7 Mile & Hayes Lunch Counter[[Vi & Gabe's)

**Detroitej72** · November-06-10, 11:34 PM

Dose anyone here on DY have memories of the "greasy spoon" on the corner of Hayes and Fordham, one block south of 7 Mile?

The official name was, I believe, 7 Mile/ Hayes Lunch, but we always called it "Vi and Gabe's", after the names of the husband and wife owners.

Anybody remember?

**kellyroad** · November-07-10, 12:08 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

Dose anyone here on DY have memories of the "greasy spoon" on the corner of Hayes and Fordham, one block south of 7 Mile?

The official name was, I believe, 7 Mile/ Hayes Lunch, but we always called it "Vi and Gabe's", after the names of the husband and wife owners.

Anybody remember?

What era are you referring to? There was a Supreme Drug Store on the south side of Fordham on the east side of Hayes. The enterance to the store was on Fordham. That store was there from at least the early 50s to the 70s. The Vi and Gabe's establishment must have been across the street on the north side of Fordham [[don't remember the place...been out of the neighborhood since the late 70s however my folks were there till the 90s....wish I had an oppurtunity to visit there.)...The 7/Hayes area had many neat little establishments..Revco Drugs, the Electro Shack, Frank's Nursery, a barbershop on Hayes and. one block further south on Eastwood, a car wash [[which I believe still operates now)

**Brock7** · November-07-10, 12:27 AM

Was that on the east side of Hayes north of Fordham, next to the barbershop?

**mikefmich** · November-07-10, 12:51 AM

Hell yes! When working on the east side for MichCon in the early 70's, I had breakfast there more times than I could count. I never liked the coffee much, but breakfast & the portions were great. Gabe was one of the few guys who could nail an over medium egg precisely without fail.

**Rochelle St.** · November-07-10, 07:24 PM

Remember the place that sold stone and concrete fixtures next to the bowling alley?
What was the name of that business?

**Brock7** · November-08-10, 07:57 AM

The name of the place between Parakeet Lounge and Fantasy Lanes that sold concrete yard ornaments was "Outdoor Craft" if I'm not mistaken. In the very late 60's or very early 70's my sisters boyfriend said the MC5 were staying there, but he was a big BS-er so that may not be true. I remember stopping on my bike at the back in the alley to watch as one young guy with a beard was preparing to pour concrete into a mold, but I didn't stay long or try to engage him in conversation as I got the impression my presence back there annoyed him.

**Rochelle St.** · November-10-10, 08:00 AM

Does anyone remember that old wooden house on 7 mile next to the Dairy Queen and Hielman field?
It burned down in the 80's I think.
There is a liquor store on the site now.
Shame no one tried to save it.
Anyone know anything about it?
How old was it?
Pictures?

**kellyroad** · November-10-10, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by Rochelle St.

Does anyone remember that old wooden house on 7 mile next to the Dairy Queen and Hielman field?
It burned down in the 80's I think.
There is a liquor store on the site now.
Shame no one tried to save it.
Anyone know anything about it?
How old was it?
Pictures?

I believe you are referring to the Salter house just east of the old Vetere hardware store. There was a 7-Brock party store by the ice cream place in that area for years. That party store was there when the Salter house was still aroud. I'm wondering if the liquor store is in the old party store site??

**Brock7** · November-10-10, 11:01 AM

There was a gravel parking area right on the corner and a side entrance to the party store which we called Jessies. I don't know why, George and Sophie were the couple that operated the store from the early 60's to sometime in the 70's, maybe Jesse was a previous owner. The old lady who lived in the Salter house next door would often be parked on a stool passing the time of day with the couple.

