Growing up in the Northwest Side....

**rileyjo** · November-17-10, 09:48 AM

Softailrider, my cousins grew up on Littlefield, on the corner of Chippewa. And a good friend growing up lived on Snowden, off of Pembroke. We all went to Presentation of our Lady, on Meyers. Ahh, the memories! I lived on Robson, which was the other side of "the ditch" or James Couzens. But because of my school, I knew lots of people on the other side of the expressway. We moved out in 1968, right after the riots. It was a great place to grow up. I live in Troy now, and my kids were raised in the burbs. They both live in Chicago now, right smack in the city and love it. Walking to the store and taking public transportatio, all the things we took for granted, and my kids never experienced until they were adults. As kids, my sister and I would walk to the stores on Greenfield and Seven Mile [[my dad would say "don't walk in the alleys, and of course we would), took the bus to the libraries, especially the big one downtown, took the bus to friend's houses or rode our bikes, took the bus to Northland, best shopping center EVER, my sister worked at the movie theater on Shaefer, went to the West Side Drive in with our parents and Kiddy Land [[I'm old). Later on, worked for Church's Lumber, and they bought the land there for a lumber yard. There was nothing like growing up on the West Side, have nothing but great memories. I wish the city was like Chicago where it's safe to live and have all the stores and great restaurants to walk to. Speaking of restaurants, anyone remember Salerno's, the Italian place on Seven Mile? I miss so many places, Ricelli candies being one of them. sigh.... I'm going to be going thru old pictures now! I spent the last two years of high school in the suburbs and hated it.

**daddeeo** · November-17-10, 11:54 AM

Does anyone know what's going on with the old Wards building on Grand River and Greenfield?
Wasn't that supposed to be torn down and the land redeveloped?
That place and the Federals building across the street are the biggest eye sores in the area. There have been a couple of strip malls put in nearby but those giant monsters
really drag the spot down.

**Danny** · November-17-10, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

Does anyone know what's going on with the old Wards building on Grand River and Greenfield?
Wasn't that supposed to be torn down and the land redeveloped?
That place and the Federals building across the street are the biggest eye sores in the area. There have been a couple of strip malls put in nearby but those giant monsters
really drag the spot down.

The Old Montgomery Wards Building on Grand River and Greenfield St. became a DOOMED TO FAILURE! Mini Mall called Tower Center Plaza. The owners from Southfield are trying their best to rehab the building.

After Federal shut its doors in 1971, Kingsway took over. Then it closed it doors in 1990, Replaced my Asian owned mini mall called Mammonth's. Then it close its doors around the early 2000s. The building remains totally vacant.

**Danny** · November-17-10, 01:00 PM

upinnair

Do you know a neighbor named Ms. Nevell? She live next door to my house about in the 1980s until she died.

**Parkguy** · November-17-10, 01:05 PM

Daddeeo, you may be thinking of the old Ward store at Schaeffer and Michigan in Dearborn. They demolished it and have build a new mixed-use development. As for the GR-Greenfield Ward's , are some small stores in the old building, and it looks OK overall. You are right about the Federal store. It is a disaster. Just about everything on the SE corner for two blocks is awful. I moved to Rosedale Park in '78, and I remember shopping there: Wards, Crowley's, Federal's, and so on. It was quite the shopping area and very busy. Notice that all of those companies are out of business, not just those stores. I was just thinking this morning about how much traffic there used to be on Grand River as I was coming back from the bank. Some of that was because the Jeffries wasn't totally completed until the mid to late '70s and there was local traffic plus through traffic headed out to I-96.

**daddeeo** · November-17-10, 04:35 PM

You are right about the traffic.
We moved out in 1978 but before that I used to take the bus downtown or out to Northland from there.
That area used to be a small city unto itself. We had everything you could need.
There have been plans to rehab that Wards building for years. Nothing ever seems to come of it...just drips and drabs.

**bahbay** · November-19-10, 07:56 PM

Can you still post to this thread?

**bahbay** · November-19-10, 08:14 PM

Holy Smoke! I thought this thread was dead.
I lived at Whitcomb and Lyndon. My folks bought our house there in 1953 for $14,500. I went to Robert Burns
Elementary on Terry and Lyndon. Then I attended SMR for the 5th and 6th grades. I moved away until returning to SMR for half of the 8th grade and all of the 9th. After that I went to Cooley for the 10th and 11th grades.

Had many wonderful years rolling around that hood. From baseball on the Cooley hardball diamonds to swimming at night in the Cooley pool to skating in the side lot of a private home on Coyle street between Lyndon and Eaton in the winter.

