Far west side pictures prior to 1965.

highjinx · January-24-11, 04:36 PM

I have searched hi and low for pictures of two area's I had frequent back when I grew up in the 50's near MacKenzie High School.
The two areas are as follows:

West Chicago Blvd. Between Birwood and Meyers Road; This was the life line of our neighborhood; what ever you needed, it was in that four block stretch.

Joy & Greenfield Roads; they four corners of that area were a shopping mecca.

When I was a young, I would take a lot of pictures, but for some odd reason, none of them made it as far as I did. If anyone has leads to these type of pictures or has any to share; please let me know!

Oh, I have tried the Wayne State, Detroit News, and a few other pic on-line sources with no luck.

I would real like to see Dave's Dime Store from back in the day.

**DetroitPlanner** · January-24-11, 04:52 PM

Go to facebook, there is a group there that centers around 48228 that has a ton of pics posted of that bintage.

highjinx · February-13-12, 02:42 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Go to facebook, there is a group there that centers around 48228 that has a ton of pics posted of that bintage.

Do you have an exact name of the group you indicated. I tried Detroit 48228 but there was 8 of them and it's a closed group.
Thanks for any additional information you may supply.

**1986Tbird** · February-13-12, 08:50 AM

The FB page is called "The Ol' Neighborhood 48228".

**gazhekwe** · February-13-12, 03:18 PM

I don't have any pix, more's the pity. I walked West Chicago from Littlefield to Mackenzie for a year. I remember Dino's Pizza, Mara's Italian Restaurant, Elliott General Hospital, a Greek bakery [[dated two of the guys from there), a record shop pretty close to the school, [[Birwood maybe), Puri-Test Donuts [[why does everything have to do with food?). There was a grocery store, Apollo maybe, a hardware store near Ward, I think. A nursing home on the corner of Littlefield. Was there a drug store along there, or a party store maybe? I will probably remember more things.

**Ray1936** · February-13-12, 04:27 PM

Gaz, you have a mind like a steel trap. I walked pretty much that same walk in my Mackenzie days, and I can't remenber a danged thing along the route, except for the drug store on the NW corner of W. Chicago and Wyoming......and I can't bring up the name of it to save my life.

**gazhekwe** · February-13-12, 07:14 PM

What street did you live on? I was on Littlefield first block south of W. Chicago. As for memory, it seems I was interested in food, well, boys, too, of course. I remember Tastee Freez, which had both food AND boys, and Mott's on the corner of Schaefer and W. Chicago as well. There was a disco dance club I think on Chicago west of Schaefer. They had a blinking sign on the front of the building, was it a martini glass?

**Mackenzie68** · February-13-12, 07:39 PM

Additional things I can see mentally walking to Mackenzie on West Chicago: Southwest side of Cheyenne, second floor dentist who drilled on me for weeks with no Novocain. Ward, JB Hardware, Ward or Cheyenne, second floor office of mom's doctor. North side, a bar that opened in the morning, very scandalous. Auto parts store, small dime store, candy store [[probably a drug store) at the corner of Wyoming and WC, Grace Methodist Church just west of there, the only church I can think of. Still thinking.

Now, what did I do yesterday? I haven't a clue.

**Ray1936** · February-13-12, 09:14 PM

Lived on Steel up around Grand River, Gaz, but used to peddle my bike to school most of the time as I had a paper route after school. I took every way imaginable to Mackenzie from there; usually down GR to Wyoming, but sometimes just down Meyers to WC and over. Then my paper route station was at GR and first block w/of Wyoming. And do you think I can recall the name of that street? Dah. But Mackenzie68 -- yesterday we went to a friend's home where we played cards. Girls beat the guys, 4 to 3. See? I can remember some things.

**SMRJim** · February-14-12, 12:30 PM

Here's a link to that FB page [[it's 48227 and 48228)...

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...s/oldhood2728/

I grew up near Grand River and Greenfield, lots of good pics on that page.

**EL Jimbo** · February-14-12, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by highjinx

I grew up in the 50's near MacKenzie High School.
The two areas are as follows:

So did my dad. MacKenzie class of '62.

**lafayette** · February-15-12, 03:30 PM

Does anyone remember a bar called Harry's or Henry's in the Plymouth and Southfield area?

**kacz1** · February-15-12, 04:14 PM

Henry's was at Ford Road and Southfield

**DetroitPlanner** · February-15-12, 04:39 PM

Henry's was a hamburger place on Greenfield N of Plymouth!

There was a Henry's bar that was part of the Big Boy's where kacz1 mentions. I don't ever remember it being open however. The building now houses the Red Robin Hamburger place.

**SMRJim** · February-15-12, 04:40 PM

There was also a Harrys Sports Bar at the SE corner of Telegraph and I-96. Closed down in the late 90s or so after a nasty holdup incident.

**Mackenzie68** · February-15-12, 05:17 PM

I was thinking Manor, but that is east of Meyers. Then I was thinking Pinehurst, but that didn't seem right either. Kentucky is east of Wyoming. Google maps says so.

