More Streetscapes coming, along with improved DDOT

[Funaho]

What I'd like to see is some streetscaping along W. Vernor, from roughly St. Anne to Livernois. There's already a lot of nice little businesses along that stretch but the sidewalks are a mess, the street is already cracking and half the street lights don't even stand up straight anymore. They should also make the parking lane they striped in a while back permanent similar to Michigan Ave. through Dearborn, with the nice wide sidewalks.

[Rocko]

From Model D today:

Detroit Development News


April 14, 2009
Fed stimulus to bring $1.5M to Greektown, $1.7M to Michigan Ave. for streetscaping


Michigan Avenue from Campus Martius to Cass will receive a $1.7 million facelift courtesy of federal stimulus funds. The project will consist of a complete roadbed reconstruction and new sidewalks and streetlights.

The finished product will look like the streetscape that fronts the Westin Book Cadillac, says project manager Malik Goodwin of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. In some areas, the sidewalk will be widened, he says, "to allow for more pedestrian flow and sidewalk cafes for ground floor retailers."

Goodwin says the agency will pursue funding to take the improvements west to the Lodge Freeway. He hopes to see construction on this first phase begin this summer. The local match money for the project was provided by Downtown Development Authority TIF [[tax increment financing) funds.

Additionally, two main stretches of Greektown streets will be similarly enhanced with $1.5 million of stimulus funds, working with the City of Detroit. Decorative and scored sidewalks, new streetlights, bike racks, trash receptacles and trees will be installed on Monroe St. from St. Antoine St. to Randolph St., and Brush St. from Lafayette Blvd. to Gratiot Ave.

Read about additional transportation funds being made available to Detroit here.

Source: Malik Goodwin, DEGC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

http://www.modeldmedia.com/developme...iave18709.aspx

[French777]

From Model D today:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/developme...iave18709.aspx

When it mentions the Streetscapes infront of the Westin. . .Do they mean the cool looking historic lights?

[Rocko]

Yes, French, I believe so. Those are double Bishop lights, and the city has been installing them on most of their streetscape renovation projects for the past 4-5 years. The best part is, those are a modern remake of a very historic Detroit streetlight design, the originals date back a full 100 years, and many of the old ones are still visible on side streets and even some main streets in the older parts of Detroit. These new remakes are constructed differently than the originals, yet the exterior looks almost identical and they are very faithful to the oldies in outer appearence. There was a great thread on the old forums called Historic Streetlights in the City which has more information about these types, if you're interested. It is linked: http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/5/172705.html?. Both archive pages and the last page are a treasure trove of history and photos.

Ironically, while most of the streetlights currently along that portion of Michigan Ave. are rather new [[post 1960s), I believe there are a few poles mixed in which date from the 1920s. Although the lamp fixtures and arms are newer, the poles themselves are almost as old as the original Bishop types. These old poles are distinct with their ornate base, pole fluting, and some still sport the original pineapple finial at the top. I'll have to go down and take a close look sometime before this project gets going to see for sure. I know a few of these old poles survive on the stretch just west of this area on Michigan - at the 1st St. intersection, and between there and the Lodge bridge.

>>>Rocko, formerly BusterWMU, looking for elements of streetscapes past!

[Rocko]

Russix - I thought of your comment when I saw today a streetsweeper in Detroit sweeping in action!! The Belle Isle bridge is nicely swept now

I drove down that stretch of Michigan Avenue between Campus Martius and Cass today to see if I could identify some of those old early-20th Century streetlight poles still in action. I noted four or five still in service. These are really old poles, but have been fitted with modern "cobrahead" streetlights to match the newer installations. All are painted up in that nice hunter green common to downtown streetlights... I really like how those green ones look. Anyhow, I noted 4-5 of these old poles in this stretch, and at least 8-12 more west of Cass between Cass and the end of the other streetscape improvement project west of the Lodge. The locations I specifically noted along this stretch were two in front of 1001 Woodward on the Michigan Ave. side, 1 at the corner of Mich & Shelby, and 1-2 at the intersection of Michigan and Cass.

Interestingly, there are actually two old types represented here, something I have not realized up until just today. I'm going to do some photo hunting and try to crop them down so I can clearly articulate and show what I mean, on the off chance anyone else out there cares!

[French777]

The cool lights I mean are the 5 globe ones in the median of Washington Ave. I love the design of them!

[Russix]

Russix - I thought of your comment when I saw today a streetsweeper in Detroit sweeping in action!! The Belle Isle bridge is nicely swept now

The irony is I also spotted a convoy of three street sweepers the day after posting that comment making their way east down McNicholas somewhere between Wyoming and Livernois. Glad somebody was listening!

[Rocko]

I drove down that stretch of Michigan Avenue between Campus Martius and Cass today to see if I could identify some of those old early-20th Century streetlight poles still in action. I noted four or five still in service. These are really old poles, but have been fitted with modern "cobrahead" streetlights to match the newer installations. All are painted up in that nice hunter green common to downtown streetlights... I really like how those green ones look. Anyhow, I noted 4-5 of these old poles in this stretch, and at least 8-12 more west of Cass between Cass and the end of the other streetscape improvement project west of the Lodge. The locations I specifically noted along this stretch were two in front of 1001 Woodward on the Michigan Ave. side, 1 at the corner of Mich & Shelby, and 1-2 at the intersection of Michigan and Cass.

Interestingly, there are actually two old types represented here, something I have not realized up until just today. I'm going to do some photo hunting and try to crop them down so I can clearly articulate and show what I mean, on the off chance anyone else out there cares!

Below are some crops of photos I've taken in the past which illustrate the two different types of old streetlight bases I mean. Maybe someone else besides me will find this interesting!

The first photo below [[twin light base) shows the base of streetlights which were installed around downtown on several streets c. 1930 [[still can't get a pinpointed date yet). They had the most ornate base and fluted pole and two acorn style lights hanging down from a fancy frame at the top of the pole.

The second photo below [[pineapple base) shows the base of streetlights which were installed beginning in 1916 and for at least the next decade, along major thoroughfares and at cross streets, etc. These have a more simplified base, but still ornate trimwork between the base and the fluted pole, and featured a single acorn lamp with decorative pineapple finial on top. These can be found in many places around the city.

The third photo depicts the full light type of the twin light, which today in its original form can now only be found on Lower Woodward, from Jefferson to I-75, and around Campus Martius park. These lights were also originally installed on Fort, Griswold, Lafayette, Gratiot and elsewhere around the center of downtown, and were later modified [[1970s-1980s?), with the fancy twin light fixture and decoration removed from the top and a standard "cobrahead" affixed there instead. I'm working on getting a photo of one with this modification, but I can tell you for sure there's one at the NE corner of Fort and Washington Blvd, two in front of 1001 Woodward on the Michigan Ave side, and one at the apex of the American Coney Island point at Lafayette and Michigan. You will never see one of these with a pineapple decorative finial on top, because they never had them in the first place.

The fourth photo depicts a full Pineapple light in it's original form. Many of these survive around the city, both in the green paint here or more modern battleship gray. Some have lost their pineapple decorative finial along the way through the years, but the fancy base and fluting remain on the pole.

The last photo shows a modified Pineapple light, which had the fancy old acorn fixture removed and replaced with a more modern cobrahead lamp. You can see the old base and pole fluting clearly here. This one has lost it's pineapple, although many retain them today. This is the same modification that the "twin-light" types received on all streets other than lower Woodward. Many similar to this exist on Michigan Avenue near Clark, for example.