  Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1461 Registered: 11-2003 |
I am a big fan of Pingree square (now Gratiot/Broadway/Randolph intersection) and found some great pictures in one of the books I have, "Detroit City of Industry." Next to that, there's a veritable sea of parking lots between Gratiot/Monroe and Randolph/Beaubien; I found a shot of Gratiot and Farmer looking at the Ferry Seed (now International Centre), looking through what would be the Compuware Garage today, but nothing of that area. Especially, what piqued me and my friend's interest is that there's a pawn shop there that looks like at one time it wasn't painted like a liquor store and had windows; and next to it is this funny little wedge that's like 4 parking spaces and makes no sense, unless the building before it was sorta odd. To me, it's a shame that's all parking lots (although kudos to one for at least installing a decent fence and repaving recently). That should be a retail district to connect Greektown to Harmonie Park/Paradise Valley and the Stadia; and then you'd have one contiguous, hoppin' district in the shadow of DPD headquarters. Anyone have any pics or idea of what was there before? I'd post the pics I have but they're in a book and I'm hesitant to reproduce without permission. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3797 Registered: 07-2004 |
What? Another enemy of convenient parking? What? Has everybody gone crazy??  Seriously, I think lots of those surface lots are there for the police. That's a major insult to downtown, I think. It irks me that even for-profit parking providers are building multistory buildings to house autos, but the police get their surface lots and special dedicated spots all around 1300 Beaubien. Think of the north side of Monroe between Beaubien and St. Antoine: That's jam-packed with businesses. Now think of the north side of that very same block: Almost all dedicated cop parking. Apparently, they must level an area so they have a place to park their cars. I'd rather we go back to the old days where cops rode the streetcar to work. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1462 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hey, I want surface retail with a low-costing to patrons garage or free for first three hours if you buy stuff ;-) I want convenient parking, just not ugly convenient parking :-) I don't know, DN, I walk through there alot, and I don't see cop cars in those lots, unless you're referring to their personal vehicles in which case I couldn't tell. I see plenty of cop cars parked in the Compuware Garage, though, sometimes as many as twenty. | ||
Eastsideal Member Username: Eastsideal Post Number: 80 Registered: 10-2007 |
That area was once one of the neighborhoods for the inevitable number of single transient men that a city of easy industrial employment attracted. Macomb St. in particular was a sort of mini skid row of flop houses, bars, and very low cost stores and services, although never as big as Detroit's main skid row on Michigan Ave. between downtown and Tiger Stadium. In fact, that area held what I believe was the last barracks-style flop house in Detroit, and until very recently one of the city's great down-market bars, Leman's 411. Two Weidemann's for a buck still in the 1980s, and they would sell you a quart or two in a brown paper bag to take back to your bed after the bar closed. I spent the wild night after the Tigers' 1984 World Series win in there. It's pretty much forgotten now that Greektown itself was once one of these areas of cheap rooms. With fluorescent-lit coffeehouses full of the old single Greek men who lived around there, and had come here years before to work in the factories or on the lake ships, drinking little cups of muddy Greek coffee, smoking, and playing cards. (Message edited by eastsideal on November 26, 2008) | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3799 Registered: 07-2004 |
DV: Yes, their personal cars, which have special IDs on the dashes. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1463 Registered: 11-2003 |
It all makes sense now, thanks DN. Unless the cops get a garage (not a bad idea), methinks not much will happen there for a minute. And Eastside - great information and very good to know. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 836 Registered: 06-2005 |
The Tobin Building is on the NE corner of Broadway and Gratiot. This building is historically significant in that it was one of the first downtown office buildings to rent space to black professionals.  www.mcgi.state.mi.us Blumz Flowers now has the Phillips Shoes space. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1464 Registered: 11-2003 |
Do you know when it was built, NeilR? Awesome shot. It is a very cool building. I buy flowers regularly there. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 837 Registered: 06-2005 |
I found an interesting history of the Tobin Building on Wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B reitmeyer-Tobin_Building) which gives a 1905 date for it. I also buy flowers at Blumz (the owners are Detroit residents) and have never been disappointed with their work. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3800 Registered: 07-2004 |
That whole bit about black professionals being downtown is important when you consider that it was VERY important to have black attorneys downtown. Why? I recall reading that the DPD used to be experts at taking people in custody, especially black suspects they were "railroading," and taking them "around the horn." This meant they'd put you in a jail, and by the time your lawyer got the information on where you were and drew up papers to get you out, they'd have already moved you to another jail, which required new papers. This was a way of punishing often-innocent suspects and forcing confessions out of them. I'm not sure how it worked, but what I read said that attorneys who worked downtown would have quick access to DPD headquarters and other city services centered there, helping them to bypass this goose-chase and save their clients. | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 329 Registered: 12-2004 |
I always thought that intersection would make for a nice little traffic circle. Obviously it wouldn't be on the scale of Campus Martius, but more similar to one of the smaller ones you'd find in Washington. I think it could work if Macomb St was made into a pedestrian street and Gratiot Ave (closer to the Compuware garage) was realigned so that it meets the circle where that empty lot next to the people mover is located. | ||
Renf Member Username: Renf Post Number: 67 Registered: 11-2003 |
Here is some additional information about the Breitmeyer-Tobin building from my Detroit1701 site. http://www.detroit1701.org/Bre itmeyer-Tobin.html | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1561 Registered: 11-2005 |
Here are some postcards from my collection. I have doubles of the first one if interested: http://i215.photobucket.com/al bums/cc280/buildingsofdetroit/ Postcards/breitmeyer.jpg http://i215.photobucket.com/al bums/cc280/buildingsofdetroit/ Postcards/peninsular.jpg | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1487 Registered: 11-2003 |
RWR, you just made my night... nice work too, Renf. I am interested... that is so swank. I'd frame it. How shall I acquire? | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 664 Registered: 12-2006 |
A revitalized Victorian-era business district would be a great attraction. BTW: What's the history of the real skinny building that's a storage facility now? It's on Gratiot across Brush from the Hilton. I have a "thing" for that one. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1489 Registered: 11-2003 |
Just imagine... You can make new construction that fits the theme for retail; it'd be a beautiful mix of old and new with the People Mover going through it, very urbanist, very cool. It's probably not all great for lofts (except for the lot across from Fishbones) as the DPM is not the perfect place for living right next to. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1564 Registered: 11-2005 |
Couple of bucks if you want 'em. I rarely leave Detroit, so you could grab downtown or via mail. Let me see if I have doubles of them both. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2003 |
I'm downtown too - would love to make this happen, RWR. (Message edited by digitalvision on December 11, 2008) |