Used to hang out at Cunningham's Drugstore at Grand River and Greenfield as well as in the Kresge, Wards, and Federal stores. Had a lot of friends from SMR and hung out in Rosedale Park for ice skating and then White Castle rat burgers at Southfield and Grand River.

Went to Wayne State for a while then moved to San Francisco in the fall of 1974 and been out here ever since.

I share the sense of deprivation that is voiced so often on this forum. All my friends here all talk about going home to see their old friends and marvel at how their hoods have changed. They have no idea what it is like to have come up in NW Detroit during one of the most idyllic periods of that town's history and then be required to somehow make sense of what it has become.

I thank all of you who have contributed to this forum. I intend to do what I can to help fill in any gaps. I look forward to meeting you.

Thanks again,

Bob

**ptero** · November-19-10, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by bahbay

Holy Smoke! I thought this thread was dead.
I lived at Whitcomb and Lyndon. My folks bought our house there in 1953 for $14,500. I went to Robert Burns
Elementary on Terry and Lyndon.

Bob

Hey Bob, I've got a feeling we were at Burns at the same time. Where were you 11/22/63? I distinctly remember being in the gym, then going up the steps toward the hallway as we were sent home when JFK was shot.

Remember Mr Hagen in the shop? He also ran the safety boys. My corner was Strathmoor and Lyndon. We lived on the corner of Ardmore and Eaton from 53-71.

The Great Lakes was our home movie house. Later, while at WSU in theatre, I jobbed in to the Great Lakes when the Nederlanders[[Fisher) were running it as the Vest Pocket Theatre. They did shows such as Hair, No Place to Be Somebody, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men.

Good times.

**daddeeo** · November-20-10, 12:04 AM

Does anybody have any photos of the area back in the 50's, 60's or 70's?

I'd love to share and swap a few.

**bahbay** · November-20-10, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by ptero

Hey Bob, I've got a feeling we were at Burns at the same time. Where were you 11/22/63? I distinctly remember being in the gym, then going up the steps toward the hallway as we were sent home when JFK was shot.

Remember Mr Hagen in the shop? He also ran the safety boys. My corner was Strathmoor and Lyndon. We lived on the corner of Ardmore and Eaton from 53-71.

The Great Lakes was our home movie house. Later, while at WSU in theatre, I jobbed in to the Great Lakes when the Nederlanders[[Fisher) were running it as the Vest Pocket Theatre. They did shows such as Hair, No Place to Be Somebody, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men.

Good times.

PTERO,
Thanks for the note. I remember Hagen - tall, skinney, glasses and I think he smoked a pipe. But you are a few years younger than me cuz I was working by Nov. '63. But I def remember the Great Lakes and I actually auditioned for Hair at the [[then) Vest Pocket. Thanks again!

**ptero** · November-20-10, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by bahbay

PTERO,
Thanks for the note. I remember Hagen - tall, skinney, glasses and I think he smoked a pipe. But you are a few years younger than me cuz I was working by Nov. '63. But I def remember the Great Lakes and I actually auditioned for Hair at the [[then) Vest Pocket. Thanks again!

Awesome! Minor trivia: Meat Loaf and girlfriend Stoney joined the cast of Hair while it was still in Detroit.

Take Care...

**Oldpuck** · November-21-10, 04:54 PM

I grew up on Ardmore near Lyndon. I attended Mother of our Savior 5th-8th grade graduating in 1960. Then on to St. Mary of Redford. All my neighborhood friends went to Cooley, however.

I had a Detroit Times paper route on Coyle and Sussex between Fenkell and Grand River for a couple of years.

I spent a lot of time hanging out around the Grand River/Greenfield area. There was a Sanders at Grand River and Winhrop where I used to get my Hot Fudge Sundae fix.

There was also a roller rink for a short time in an old grocery store at Greenfield near Lyndon. My two memories of that place are dislocating my finger stopping a fall, and watching Joey Dee and the Starlighters lip-synching their current hit, The Peppermint Twist.

Steve Jenks

**daddeeo** · November-21-10, 05:14 PM

Hey Steve, too bad you missed the MOS reunion last year. Pat McKnight was there.
Have any old photos of the neighborhood?

**ptero** · November-21-10, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by Oldpuck

I grew up on Ardmore near Lyndon.

Steve Jenks

Welcome to dyes Steve. Hey, d'ya remember the garage on Lyndon with the pit for doing oil changes and such? It was always so daarrk and small in there WITH A HOLE IN THE FLOOR!! Somehow it always intrigued this lil kid. We'd pass it going to Sawyer Park, unless we were coming down Cruse from Eaton over the tracks.

Still flash on that memory now and then...