I generally walked from Cheyenne down to Orangelawn or West Chicago and then headed east. Always cut across the big field to go in the back door of Mackenzie.

And yesterday for dinner I had ...... leftovers! See, I remembered.

And, I have no photos of the area, except in the depths of memory.

**CityGirl** · February-15-12, 06:17 PM

There was a bar on the corner of Faust and Plymouth Rd, just West of Southfield. I don't remember the name. There was a Dunkin Donuts to the East of it.

**fareastsider** · February-15-12, 09:01 PM

I have always been interested in the west side past Schaefer or Greenfield. This is a part of town that was built out mostly after 1945. Up until then most of the land was wide open and is relatively new compared to other parts of the city. The same thing can be said for the far east side north of 7 Mile. Another interesting thing to me is the fact that many streets were laid out but never had homes built as the subdivision speculators lost out when the crash hit. So for many years many barely unimproved roads stretched the grid pattern across many miles of flat former farmland. It is difficult to imagine the vast open spaces today. I to am also always searching for photos of the west side from 1925-1960 as the pattern of development of this part of the city is an interesting one to me. That FB group is full of great photos and history.

highjinx · February-15-12, 09:23 PM

Tasty Freeze on Hartwell & W. Chicago
Nursing home Littlefield yes
Did you know Suzy Toth? Or any of the LaBlanc's or Schusters?
Drug Store on the corner of Ward & W, Chicago
Florist & Barber Shop, then;
Elliot Hospital between Ward & Sorrento
Sorrento Market
I worked at Dion's Pizza on the corner of West Chicago [Wesh Chicago] and Steel; two guys named Tony owned it, or Kenny S. or John F. who delivered pizzas.
Did you know there was a recording studio two doors down from Dinos; also worked there.
Dentist Office Appoline & W. Chicago.
Blackstone Bar
Collision Shop, then Standard Gas station; on Meyers, and across from that was the;
Original corner building that Wrigleys was first in before moving to Joy Rd & Pinehurst.
Then Shop Repair and Barber shops next to each other.
And it was Mario's Italian Restaurant on the Corner of West Chicago & Manor.
Directly across was Gremmels Lounge, Gremmels upstairs bowling alley and corner drug store.
Manor Liquor store, then the beauty salon, then the hardware store.
Dave's dime store was on the next block.
Then Johnson Milk Depot.
The Greek Bakery,
Medical offices that we receded back fro the other buildings.
Barber Shop, then;
It was Spector's TV Repair & Record Shop on the SW corner of West Chicago & Mendota.
Then used car lot, American Brick Company, and at Birwood, Doctor/Dentist offices then MacKenzie field.
Across the street it was A&E Market and the Paint Store & Parking lot on one corner, then the Drug Store, plumber shop, beer store, produce which became a coin laundry; across the parking lot was Morris Alarm Company, C&D TV repair and the big Gray PresbyterianChurch and the Light Store.
You could say I have walked that area very frequently back in the day, near 20 years of walking, biking and driving around that area.
How about McFarlane?????
I sure am having fun with this.

**Wheels** · February-15-12, 09:23 PM

I lived on Coyle off Joy rd for a short time in the early 60s.

I remember riding bikes up to Greenfield and Joy to the large empty field on the south west corner.

Several acres with trails and jumps for bikes
.
It also had underground tunnels that I was told were old fruit cellars from the original Ford farm that was massive in that area in the late 1800s.

Henry and his Wife are buried in front of a church right there on Joy rd.

**1986Tbird** · February-15-12, 11:58 PM

Wheels, I lived at 8151 Coyle from 1958 to 1986. Did you go to Parkman? I too used to play in that field, behind Lutheran West. Saw Eddie Feigner and his softball team King and His Court there.

**1986Tbird** · February-16-12, 12:01 AM

CityGirl, Google Maps lists Starter's Lounge at Plymouth and Faust. I used to go to Mr. Ted's after work, just a couple of blocks east of here.

**Wheels** · February-16-12, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by 1986Tbird

Wheels, I lived at 8151 Coyle from 1958 to 1986. Did you go to Parkman? I too used to play in that field, behind Lutheran West. Saw Eddie Feigner and his softball team King and His Court there.

Tbird, No Iived at 8603 across from the play field for Parkman, but I went to George Ford Jr. High 63-64

**gazhekwe** · February-16-12, 05:02 PM

highjinks, yes, I do know all those people, in fact, I am two for one, I bet you can guess who I am. I am from one family, married into one of the others. I am trying to figure out who you are. Did you hang out with my sister or my brother?

I love your mental map of W. Chicago, now that I "see" it, I agree with it.

highjinx · February-20-12, 09:36 AM

Thanks for solving a long standing question in my head.
The tunnels I played around and in fact crawled through once or twice.
I now know a reasonable answer for what they were.
Fruit cellars for the old Ford Farm.
I bet old Henry is turning in his grave in seeing how his farm has changed.
I always understood that it went from Joy Rd. to the tracks; along the tracks to Greenfield then back to Joy Rd..