1424/lightbox/

[EastsideAl]

So, to our rail ferry experts, just to add to the confusion, what were the ferries that ran from the west side that Birwood seems to remember above, and where did they dock? Not far, I'd presume, from the old Union Depot and the original [[pre-1913) Michigan Central station locations, since that's where the rails were. I vividly remember seeing freight rail ferries going across in the river in the '70s and '80s.

[birwood]

Now that I read the other posts and thank you everyone who commented, I do now seem to recall that the Lansdown dock was east of where the Bob-Lo boats were docked at the foot of Woodward and the other rail dock were down closer to the bridge and if I'm not mistaken the RR tunnel is down that way also...Thanks Again!

[Zacha341]

Cool shot. Absent across the river, Caesars Windsor Casino buildings...

Here is a shot from one of the Grand Prixs showing the Lansdowne in place as a restaurant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjm...5039/lightbox/

[Honky Tonk]

Then it was where I and others here described it as being - at the far western end of Hart Plaza behind Cobo Arena. Right where Civic Center Dr. [[the street that snakes down through an underpass to the river from Jefferson) runs into Atwater.

Here is a shot from one of the Grand Prixs showing the Lansdowne in place as a restaurant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjm...5039/lightbox/

I remember seeing the musician formally known as Prince there after one of the Grand Prix's.

[Smirnoff]

BTW: the food was not appetizing & overpriced.....you didn't miss anything.

[Honky Tonk]

BTW: the food was not appetizing & overpriced.....you didn't miss anything.

In it's heyday, it used to get packed after hours by Downtown workers. People drank, danced, drank some more, then tried to find their cars. Down in the hull, [[someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong), Norma Jean Bell used to put on a terrific show on weekends. It was great in it's time. But you are right, of course, slight cut above bar food, and watered down drinks.