West Jefferson, fifty years apart

[Ray1936]

Ever wonder what that inclined concrete monolith on W. Jefferson, just west of Rosa Parks, was ever used for? Top photo then; bottom today.

[Detroit Stylin]

Inter urban guide way?

[Cushkid]

Inter urban guide way?

Nope. it was the approach ramp for the often forgotten about Fort Street Union Depot.

http://historicdetroit.org/building/union-depot/

[Hermod]

Although the Fort Street station wasn't near as grand as Michigan Central, it served more rail lines in its heyday.

[Danny]

No driver is ever going to used W. Jefferson St. From Rosa Parks to Stink-Rey [[ Del-Rey). Maroon, the loon block it off from the precious toll bridge, other factories near the long gone Boblo Dock is closed. And the Jefferson St draw bridge is a wreck Block River Rouge from Detroit. The street is now a dead end alley!

[wilderness]

In the 60's we watched the fireworks from that approximate location. W. Jefferson used to go through to nearly downtown in the 60s. Their was a zig-zag around W. Grand Blvd. Today and coming from Delray, the former W. Jefferson is closed due to the redesign at the end of Clark St. I don't recall it [[W. Jeff) ever going all the way downtown [[even in the 50s). I'd be curious if some earlier maps showed W. Jeff all the way downtown?

[Honky Tonk]

In the 60's we watched the fireworks from that approximate location. W. Jefferson used to go through to nearly downtown in the 60s. Their was a zig-zag around W. Grand Blvd. Today and coming from Delray, the former W. Jefferson is closed due to the redesign at the end of Clark St. I don't recall it [[W. Jeff) ever going all the way downtown [[even in the 50s). I'd be curious if some earlier maps showed W. Jeff all the way downtown?

In the 60' W. Jefferson did go all the way through to downtown. "Their was a zig-zag around W. Grand Blvd." W. Grand Blvd. ties in @ the RR tracks where the closed off Riverside Park is. As far as I remember, there wasn't a zig-zag there, W. Jefferson does curve around to follow the contour of the river. That part of Jefferson is destryed now due to neglect and Mr. Maroun's commandeering and closure of both the street and Riverside Park.

[gazhekwe]

We used to drive W. Jefferson a lot in the 60s and early 70s. The tracks overhead were still in use early on. Parts of the big chase scene at the end of Detroit 9000 were filmed there. There were tracks on the road surface, too, sometimes with rail cars sitting on them. Once they took down the overhead tracks, we still used that roadway a lot as we would go to lunch at the park and watch the mail boat head out to passing freighters. There was definitely a big zigzag where the road crossed the tracks by the park at the Boulevard, sometime we got stuck there to wait for a train. The road surface got rougher and rougher, smoothing out past the Boulevard. You could drive all the way to Fort Wayne and beyond. Last time we went down there,
last summer, the road was completely blocked with no access to the park.

[wilderness]

My recollection of the zig-zag at the W. Blvd is that the road turned away from the river as you passed [[going east [[for you east-siders) or north) the last building on the left [[a paper mill with large rolls of newspaper always exposed) before the RR Crossing. Then turned back towards the river just past the entrance to the Blvd Park and/or the mail boat area. As the road straightened out again, was near the entrance for the old dog pound. It is also my recollection that there was two sets of RR tracks there

[Honky Tonk]

My recollection of the zig-zag at the W. Blvd is that the road turned away from the river as you passed [[going east [[for you east-siders) or north) the last building on the left [[a paper mill with large rolls of newspaper always exposed) before the RR Crossing. Then turned back towards the river just past the entrance to the Blvd Park and/or the mail boat area. As the road straightened out again, was near the entrance for the old dog pound. It is also my recollection that there was two sets of RR tracks there

The "paper mill" you're thinking of, was the Free Press warehouse. When paper for newspapers was being unloaded, or the warehouse doors open, you could see the huge rolls sitting there. Jefferson never veered away from the River. It went through Delray, past Fort Wayne, past Detroit Marine Terminal, [[the "coal docks"), past Riverside Park, [[and the old Detroit Dog Pound) under the Ambassador Bridge, past the train station, all the way to where it linked under Cobo Hall. Later, I think early 80's, Detroit Marine Terminal wanted storage, so they closed Jefferson off @ Clark street, and you had to jog around the enclosure by taking Fort Street. Maybe I'm older then you?

[old guy]

I'm still confused. Was Ray asking what that large concrete structure in the photo was? The building that had several windows or openings in it. And the second photo that shows a crumbling, overgrown portion of that structure.

[Detroitnerd]

I'm still confused. Was Ray asking what that large concrete structure in the photo was? The building that had several windows or openings in it. And the second photo that shows a crumbling, overgrown portion of that structure.

Approach track for the old depot at Fort and Third, yes? OK, here's my guess. If you want a train to come to a certain height in the depot yard, it means you have to start the incline a quarter-mile or more away. Trains just don't do inclines well, especially when they're trying to make a controlled stop on engine power. And trains tend to be on the heavy side, especially for any station that is of the steam era. [[Some steam locomotives can weigh hundreds of tons.) Hence this long raised concrete track.

[mikefmich]

Ray1936, did you say once that's where you'd take coffee breaks whilst on patrol? Or is that just my ongoing senility again?