Remembering White Tower....and Detroit

**A2Mike** · October-22-13, 09:40 AM

Detoiters nostalgic for White Castle "sliders" may remember a rival chain, called White Tower. Since there was a Tower less than a block from home in the W. Vernor/Springwells neighborhood, that got most of my patronage. I attended WSU in the sixties and worked late in a downtown bank. After hanging out with friends at the Alcove or Verne's I'd board a Woodward bus and connect with the Baker in Cadillac Square, often about 2 AM - around midnight on work nights. After a 25 minute ride home I'd stop for some burgers at the White Tower. I loved the friendly waitress, the smells of the coffee brewing and the burgers and onions on the grill, the tang of the condiments, and the quiet of the night. After many years in California I retired last year to Ann Arbor, and I recently went to a White Castle, remembering those little burgers of so long ago. Of course it wasn't the same. I guess my real nostalgia was for a Detroit where I rode around town late at night on buses, got home safely, and tucked myself in, those little burgers fortifying me until morning.

**Honky Tonk** · October-22-13, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by A2Mike

Detoiters nostalgic for White Castle "sliders" may remember a rival chain, called White Tower. Since there was a Tower less than a block from home in the W. Vernor/Springwells neighborhood, that got most of my patronage. I attended WSU in the sixties and worked late in a downtown bank. After hanging out with friends at the Alcove or Verne's I'd board a Woodward bus and connect with the Baker in Cadillac Square, often about 2 AM - around midnight on work nights. After a 25 minute ride home I'd stop for some burgers at the White Tower. I loved the friendly waitress, the smells of the coffee brewing and the burgers and onions on the grill, the tang of the condiments, and the quiet of the night. After many years in California I retired last year to Ann Arbor, and I recently went to a White Castle, remembering those little burgers of so long ago. Of course it wasn't the same. I guess my real nostalgia was for a Detroit where I rode around town late at night on buses, got home safely, and tucked myself in, those little burgers fortifying me until morning.

Did you attend Gabe's?

**Chinman** · October-22-13, 09:56 AM

I grew up with a White Towers at 12 Mile and Gratiot. Northwest Corner. It was a treat when Mom would take me and my brothers. Thanks for bringing up this thread.

**A2Mike** · October-22-13, 10:12 AM

Yes indeed! K-12, class of 1963 [[just had our 50th reunion lst Month).

**preserve** · October-22-13, 10:34 AM

There was one around Dragoon & Vernor, near the playground. Try Bates in
Livonia, they're pretty close, but Hunter House in B'ham is the closest to the
taste and smell.

**Honky Tonk** · October-22-13, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by A2Mike

Yes indeed! K-12, class of 1963 [[just had our 50th reunion lst Month).

You're a bit ahead of me. Saints, 69. I DO remember the Tower, though. Being rivals, we would mingle back & forth. Ever go to Scott's Hamburgers on Ft. St., near Woodmere?

**A2Mike** · October-22-13, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

You're a bit ahead of me. Saints, 69. I DO remember the Tower, though. Being rivals, we would mingle back & forth. Ever go to Scott's Hamburgers on Ft. St., near Woodmere?

I remember some Saints students from earlier in the sixties, especially the Winter brothers, Ron [['62) and David [['65). We used to see a Saints crowd at Vince's Pizza on Springwells - in the those days we high school gourmets used to quibble about whose pizza was better, Vince's or Sammy's! We got down near Saints once in a while for movies at the Lincoln, and my parents liked the meats from Jerdons on Fort. As we started going to the downtown theaters more we'd argue about whether Luigi's, near the Michigan, or the place across from the Fox [[name escapes me) had better pizza! Ron Winter lived on Woodmere but I don't remember him talking about Scott's. Our idea then of good burgers was the Big Boy on Michigan in Dearborn. The Vernor shopping district was very handy but Fort and Vernor both took a big hit when I-75 went through. I was last there in 1990 when I had a memorial service to inter my dad's ashes at Woodmere Cemetery.

**A2Mike** · October-22-13, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by preserve

There was one around Dragoon & Vernor, near the playground. Try Bates in
Livonia, they're pretty close, but Hunter House in B'ham is the closest to the
taste and smell.

Thanks for the tip. I've long liked the Original Pancake there.

**Whitehouse** · October-22-13, 01:49 PM

I remember someone posted some old pictures from the vicinity of Michigan Central Station where there was a White Castle present.

Edit:
Nailed it! It was this picture from this thread.
That's the Roosevelt Hotel in the background, which still stands.

**kathy2trips** · October-23-13, 01:13 AM

That's a great photo!

**Honky Tonk** · October-23-13, 06:25 AM

What does it say on the shopping bag, Pullman? Was that a shop in MCS?

**A2Mike** · October-23-13, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Whitehouse

I remember someone posted some old pictures from the vicinity of Michigan Central Station where there was a White Castle present.

Edit:
Nailed it! It was this picture from this thread.
That's the Roosevelt Hotel in the background, which still stands.

This picture is pricless - it's almost a time capsule. The mid-fifties cars, the clothes, the pristine White Castle, the whole evirons near the station. A very different Detroit!

