McGraw and Livernois buildings

[DetroitZack]

I was hoping to get some discussion on what all the abandonments at McGraw and Livernois once were and hear any stories people have of going there.

The abandoned building at the southeast corner is complete ruins. At the northeast corner there is a bunch of buildings, on the west side it says Trading Center. And there is this old writing on a part of the building...all I can make out is Wheel Co., I'm not sure what the first 2 words are.




and a shot of the structure at the southeast corner...

[MikeM]

Kelsey-Hayes, maker of wheels and brakes.

See the bottom of this thread:

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1111462014

[Bcscott]

K-H wheels are still very sought after in the traditional hot rod scene as well as with restorers and nice ones bring big money. They are similar to the stock 1932-1936 Ford spoke wheels but have a distinctive bend in the spokes.

[Detroit_uke]

The first photo looks like Kelsey-Hayes. I grew up on Willette [[2 blocks from McGraw - 2 blocks from Warren Ave and 1 block off of Livernois)....lived there from 1954-1970. The Kelsey-Hayes plant was going strong then. The second photo - that looks like Hanneman elementary school....takes up an entire block - Pittsburg to McGraw....one block off of Livernois - and across the street from Hanneman - was Alexander cleaners.

[jjaba]

All of the above is true. Some timelines would be excellent.
The area does look to be in dire straights.
In post-WWII Detroit, the area was known as the "Westend", a stable and nice integrated Black and Tan working class neighborhood. Detroit was loaded with such neighborhoods, anchored by a large factory, where workers could practically walk to them, or take the DSR.
Mostly, you lived on the side of Detroit where you worked or where a population of your ethnic group or religious group lived.
Research on Kelsey-Hayes shows them in Romulus, Northville, Howell, and Southfield in various decades of company history. jjaba thinks that about 1927 is when the plant in question went in on Mc Graw. West on Mc Graw was the Desoto works, later Chrysler, and the Chrysler Glass Works near Wyoming.
jjaba, Westsider.

[reddog289]

I just bought some brake calibers from a internet auto parts store. KelseyHayes/TRW. That was a big company back then. As I recall their wheels for the Fords are very much sought after. I like 5 spokes so I don't follow that route. Uncle of mine worked for KH in Romulus. Big plant.
Since my "Gramps" grew up in that area, I gotta email him, send him a link. he will tell all, Well maybe, He Hates Detroit now. Lives up north. Detroit too noisy and crime ridden for him.

[Bcscott]

I don't know the whole story but that K-H factory on McGraw is a rather significant part of UAW history. I believe it was one of if not the first factory targeted for organization in 1937 or so. I've seen some pictures of the strike from the Wayne State archives I think. MikeM or Hornwrecker could probably shed some more light on the subject.

[jjaba]

Kelsey-Hayes was making wheels for Ford, Hudson, Chalmers, Studebakers, and Paige by 1915. Over the yrs., and many buy-outs later, they have made wheels and brakes for cars, trucks, airplanes, ag. equipment, tanks, and no tanks.

As for labor troubles, the UAW local pulled a Wildcat Strike against K-H in 1946, lasting 46 days. This was an era when Govt. War Producers were obliged to keep wages stagnant and with rising consumer prices, labor rebelled.

jjaba on the Westside.

[MikeM]

I don't know the whole story but that K-H factory on McGraw is a rather significant part of UAW history. I believe it was one of if not the first factory targeted for organization in 1937 or so. I've seen some pictures of the strike from the Wayne State archives I think. MikeM or Hornwrecker could probably shed some more light on the subject.

Other that what I quoted on the other thread, I don't know how significant the strike was. It was of one of the largest sit-down strikes prior to the famous Flint sit-down strike. I think it was the first strike by Walter Reuther's local.

[Hornwrecker]

Found a decent history:

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/compa...y-History.html

[Bcscott]

Well there you go. Are either or both of you guys available for idustrial ruin driving tours? If so lunch is on me anywhere you want to go

[Andrew in Windsor]

I know the K-H plant was the first auto plant in Canada to be unionized... Around the same time, 1936-37...

[jjaba]

When it comes to Detroit auto factory history, look to MikeM and Hornwrecker.
Thanks Andrew for your Canadian perspective, eh. Although Andrew in Windsor lives but 4 blocks from the USA, he is the onliest guy on the planet who knows so much Canadian auto lore. Good on ya.
jjaba, Old timey Westside newsboy.

