Hello all! Long time lurker, first-time poster.

In the mid-to-late 1970s, when a child, my suburban family would occasionally visit Detroit, and for reasons I don't quite recall we would often use Columbia St. as part of a shortcut to get from Woodward to Cass and thence Michigan Avenue. I can remember at that point Columbia was the home to numerous small hotels, a bar called "The 33," and other small businesses. Among the names I remember are the Columbia Hotel, The Mayflower Hotel, the Lester Hotel, and I think the Hotel Washington, which I recall had a large Faygo painted ad. I'm sure there were others I don't recall. For some reason I was especially fascinated by this street when I was around 8 or 9. It was an area that struck me as, if not exactly thriving, at least showing signs of life. My question is: when was that area bulldozed for parking lots? [[When I learned to drive around 1985, I drove down that way and was shocked to see it all gone.) And does anyone have any memories of other businesses or life on this stretch?