**Oldpuck** · November-21-10, 09:11 PM

I played baseball from 9am until dark every day during the summer at Sawyer Park. In the winter it was backyard hockey on a couple of small home rinks in the neighborhood [[Wickett brothers and Eddie Harmon).

I don't have any neighborhood pictures, but I have a class photo of our graduating 8th grade class at Mother of our Savior that should stir up memories in some people. I am amazed at how many names I can still rattle off from this 1960 picture.

I am third from the right in the front row.

Attachment 7843

Steve Jenks

**daddeeo** · November-22-10, 08:41 AM

Helena Battel and Mother Marius were at the reunion.
Any other school pics?

**Oldpuck** · November-22-10, 08:10 PM

That's it; just the 8th grade picture. I remember her "promotion" to Mother which took place while I was there. I actually traded a few emails with her a few years ago while she was at Bowling Green.

**daddeeo** · November-22-10, 10:14 PM

She's now called Sr. Theresa Milne and is at the Mother House in Monroe.
I think she's 86 yrs old.

**Momskiki** · February-05-11, 06:18 PM

Graduated with both, it was a wonderful place to live! Safe and beautiful place to grow up in the 60's!

**ASR89** · February-05-11, 08:35 PM

Welcome to the forum, Momskiki.

**Lt. Dan Bassett** · February-06-11, 08:41 AM

why are there so many dang Catholics, including me, in this thread? I too, often take the drive down Pembroke from Beech, then to Frisbee and on to the homestead on Woodbine. Neighborhood is a mess -- starting with developers wanting to buy the neighborhood and deal fell though. [[maybe a bit better since last fall -- [[drugthugs gone)
St. Agatha. 1955 -1967. And yes, I have "dare[[d) to be different." RIP Rev. John T. Reid.

**JTistle1** · February-06-11, 09:13 AM

My mother and my aunt grew up on Manor, south of Fenkell, about two or three houses north of the park on the west side of the street. They went to Cooley High school also. I went by their old house this past summer and took pictures for my aunt, and she was happy to see someone still lived there and that it was still standing.She couldn't believe how tall the bushes were in front of the house.

**econ expat** · February-06-11, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Lt. Dan Bassett

why are there so many dang Catholics, including me, in this thread? I too, often take the drive down Pembroke from Beech, then to Frisbee and on to the homestead on Woodbine. Neighborhood is a mess -- starting with developers wanting to buy the neighborhood and deal fell though. [[maybe a bit better since last fall -- [[drugthugs gone)
St. Agatha. 1955 -1967. And yes, I have "dare[[d) to be different." RIP Rev. John T. Reid.

I wonder if anyone really did hear Rev John T. Reid in his haunts of the school? He sure scared me when he was alive. Also went there 65-72. My parents unsuccessfully begged him not to expel me. His words "He'll graduate here over my dead body" I was graduated public HS in 74', also the year he died.

I do respect what he and the parish founders built, remarkable what they had built within 15 years.[[Just before we moved to the area)

Maybe he's haunting the new owners of his school, Ellis group, [[Greater Grace).

The haunted article is not entirely true and somewhat dated, maybe 2000-2001?. The school never became Cardinal Dearden HS, that name was proposed. Instead was briefly St Catherine Siena. Possibly a tribute to Fr Reid's mother, Catherine Agatha?
From web page: StrangeUSA.com: http://www.strangeusa.com/ViewLocati...ocationid=5467
St. Agatha School
Redford, Mi 48239
County: Wayne
Location Description:

soon to be Cardinal Dearden High School St. Agatha's is haunted by the founding priest, Fr. John T. Reid. He named the parish after his mother. He has been seen in the grade school late in the evening. His voice has been heard in the gym coming loudly out of speakers that have, for a long time, not been working. One time, he said "Get out of here, get out of here now." He usually appears or is heard when there are few people around. People have heard footsteps and keys rattling at dusk. In the corridor, between the high school and the gym, a strange feeling has been experienced by many in which the hair will stand up on your arms and the back of your necks. Walking through the complex, late in the evening, you can sometimes feel like he's watching you and you can occasionally hear him.

**Lt. Dan Bassett** · February-06-11, 03:53 PM

"Walking through the complex, late in the evening, you can sometimes feel like he's watching you and you can occasionally hear him."

I don't doubt that Fr. Reid walks those halls -- he was such a vivid and fearsome personality. If he grunted at you when you served as an altar boy you were lucky. I remember the time I dropped the incense holder with the spoon into the hot tubes of the PA system on a holy day. holy hell broke loose for a moment. one of my finer moments -- that and standing way up there on the altar and looking down into the congregation of first to 12th graders and seeing my friends give me the finger -- and trying not to laugh while being a good server.