[1KielsonDrive]

The Kelsey family had a large summer home on East River Road on Grosse Ile. I'll remember the corner eventually. I think it was Church. It looked at the Canadian side and had a beach veranda and lawn across the street on the water. There was about a twelve car garage out back with attached servants quarters above and in front facing the main house. There was also a stables and corral in the back, but I'm not sure if it was originally part of the Kelsey estate or if it still exists. I stayed in the servants quarters, converted to an apartment, on a few occasions during the 70's.

[1KielsonDrive]

It's at East River Road and Ferry. Looks like it's all still there, the cottage, servant's quarters and stables.

[DetroitZack]

Our very own detroitbob brought to my attention yesterday that the structure at the southeast corner is being demolished. Pictures coming soon.

[d2dyeah]

The first photo looks like Kelsey-Hayes. I grew up on Willette [[2 blocks from McGraw - 2 blocks from Warren Ave and 1 block off of Livernois)....lived there from 1954-1970. The Kelsey-Hayes plant was going strong then. The second photo - that looks like Hanneman elementary school....takes up an entire block - Pittsburg to McGraw....one block off of Livernois - and across the street from Hanneman - was Alexander cleaners.

I was born in 1951 and we lived on the corner of Livernois and McGraw That is Hanneman and it had a great playground as well. There was a Texaco station on the N/W corner that was famous for its lavish Xmas display every year of Texaco toy trucks. Directly across on the S/W corner was an independent supermarket, owned by an italian man and his family, who always gave out free candy. One block west of livernois, across from the school ,was a bakery in an old house, with huge plate glass windows, and steps leading up to the door. They had a clock on the wall of a fat baker/chef, with eyes that went from side to side, that use to mesmerize us kids when we went in. My parents say they were really happy in that neighborhood, and have many fond memories.

[renf]

Where were the Graham-Paige vehicles produced in Detroit? Is their plant still standing?
Thanks.

[Hornwrecker]

Where were the Graham-Paige vehicles produced in Detroit? Is their plant still standing?
Thanks.

Yes, they had a few plants around Detroit, but the only one still standing is at 8505 W. Warren, just over the Detroit border, in Dearborn. This plant was sold to Kaiser-Frazer after the war, and then it became a De Soto factory until 1961.

http://www.wcroberts.org/Paige_History.html

[drjeff]

All of the above is true. Some timelines would be excellent.

Research on Kelsey-Hayes shows them in Romulus, Northville, Howell, and Southfield in various decades of company history. jjaba thinks that about 1927 is when the plant in question went in on Mc Graw. West on Mc Graw was the Desoto works, later Chrysler, and the Chrysler Glass Works near Wyoming.
jjaba, Westsider.

Kelsey-Hayes had a big facility in Jackson as well, at least into the 1990s. No idea if it's still there. I grew up in Jackson and had many friends whose fathers worked at Kelsey-Hayes.

[56packman]

I have a friend who has been a first mate on yachts, which means he cooks one fine dinner for the cruise after helping the captain launch the craft. In the 1970s he was first mate aboard the Kelsey-Hayes fleet. He told me of a night back then when the company took a bunch of Ford executives out on the Detroit River for a night of cruising, eating and drinking, a fairly normal occurrence. The "Old man" either Kelsey or Hayes was present, as "Chairman emeritus" and he just sat in his chair and nursed a drink while all of the partying was going on. He asked his son "who are all these people"? "why are we taking them out"? The son explained "these are executives from Ford, we want to get more business from them" the old man replied "Back during the depression I just invited Henry Ford duck hunting, when I got him out in the marsh I just told him "Dammit Henry, you need to buy more wheels, my men need work or I'll have to lay them off."

[theresa]

The second photo is NOT Hanneman Schoool, but a building across McGraw from the Kelsey-Hayes demolished plant. I was just there two days ago and took these photos. Hanneman School is across Livernois [[west side) from the K-H location. I'm assuming the building on McGraw [[my top photo) was part of the K-H complex.

[nat]

I don't know if this of any interest to you guys but I found a few old archive photos of a distant relative who worked at K-H in the 1940s. With your permission I will post them here as I believe the photos were taken outside the plant and perhaps the background will show something about the immediate building[[s) behind the subjects. Maybe you will recognize them?

Also, I am posting the back of one of the photos which says "Photo Finishing Institute May 21, 1940 Robison-Phillips Corp." Does this tell you anything?