Brock7
Maps from 1876 through 1915 show the 40 acres that are now bounded by State Fair, Seven Mile, Rex and Redmond as being owned by John Salter. They also show him owning the 40 acres between Hayes and Brock where Salter house on Seven Mile stood. For some reason the Detroit Common Council, rather than the land owners, ordered the land between Rex and Redmond to be platted in 1935 as the ASSESSOR'S PLAT OF JOHN SALTER ESTATE SUBDIVISION. The land between Hayes and Brock had been platted in 1925 as the EAST HAVEN SUBDIVISION and signed off on by Mary and Helena Young, and Casper and John L. Salter and their wives. It's interesting to note that all of the street names in the East Haven Sub, except for Maddelein and Seven Mile, are different than those shown in the plat for the John Salter Est. Sub which uses the current street names that we all grew up with. John L. Young is the name listed for the Salter house in 1928.
Quote:

"The oldest residence still in existence dating from this period is the old Salter House, located today at 15303 Seven Mile Road, near Morang. John Salter and his wife, Sophie Geller Salter, built the house sometime before 1880. Andrew and John Young’s mother, Helen A. Salter, was born there, and generations of the Young family were subsequently raised in it."

"The Salter Home Built in about 1870. Picture was taken around 1880. On the front porch, from left to right are Casper, Joseph, Mrs. John Salter [[Sophie Geller) holding John, Helena [[mother of Andrew Young), Casper, Mary, and John Salter [[son of Casper). The house still stands at 15303 Seven Mile Road, Detroit, MI. Picture taken from the book, Assumption Grotto Parish 150 years of Faith, 1832-1982 by Catherine Bicknell, Ph.D., Our Lady Press, Detroit, MI page 66"
Quoted from: http://ajlambert.com/anderson/str...dr.pdf [[change the three successive dots in the link to a single underscore) or use this link: http://tinyurl.com/KellyRd-PDF

EMG
My friend from the Salter family that I mentioned above has written to me providing more information on the Salter House discussed earlier in this thread. Also, I was correct about the Salters and Greiners being related. They were also related to the Youngs, for whom I imagine Young street, also in the area, was named. Here's some of what she told me:

"My grandfather was John Salter, son of Casper Salter. These are my father's relatives. This is the house I talked about that had a log cabin built under it. But it was torn down some time ago.

My mother's relatives [[the Greiners) lived at 6 Mile and Gratiot and helped build Grotto church. My great-great grandfather is buried at Grotto, in one of the first plots in the front of the cemetary. He was some kind of official for the area but I can't remember his title - something similar to Mayor of the area. Then my great-grandfather left the area and moved over to the west side of the state near Lake Michigan area [[Weare, Michigan near Hart, Michigan).

Also, the Youngs [[my paternal grandmother was a Young) owned all the property where St. Jude sits to this day. My father grew up on the St. Jude property where my grandparents' farmhouse sat. The house is still in good condition. It was moved a few blocks away. Also, the Morangs were cousins. Their house on Morang and Seven Mile Rd. is where my parents met at a party. The Salter farm was closer to Hayes. When they tore it down it was discovered to have a log cabin built under it originally. Both the Salter and Young farms were on the north side of Seven Mile. My sister attended St. Jude School from grades 1 through 8."

**kellyroad** · November-10-10, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Brock7

There was a gravel parking area right on the corner and a side entrance to the party store which we called Jessies. I don't know why, George and Sophie were the couple that operated the store from the early 60's to sometime in the 70's, maybe Jesse was a previous owner. The old lady who lived in the Salter house next door would often be parked on a stool passing the time of day with the couple.

Thanks for reposting that great research. As to the Rochelle St. question. Did the Salter house burn down in the 80s?

According to google maps it does look like the 7 Brock Party store is now a Tire Shop and there is a Beer/Wine/Lotto store just about where the Salter house was.
Is the building that housed Vetere Hardward still there? Could that be the Beer/Wine/Lotto store?

**Brock7** · November-10-10, 04:28 PM

I don't remember exactly when the Salter house was razed. The last areal photo that shows it is from October '81 the next areal view that exists is from May '97 and the house is no longer there. The Beer/Wine/Lotto store is definitely where the Salter house stood. I don't remember what was just east of the house. I remember Veteres as being more towards the middle of the block.

**Rochelle St.** · November-11-10, 07:20 PM

Thanks for the great pictures, Brock7.
Thats the house I remember.
Did it actually burn, or was it just razed? Not so sure of my memory now.
Also, does anyone know who Rochelle St. was named for?
where do you find out about this stuff?

