Detroit Urban Conservation Project records, 1976

[p69rrh51]

Designed by the noted Detroit architectural firm of Malcomson & Higganbotham. John S. Gray Branch Detroit Public Library 1117 Field built in 1906 Detroit, MI.

The first branch of the Detroit Public Library.

[EastsideAl]

Nice to see the Gray Library again. Thanks"p69rrh51". Great, as always.

I spent quite a bit of time in there back around 1971. Even skipping some school to hang out there, dorky kid that I was. It was old enough that my grandparents also went there as children too. In fact, my grandfather lived just a block south as a small child, on Field between Lafayette and Jefferson, and always claimed that he learned to read perusing newspaper sports pages there.

Also, in the background of the 4th photo from the top, you can just glimpse the old Field School - attended by my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and me! [[What's with the cross above the door of the library in this picture? Perhaps something to do with WWI?).

Unfortunately, I don't have the PlacePromo Gray Library photo. But I do have this picture, which I saved from that site to send to my sister who also went there, of the old Field School [[named as Whitney Young Middle School when we attended in the early '70s) that was across Agnes from the library. The picture is, of course, from 1976, which is not too long before the building was demolished:

[Hermod]

[[What's with the cross above the door of the library in this picture? Perhaps something to do with WWI?).

Maybe part of a Red Cross fund drive or location of a contingency Red Cross aid station [[though that would be more likely in WWII and not WWI).

[AnnMarie]

Thank you for the photo of the Field School. My mother went to this school and walked there from the Field Hotel where she lived. I was particularly interested in the fact that both your grandmother and great-grandmother went to this school. Mom attended in the early to mid 1930s. Such a shame that so beautiful a building was demolished. It sure would be nice to have some photos of inside the school building--and I mention that because your photos of inside the library are awesome.