**Hamtragedy** · October-23-13, 09:28 AM

The White Tower on Campau in Hamtramck finally changed its name to Campau Towers about 12 years ago. They've still got sliders at 3:30 am.

**preserve** · October-23-13, 09:55 AM

A2Mile, it was Famous Pizza - also downtown was LaLanterna on Griswold.
I loved Luigi's - it's soon to be a Louie's, but I don't know when it will happen.
Their restaurant on Mack is great for breakfast so I'm looking forward to that
opening bar/restaurant.

**carolcb** · October-23-13, 11:24 AM

Yes - A great photo!

**EastsideAl** · October-23-13, 03:05 PM

Used to go to the White Tower at the bus turnaround at Jefferson and Wayburn while waiting on the bus to take me home from my grandmother's or cousin's houses. There was one on Cass at Davenport that my mother used to take us to sometimes because she did some work in that area. Interesting characters around there sometimes...

But the burger chain I remember most was Top Hat. There were several of them on Gratiot, including one across from the Sears store at Gratiot and Van Dyke that we used to go to whenever my mother was in a hurry before/after shopping. I still have a vivid sense memory of the smell and the taste of those burgers and fries.

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

What does it say on the shopping bag, Pullman? Was that a shop in MCS?

I believe it says "PULLMAN - Travel and Sleep in Safety and Comfort". It was probably something from a Pullman sleeping car, which were still operated and staffed separately by the Pullman Co. back then.

**douglasm** · October-23-13, 04:50 PM

It was a tradmarked phrase used by Pullman in their advertising.

**CassTechGrad** · October-26-13, 09:07 AM

A2Mike

Back in the1960’s I use to drag race on Stecker, between Michigan and Southern, which is just around the corner from where you use to live. There was a little hamburger joint on the corner of Michigan and Stecker where we’d eat some greasy burgers and hang out all night. It was a real popular racing place for a long time. Maybe you remember it.

**Hermod** · October-26-13, 09:46 AM

All of the Cunninghams and all of the dime stores [[Kresge, Woolworth, and Neissners) used to have lunch counters. Woolworths had great club sandwiches.

**A2Mike** · October-26-13, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by CassTechGrad

A2Mike

Back in the1960’s I use to drag race on Stecker, between Michigan and Southern, which is just around the corner from where you use to live. There was a little hamburger joint on the corner of Michigan and Stecker where we’d eat some greasy burgers and hang out all night. It was a real popular racing place for a long time. Maybe you remember it.

Cass Tech Grad: I never went there myself, but a friend from Cass, Mike Machowski [[class of '63), was enthusiastic about it. His dad had a florist business on Michigan and Mike delivered for him while in Cass and WSU. When I was at Wayne it seemed like half the people there were from Mumford or Cass.

**A2Mike** · October-26-13, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

All of the Cunninghams and all of the dime stores [[Kresge, Woolworth, and Neissners) used to have lunch counters. Woolworths had great club sandwiches.

Hermod: West Vernor had three of the four stores you mentioned [[the only Woolworth I knew was the one across from Hudson's). Fifth grade bliss for me in the mid-fifties was to get a comic book or two and then have a cherry coke at Neisner's lunch counter. Cunningham's was one of the few places open on Sunday and was always bustling. A fall tradition was to get the new Lionel catalog at Levitt's Hardware and leave it around the house open to your favorite pages for your dad to see!

**Hermod** · October-26-13, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by A2Mike

A fall tradition was to get the new Lionel catalog at Levitt's Hardware and leave it around the house open to your favorite pages for your dad to see!

Our Lionel dealer was Earl's on Harper near St Matthews church and school.

**detroitbob** · October-26-13, 11:04 PM

Didn't know until recently that the LaLanterna folks are DeEduarado's.

**Mikeg** · October-27-13, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by Whitehouse

I remember someone posted some old pictures from the vicinity of Michigan Central Station where there was a White Castle present.

Edit:
Nailed it! It was this picture from this thread.
That's the Roosevelt Hotel in the background, which still stands.

Actually, that photo originally appeared on this thread:
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1224804814

That "Vintage Vehicles" thread was one of a series I posted back in Oct. 2008 under the title "Vintage Kodachrome":
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/167800.html?1225496820

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1224424423

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1225750818

**A2Mike** · October-27-13, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

Actually, that photo originally appeared on this thread:
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1224804814

That "Vintage Vehicles" thread was one of a series I posted back in Oct. 2008 under the title "Vintage Kodachrome":
http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/167800.html?1225496820

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1224424423

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1225750818

Thank you for the Kodachrome pictures. I was in grade school most of the fifties but I vividly remember trips to Belle Isle and the Ford Rotunda, and those Kodachrome colors do make everything look like it all happened yesterday. I was at WSU when the Kern block was demolished and shortly afterward I ran into Hawkins Ferry at the Art Institute and discussed with him some of the proposals I had seen in the papers for possible projects for the property. He seemed pretty noncommittal about any of them and I've always wondered if had been considering the longer term prospects for the city's viability - the 1967 riots may have made a lot people pause to think about where Detroit was headed.