**Brock7** · November-11-10, 09:15 PM

Although I've lived for more than half a century in the East Haven subdivision that was created from the 40 acres that the Salter house sat on, I didn't know anything about it's history until I came upon this site for the first time earlier this year. I'm not even sure now if I was aware that it was gone till I saw EMGs post about it with the link to the KellyRd.pdf in the St. Jude thread. Someone else mentioned in that thread that they'd heard a rumor that schoolkids were squatting in the house, so I suppose it was a fire that necessitated it being torn down.

Most of what I find out about local history comes from what's posted in this forum or following links provided by other members, and the rest is Google. I found a copy of the Assumption Grotto book for a reasonable price at Alibris and scanned the Salter house photo from it to try and get a better resolution than was provided by the pdf article.

Buy American · November-11-10, 09:56 PM

I understand that there was an Army camp during WW II where Heilman Field is today, does anyone have any info or pictures of it?

**kellyroad** · November-11-10, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by Brock7

Although I've lived for more than half a century in the East Haven subdivision that was created from the 40 acres that the Salter house sat on, I didn't know anything about it's history until I came upon this site for the first time earlier this year. I'm not even sure now if I was aware that it was gone till I saw EMGs post about it with the link to the KellyRd.pdf in the St. Jude thread. Someone else mentioned in that thread that they'd heard a rumor that schoolkids were squatting in the house, so I suppose it was a fire that necessitated it being torn down.

Most of what I find out about local history comes from what's posted in this forum or following links provided by other members, and the rest is Google. I found a copy of the Assumption Grotto book for a reasonable price at Alibris and scanned the Salter house photo from it to try and get a better resolution than was provided by the pdf article.

What is the East Haven subdivison? What are the boundaries? What is it referred to as the East Haven subdivision when you lived there?

9mile&seneca · November-12-10, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by mikefmich

Hell yes! When working on the east side for MichCon in the early 70's, I had breakfast there more times than I could count. I never liked the coffee much, but breakfast & the portions were great. Gabe was one of the few guys who could nail an over medium egg precisely without fail.

I wish he would open a place in Savannah,Ga. What they do here is pour a puddle of some goop with the consistency of baby oil on the grill and then put the egg in it. The egg comes up like a shiny piece of rubber. If I eat out, I just order mine scrambled now.

**Brock7** · November-12-10, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by kellyroad

What is the East Haven subdivison? What are the boundaries? What is it referred to as the East Haven subdivision when you lived there?

The info's in the self-quote in my post above about the Salter house - East Haven sub includes all the land between Brock and Hayes from 7 Mile to State Fair. I don't remember anyone calling it that, but it's specified in the legal description on my property tax bill.

**Lloyd** · November-12-10, 12:08 PM

The "greasy spoon" this thread started about was one of my very favorite places to eat when I was a teenager. Friendly people, great service and great food at a reasonable price... lot's of places today could learn a lesson from them. And, oh yeah, least I forget... that teenager washing dishes out back was their son Lou, who went to Finney High.

**Brock7** · November-13-10, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by Buy American

I understand that there was an Army camp during WW II where Heilman Field is today, does anyone have any info or pictures of it?

It was just an empty field as far as I know during WWII, but a cold war era anti-aircraft artillery gun site was there from '52 to '57. The only picture of it I'm aware of is a Detroit Edison aerial photo which I posted in the Cold War Detroit info thread and elsewhere.

Some comments from the St. Jude thread:

Brock7
My parents built their house near the south end of Heilman between Brock and Hayes in '51. My sister who was born in '54 has a memory of getting under the fence and nearly getting run over by a tank. My mother remembered soldiers trying to pick her up when she shopped Gratiot & 7. When my mother petitioned to get a street light put on our block, she worried that the neighbors across the street would be mad at her as their bedroom window was at the front of their house directly below the street light and it might disturb their sleep. After it was installed, she was relieved to learn from the man of the house that he was happy about the street light as it eliminated the annoyance of having the push mower snap used rubbers up at him when he mowed the lawn.

