seeking location for this photo

[Crystal]

The attached photo shows my father, Don [[b. 3/1917), on the right, and his brother, Bobby [[b. 12/1915), in Detroit.

In Google Maps I have driven down several Detroit streets looking at apartment buildings, but have not been able to find the location of this photo.

Does anyone have guesses as to the location, even a general location?

[Ray1936]

Crystal, if your library subscribes to Ancestry.com look up your grandfather's name in the 1920 census. That should show what address they are living at and you can take it from there.

Sorry, I don't subscribe to Ancestry.com.

[RaumVogel]

East Grand Boulevard?

[Lowell]

Seems a bit narrow for EGB. West Boston and West Chicago, around Lawton, was once lined with apartments of that size. Only a few remain.

[Crystal]

From old city directories we were able to find the following addresses for my Dad's [[Donald Borthwick) father [[Thomas Borthwick) and mother [[Crystal Borthwick):

1920 - Thomas Borthwick, salesman, The Electric Servant, residence: 9138 Rathbone

1922 - still on Rathbone, and Crystal was bookkeeper at R. H. Stevens Co.

1924 - Thomas Borthwick, Imperial Rug Cleaning Co, and Crystal, secretary R. H. Stevens Co, residence: 8335 12th Street

1927 - Thomas and Crystal, Imperial Rug Cleaning Co, residence: 23525 Kress

1939 - Donald R. Borthwick, clerk, J. L. Hudson Co; Jean, clerk, J. L. Hudson Co; Robert; Virginia, stenographer, residence: 9138 Rathbone

1941 - Jean Borthwick, clerk, J. L. Hudson Co; Virginia, private secretary, residence: 16859 Kentfield

None of the above addresses seem to have been near large apartment buildings. Dad looks to be about 10 or 12 [[?) in the photo, so that would date the photo to about 1927-29 or so. The boys look dressed up, so it might make sense that they might not be at home for the photo.

I discovered that my library does subscribe to ancestry.com, so I will definitely be making some field trips there to do more research.

[garyalex]

You know, I remember a street on the west side of Detroit that looked very much like this. It was called Dumbarton. It was lined with apartment buildings on both sides just like the ones in the photo. In the late sixties and early seventies I spent a fair amount of time on that street doing things I shouldn't have been doing.

I don't think this street exists any longer. I looked for it on Google Maps. It seems to have been replaced by a street called Heritage Place. The apartment buildings are gone. As I recall it ran from Grand River to Linwood.

It's probably not what you're looking for, but there's definitely a similarity.

[jcole]

This is from the 1930 census in the city of Detroit. Most of the names match, but it seems that this Crystal was remarried. Maybe a different family, but odd that the family names seem to match.

[Crystal]

Thank you so much for the information! My Dad's mother, Crystal, did remarry. We knew that the name of the second husband was Graham, but did not know that his first name was Harold D.

I wonder where 18372 Farmington Avenue was. Maybe Farmington Avenue was renamed? My Dad used to say they lived in Farmington in the Great Depression.

[jcole]

I think it might have been in the 7 Mile/Berg area based on the Ward # 22 at the top of the page. Send me a private message with your email, and I will send you a full picture of that census page.

[jcole]

That Kress address you have in the late 20's is also in Ward 22, so maybe Farmington Ave got razed for Rogel?

[Django]

It seems you all may be on to something.
The first thhing that came to my mind when I saw the pic was just south of campus, Hancock, Prentis, that area. Sumas agrees and thought the same thing when she saw it.

For me its probably just the fact that Im most familiar with that area of campus.

Good luck.

[Mikeg]

Thank you so much for the information! My Dad's mother, Crystal, did remarry. We knew that the name of the second husband was Graham, but did not know that his first name was Harold D.

I wonder where 18372 Farmington Avenue was. Maybe Farmington Avenue was renamed? My Dad used to say they lived in Farmington in the Great Depression.

Farmington Ave. was renamed to Shiawasse Drive some time after the 1930s. The address given would be somewhere along today's Shiawasse Dr. between Grand River and Seven Mile Rd.
Refer to Hornwrecker's 1930s Detroit City map segment on the upper left of this page.

