Pickwick House restaurant - early 1960's

[baskerville holmes]

Hi everyone - first post here. Does anyone have a recollection of the location of the Pickwick House restaurant?

Remembering back to when I was 6, my guess is Grand River and Outer Drive. However I could be completely wrong. We lived at Annchester and 6 mile and where ever it was located, it wasn't too much further of a drive than GR and Outer Dr.

Thanks much!

[gazhekwe]

Yes, SE Corner of Grand River at Outer Drive.

[baskerville holmes]

Thanks so much !

[65memories]

Baskerville...
It was named Cregar's Pickwick house and owned by the Cregar family, who I think owned the house right behind it. It was at Outer Drive and Grand River, where a medical clinic now stands. Cregar's was a popular place for breakfast for Rosedale Park residents and at one time during the 70's was the site for an undercover FBI sting aimed at some Detroit area politicians. For more information, look at the Rosedale Park and Northwest Detroit threads on this forum.

[1KielsonDrive]

I went to cooking school at Henry Ford in the late 70's with a couple of girls who worked at the Pickwick. Being restaurant students, we went there on occasion. It was a very nice place with good food. Not top class like a fine dining restaurant, but very good cafe, diner, food. It was a Rosedale Park resident's hangout because 'Uncle Doc' lived right there on Outer Drive when Rosedale Park was THE area to live and was still thriving at that time.

[rustic]

Creager's was a popular place with North Rosedale Park residents in the 60's and 70's. NRP was a popular neighborhood for Detroit politicos [[and wannabes) and Creager's was one place to gauge who's who and what's what back then. Picture Cavanaugh sitting at a booth with a judge or two, a young Roman Gribbs recently moved into the neighborhood eating with his family at another while glad-handing people as they walked by, Nichols with a couple of lantern jawed cops eating quietly at another eyeballing a Robert Austin and a young Carl Levin eating at a small table in the middle of the side room. The place had the ambiance of an upscale'ish diner [[kinda L-shaped) but the food was a step up the food chain from that. The feds had a "special table" as 65memories points out. Yay Detroit!

I read in the obits last month that the Creagers daughter just passed away. She must have been in her 70's or 80's. She grew up in the Park of course, but had a house out in redford near the golf course. I knew her son growing up.

[1KielsonDrive]

Thanks for the additional descriptions, Rustic. You painted a nice picture of the area and the era. I wasn't a regular, having been there only a few times with my fellow students and 'Uncle Doc'. I remembered it, but not very clearly. It was definitely an upscale and diverse neighborhood. 'Uncle Doc' was exactly that - a doctor. He chose to live there long past it's prime, when he could've lived anywhere he desired.

[JVB]

I have been having a hard time finding a photo of Cregar's restaurant online. Does anyone have one? That place was like my second home in the late 70s/early 80s. I loved the swanky frankie.

[gazhekwe]

Haha, we were there all the time as well, and our son's favorite was swanky frankie too. My date and I had dinner there on Prom night, June 1965, too. I wish we had pictures.

[xdet]

All I could find was an ash tray.

[Ray1936]

Lived just down the street at 15505 Warwick from 1977 to 1984 during its heyday. Wife and I ate there frequently, as well as the Nau's Snow White across the street and Chuck Joseph's Bar close by. Great place to live back then. Thanks for this thread; brought back memories.