Eastburn
Yep, the "Army base", as I recall, ran north from Maddelein. The whole thing was fenced in. We used to talk to the soldiers through the fence.

5thSFGP
Regarding the AA base at Hielman, I lived on Manning for the first 8 years of my life. I remember my father taking me to an open house at the camp where we were allowed to "touch" the cannon and a demo of the quad fiifties. Hot chocolate and cookies were served in the mess hall. Must have made a positive impression on me because I spent 20 years in the army. When we moved to Haverhill, I would still go to Hielman to use the ice skating rink.

There were some comments about the scandal of a teen girl getting knocked-up by a soldier in the Denby thread at the old forum, and there might be a few more recollections of the base in the Heilman thread archive.

**chromestarhr** · November-18-10, 03:36 PM

My parents, Vi & Gabe owned the 7 Mile Hayes Lunch from December 1968 - October 1985. They have been retired for many years now, and are tickled that so many people remember the place. As LLOYD pointed out a few threads ago, I was the teenager in the back washing the dishes.

Buy American · November-18-10, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by chromestarhr

My parents, Vi & Gabe owned the 7 Mile Hayes Lunch from December 1968 - October 1985. They have been retired for many years now, and are tickled that so many people remember the place. As LLOYD pointed out a few threads ago, I was the teenager in the back washing the dishes.

Welcome chromestarhr...thanks for filling us in on your parents. If your parents have any old pictures they'd like to share with us from the restaurant, they would be appreciated.

**Detroitej72** · November-19-10, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by chromestarhr

As LLOYD pointed out a few threads ago, I was the teenager in the back washing the dishes.

Didn't your sister waitress there from time to time also?

One of the things that sticks out in my mind was Gary Vitto, the barber next door's son, loved his toast burnt to a crisp and we could always tell when he was in for breakfast! I believe his father, Mr. Vitto, owned the entire building. Gary went on to work for Mike Illitch in many different capacities.

Buy American · November-19-10, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

Didn't your sister waitress there from time to time also?

One of the things that sticks out in my mind was Gary Vitto, the barber next door's son, loved his toast burnt to a crisp and we could always tell when he was in for breakfast! I believe his father, Mr. Vitto, owned the entire building. Gary went on to work for Mike Illitch in many different capacities.

My son got his first haircut at his barbershop on Hayes.

**chromestarhr** · November-19-10, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

Didn't your sister waitress there from time to time also?

One of the things that sticks out in my mind was Gary Vitto, the barber next door's son, loved his toast burnt to a crisp and we could always tell when he was in for breakfast! I believe his father, Mr. Vitto, owned the entire building. Gary went on to work for Mike Illitch in many different capacities.

Yes, my sister did waitress there from time-to-time during the early 80's while I was away at Grad School. Mom & Dad thought I lacked the proper social skills to be 'in the front'.
Gary Vitto was our barber as well as a close family friend until his passing a few years back. There was never a dull moment when he was in the house.

**gbomber20** · February-10-12, 04:28 PM

Thanks for the memories of Vi and Gabe's [[especially from their son). I am the nephew of Gary Vitto and the grandson of Mr. Vitto, who owned the building and ran the barbershop next door. I was only 5 years old when the diner closed and 8 years old when Grandpa sold the building, but I do remember it fondly. I haven't thought about it in a long time. If anyone remembers Mr. Vitto bringing in his 5 year old nephew to eat, that would have been me.

Grandpa died in 1991, but Grandma Vitto is still alive and very well. If Vi and Gabe are reading this, I am sure she would like me to pass along her best wishes to you. As you referenced earlier, Gary did go on to work for Mike Ilitch in several capacities until his passing in 2001. We all miss him very much. I work for Mr. Ilitch now with the Tigers organization. Anyway, I know this thread was started a long time ago, but I just found it and I wanted to thank everyone for the memories. What would have been my Uncle Gary's 70th birthday is tomorrow, so I've been thinking a lot about his life this week. All the best, Dan G.