[LMich]

Looking from the Macabees Building downtown Woodward in 1942. Very clear color shot:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Woodward_Ave_Detroit_1942.jpg
Arthur Siegel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Woodward_Ave_Detroit_1942.jpg)

This was taken 6 years after Woodward was widened which caused many buildings to be 'moved back' from the street.

[STLgasm]

Unbelieveable! Does anyone have a shot of the same view today? (Do I really want to want to see it?)

[ethereal_reality]

That's such a cool pic.

[ColDayMan]

No Church's Chicken :(.

[Atlantan26]

very cool, but very sad.
any bustling city today could have the same fate.
you just never know.

[PHX31]

Beautiful!!! I'd also be interested (probably saddend) to see the same shot today.

When my grandmother immigrated from Italy around 1920 she settled in Detroit for a few years with a couple family members that were already settled in Detroit before she moved out to Los Angeles. Even though this picture was taken about 15-20 years after she lived there as a child, I would imagine she saw a similar built environment.

[holladay]

Times were so much simpler back then.

[jyax82]

Notice the streetcar, just imagine if they were still around. Maybe that is what the new light rail that is being proposed will look like.

[ethereal_reality]

A companion pic.



http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/1130/detroit0212july19422nda.jpg
2nd Avenue, July 1942 (perhaps the same photographer?)

[OhioGuy]

Times were so much simpler back then.

World War II was happening at that time. ;)

Fantastic photo though. The color and clarity is really quite nice, particularly for that time period.

[Hayward]

I highlighted building status as best I could

GREEN: Exists in similar form
YELLOW: Exists, but modified beyond all recognition / Severly damaged
RED: Demolished


http://www.umich.edu/~ifmuth/demolished32.jpg

[LMich]

Not from the exact same angle, but the best I could find:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3437/3295245678_a253179d70_o.jpg
Sean DU (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27666824@N04/3295245678/sizes/o/)

The southern part of Midtown has been absolutely decimated, but the area around the university, hospital, and cultural center has actually been built up, at least height-wise.

Here is a photo of the building from which the original photo was taken:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/3106918010_d714445700_o.jpg
Sean DU (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27666824@N04/3106918010/sizes/o/)

[Busy Bee]

Wow. What rich old photo. File>Save As.

[palermodude]

Great vintage photos of a very underrated city: Detroit/D'étroit

[palermodude]

Great pics... but they need more parking spaces for all of the cars, so we should demolish most of the buildings and put in parking spaces. Why do we need trolleys? We're the Motor City - we build private cars. Get rid of the trolleys. Now, everybody, let's move into modern subdivisions instead of the grimy old city that reminds me of my failures in life. I need a new start in the country, away from the poor people - it's a depressing place. Besides, my wife is scared to live off of Woodward and she promises to put out more if I buy her a suburban house. Since we barely do it once/month, I suppose I'll agree.

[fishrose]

I'm a student at Wayne State right now, I'll try to get up in Macabees and get an identical shot. Until then, I've got one to tide you over. My friend Nate took it while he was visiting Wednesday night, we were standing on top of Parking Structure #2, at the corner of Anthony Wayne Dr. and East Kirby.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6951/detroitskylinenight1680.jpg

[jodelli]

Fantastic pictures! That one from the Fisher down 2nd is also surprisingly rarely photographed.

Here's one from street level; the Macabees building is to the immediate right:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2654835101_41201eb429_o.jpg

Notice the streetcar, just imagine if they were still around. Maybe that is what the new light rail that is being proposed will look like.

Yeah, there's no need for a study to see if the basic plan is doable.

[Exodus]

Some things have changed, but considering how much Detroit lost and that that was close to 70 years ago, Woodward through midtown still seems to be in tact pretty good. One plus is that it actually has a bit more height to it now.

[fishrose]

Looking at the 1942 picture, it seems crazy how tall the Book-Cadillac building looks when it's not bracketed by the Renaissance Center and the Comerica Tower.

[Baronvonellis]

Anyone else notice how they didn't have lane markers back then? Driving down a 6 lane road with out any lane markers would get my heart pounding for sure.

[DecoJim]

Looking at the 1942 picture, it seems crazy how tall the Book-Cadillac building looks when it's not bracketed by the Renaissance Center and the Comerica Tower.

I think you are referring to the Cadillac Tower. The Book Cadillac hotel is partially behind the Book Tower (tallest building to the west of the Penobscot building in the first photo).

That first photo is pretty amazing.

Anyone else notice how they didn't have lane markers back then?
Just imagine no lane markers + cell phones!

[fishrose]

I think you are referring to the Cadillac Tower. The Book Cadillac hotel is partially behind the Book Tower (tallest building to the west of the Penobscot building in the first photo).

Yeah, I realized that just after I posted, but I was in class before I could edit it.

[jodelli]

Anyone else notice how they didn't have lane markers back then? Driving down a 6 lane road with out any lane markers would get my heart pounding for sure.

In general the cars of that time tended to be narrow, even if tall. The Ambassador Bridge nearby had five lanes in early photos, now it's down to four. Driveways and garages then were also narrower, as seen in areas of older housing.

Pics will have to wait, I'm having trouble connecting to Flickr right now.

[Hayward]

Looking forward to them. And yes, flickr is down everywhere.

[fishrose]

Unbelieveable! Does anyone have a shot of the same view today? (Do I really want to want to see it?)

Ask and you shall receive! I took this shot through a window on the 13th floor of the Maccabees Building. I did my best, but I just couldn't finagle my way onto the roof.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/2410/walkdownwoodward004.jpg

[SuburbanNation]

What an amazing photo. Detroit looks much cleaner/fresher than St. Louis in the 1940s.

[LMich]

Does anyone happen to know what factory building is pictured on Woodward where Studio One Apartments was recently built? It appears to be the block just north of The Whitney.

[MolsonExport]

love those old shots of the motor city. alas, its heyday.

[Exodus]

Thanks fishrose, the pic you took shows that the same area is doing pretty good today considering 1.2 million people left, along with the economic slump:tup:

[jodelli]

Does anyone happen to know what factory building is pictured on Woodward where Studio One Apartments was recently built? It appears to be the block just north of The Whitney.

I believe the main Vernors plant was just north of the Whitney. It was torn down by the early 90s IIRC, having gone to a wedding reception there around that time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernors
"In the late 1950s, when the City of Detroit proposed construction of Cobo Hall and other riverfront projects, a land-swap was negotiated, and Vernors moved its bottling plant and headquarters to the location of the old civic exhibition hall at 4501 Woodward Avenue, incorporating many of the popular features of the old plant. Tours of the Vernors plant old and new were major tourist attractions. The flagship Detroit bottling plant was shut down by United Brands in 1985, with the local rights to bottle Vernors granted to Pepsi-Cola. [3]"