AFEES Building?

**paddy_crow** · January-10-11, 09:56 AM

Hello, all. New forum participant here.

I have become interested in retracing my steps from when I joined the US Navy in Sept 1975. Unfortunately, 35 years has taken its toll on my memory!

The Book Cadillac was pretty easy to find. That morning, we walked from there to the AFEES [[Armed Forces Entry and Examination Station) building in downtown. Finding any references for that was a challenge, but I managed to find a document online that placed it at 426 Clinton St. The building there now is called the Tremonti building. Is this the same building? It looks like its either remodeled or the old building was razed and a new building constructed on the lot. Any info on this would be appreciated.

I know that I left town by Amtrak to Chicago and changed to a C-NW train for the trip up to Great Lakes. What I don't recall was whether I left via Michigan Central Station. For some reason, I remember Union Station in Chicago, but I don't remember where we caught the train in Detroit or how we got there from the AFEES building. Would there have been another Amtrak stop downtown in those days?

**Blueidone** · January-10-11, 10:06 AM

426 Clinton is where the AFEES Building was. I remember driving by it on my way back and forth to work. And I believe my son had to go there for testing when he entered the Navy.

I can't help with the Amtrak info, except to say that I know that MCS was still the main train station in 1975, but I don't know if there were others.

Good luck with your search...I'm sure some of the other folks on here will be able to help you.

**DetroitPlanner** · January-10-11, 11:08 AM

The only other train station you would use to get to Chicago would have been Fort. The Fort Street station [[at Fort and Third) should have been shut down by then. I can recall my father bringing home artifiacts from it while he was working on a larger project that cleared land for Joe Louis, its garage, and Wayne County Community College. Joe Louis opened in 1980.

**paddy_crow** · January-10-11, 11:56 AM

Thanks. I just did a little research on the Fort St Union Station, apparently the last train departed from it in 1971 and it was torn down in 1974.

**mcsdetroitfriend** · January-10-11, 12:14 PM

Amtrak was at MCS almost from the outset of the Amtrak program, and almost immedietely Amtrak renovated the station, some things good, some things bad [[stick on siding, cinderblock walls, etc). So by 1975 it would've been MCS, in your excitement I'm sure it would be easy to forget things like that, my grandfather [[a WWII Marine vet) doesn't remember anything about going through the train station either, but then again he refuses to remember much about the war, he was in the Philippines).

**EastsideAl** · January-10-11, 02:15 PM

The Tremonti building is a remodel of the old Armed Forces induction center. At least that's the building that was used when my friends went into the service back in the late '70s and early '80s. The building is now used by the Corrections Dept. and the Probation and Parole Office, amongst other things.

Back when my father went into the Army the intake place was on Fort St. across from Union Station, and he was sent out from there on a train to Ft. Custer out by Kalamazoo for all of the formalities.

**1KielsonDrive** · January-10-11, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by paddy_crow

Hello, all. New forum participant here.

I have become interested in retracing my steps from when I joined the US Navy in Sept 1975. Unfortunately, 35 years has taken its toll on my memory!

The Book Cadillac was pretty easy to find. That morning, we walked from there to the AFEES [[Armed Forces Entry and Examination Station) building in downtown. Finding any references for that was a challenge, but I managed to find a document online that placed it at 426 Clinton St. The building there now is called the Tremonti building. Is this the same building? It looks like its either remodeled or the old building was razed and a new building constructed on the lot. Any info on this would be appreciated.

I know that I left town by Amtrak to Chicago and changed to a C-NW train for the trip up to Great Lakes. What I don't recall was whether I left via Michigan Central Station. For some reason, I remember Union Station in Chicago, but I don't remember where we caught the train in Detroit or how we got there from the AFEES building. Would there have been another Amtrak stop downtown in those days?

Yes, that is the same building.

**1KielsonDrive** · January-10-11, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

The Tremonti building is a remodel of the old Armed Forces induction center. At least that's the building that was used when my friends went into the service back in the late '70s and early '80s. The building is now used by the Corrections Dept. and the Probation and Parole Office, amongst other things.

Back when my father went into the Army the intake place was on Fort St. across from Union Station, and he was sent out from there on a train to Ft. Custer out by Kalamazoo for all of the formalities.

That is correct.