Old City Hall Historical Marker

[dtowncitylover]

Does anyone know what happened to the Old City Hall historical marker?

https://detroithistorical.pastperfec...F-190942921250

http://www.michigandnr.com/publicati...C821958001.pdf

In the pdf, it says its location is at One Kennedy Square [[or 777 Woodward), but I've never seen it there and looking around the building on Google Maps, I don't see it.

Where is it? It would be nice to have a giant photo of it next to it to show people the beauty the city destroyed.

[Michael Hojnacki]

I can't confirm this but I was told years ago that during Coleman Young's last few weeks in office, he had most of the historical plaques removed throughout the city. I remember in the 80's and 90's seeing a plaque at Dodge Fountain at Hart Plaza and that turned up missing as well before he left office. In 2006 a new plaque was placed there by Gretchen Valade but the original one I had not seen it since the early 90's. I was asked by the retired Detroit teacher "why do you think he did this" my response was "It sounds like it was done to erase history". The retired teacher responded to me "exactly".

[dtowncitylover]

I was asked by the retired Detroit teacher "why do you think he did this" my response was "It sounds like it was done to erase history". The retired teacher responded to me "exactly".

Thanks for the ominous post!

The historical marker is a bit critical-sounding of the city, however I'm surprised CAY would even care enough to do this.

[EastsideAl]

Thanks for the ominous post!

The historical marker is a bit critical-sounding of the city, however I'm surprised CAY would even care enough to do this.

The sheer amount of old white people paranoia that still surrounds CAY nearly two decades after his death is amazing. I guess some people can never let go.

It seems likely that the marker was moved sometime during one of the changes to that area, probably when Kennedy Square was demolished and Campus Martius was reconfigured in 2003-4. The question is what happened to it after that. The fact that there was about a 2 year gap between the opening of the new park and the opening of the One Kennedy Square building may have something to do with it being missing. I'm guessing that the owners of 1KS didn't want a marker about some old thing that used to be there around their shiny new building.

This may not have happened to a plaque in so public a place as the middle of downtown, but the sad fact is that a lot of the area's missing historical markers were swiped and destroyed during the big runup in scrap metal prices a few years back, which was also behind so much of the extreme scrapping destruction around here. I know when I have tried to trace other markers, that is the fate that befell them.

[EastsideAl]

One wonders also what became of the old City Hall flagpoles that stood on either side of the entrance to Kennedy Square.