[Meddle]

If indeed Dumbarton is now Heritage Pl, look at the two buildings pictured below. They look very similar in basic architecture. If I remember right, Engine 42 and Ladder 21 spent a great deal of time on Dumbarton fighting apartment house fires which could explain why so many of them are now gone as shown in the aerial image. These two appear to be the only ones left in several blocks.

[Meddle]

As far as the 1924 address on 12th Street, the 83XX block should be around the Virginia Park/Euclid area. That area could also have been lined with similar apartment buildings in the '20s, but of course there wasn't much left of 12th St after 1967.

Rathbone St; SW Detroit, bigger multi-family homes, but no larger apartments.

Kentfield St & Kress St; NW Detroit, all single family homes, no apartments.

From the time line and names given, it looks like the parents moved a couple of times and left the house on Rathbone with the son.

[Mikeg]

If indeed Dumbarton is now Heritage Pl, look at the two buildings pictured below. They look very similar in basic architecture. If I remember right, Engine 42 and Ladder 21 spent a great deal of time on Dumbarton fighting apartment house fires which could explain why so many of them are now gone as shown in the aerial image. These two appear to be the only ones left in several blocks.

Yes, this 1930s map indicates that Heritage Pl. used to be Dumbarton.

Here is a 1949 aerial photo of Dumbarton showing all of the apartment buildings on both sides of the street that existed at that time. Some of the empty lots that are being used for parking between the apartment buildings were probably once occupied by apartment buildings.

As far as the 1924 address on 12th Street, the 83XX block should be around the Virginia Park/Euclid area. That area could also have been lined with similar apartment buildings in the '20s, but of course there wasn't much left of 12th St after 1967.

Here is a 1949 aerial showing 12th between Virginia Park and Euclid and it doesn't appear to be lined with similar apartment buildings.

[jcole]

This shows 18372 Shiawassee on Google:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=18372+...117.26,,0,5.53

[Crystal]

This is wonderful information, and I can't wait to share it all with my family!

18372 Shiawassee was built in 1926, so that is probably the same house.

My older sister has been watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" and has gotten hooked on researching our family history. Now I have similarly become hooked. If WDYTYA is one big advertisement for ancestry.com, it is working really well!

[Toolbox]

My older sister has been watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" and has gotten hooked on researching our family history. Now I have similarly become hooked. If WDYTYA is one big advertisement for ancestry.com, it is working really well!

I first saw WDYTYA on CBC and am annoyed at the US version being a big commercial for ancestry.com. The CBC version is much better

[Monica]

just off the cuff.....Palmer Park area???

[jcole]

There were a ton of apartment buildings that looked like these over in the old Dexter-Davsion/Dexter-Linwood area. And I think on East and West Grand Blvd.

[westvillager]

I believe this photograph was taken on Pingree, looking east towards 14th Street. The building on the right hand side of the photo appears to be the apartment building that stands at the Southwest corner of Pingree & 14th. Beyond that appears to be a street, judging by the gap in the street wall, followed by a couple more apartment buildings.

The buildings I can see in the background seem to line up with what I can see from this old aerial photograph.



Here is Pingree & 14th today. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...12,79,,0,-8.78

[gnome]

Crystal, in looking at the first pic of the boys, I'd guess that it was taken on Easter. That guess comes from the tired snow still hanging around, the budless trees and the snazzy bowties.

Assuming that Easter was an important event in your family, you could think that the boys are visiting some relatives.

[gnome]

If you blow-up the kids pic as large as possible ... does anyone else see a sign [[looks like belongs to a gasoline firm) between their heads? It appears over the right shoulder of the little guy on the right.

[Crystal]

As often happens, the answers lead to more questions. My Dad died in 1998 but his sister Jean is still alive.

Jean told my cousin [[her daughter) that they used to live on Pingree and that there was a park nearby.

This is all so amazing, thank you so much to everyone!

Who needs WDYTYA when you have DetroitYES?