The Way It Was – Nash Metropolitan, 1958
When the Nash Metropolitan debuted on American roads in 1954, it turned a lot of heads. Autos made in the United States back then were often as big as boats, but the peppy Metropolitan was downright dinky by comparison.
The Way It Was – Hudson’s Northland in Southfield, 1956
1956, Hudson's Northland in Southfield
The Way It Was – Aretha Franklin, 1980
When it came to crossing musical boundaries, Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) covered more territory than Lewis and Clark.
The Way It Was – Better Made Snack Foods, 1971
Crrrrunch! Countless Detroiters have emitted that satisfying sound after tearing into a sunflower-yellow bag of Better Made potato chips.
The Way It Was – The Leland Hotel, 1940
Detroit’s grandest hotels have all experienced rough patches. The Tuller and Statler never pulled through and were razed, while the Book-Cadillac and Fort Shelby were abandoned for decades before being refurbished.
The Way It Was – Cadillac Coffee Co., 1937
In the pantheon of the famous Detroit food and beverage manufacturers, Cadillac Coffee Co. doesn’t have the same brand recognition as Stroh’s, Vernor’s, Vlasic, Kowalski, Sanders, Better Made, Awrey’s, or Faygo, but Cadillac has roots that reach back 130 years, to 1888.
The Way It Was – Detroit Yacht Club’s Women’s Swim Team, 1929
To some, the summer pursuit of “going swimming” means simply lolling about in the water, floating on one’s back, or perhaps ensconced in an inner tube, quaffing a potent libation.
The Way It Was – Crowley’s Mezzanine Tea Room, 1941
In our casual, sometimes downright shabby culture, it’s difficult to imagine a time when people gussied up before going out to dinner, lunch, or even tea.
The Way It Was – Ginsburg Branch, Detroit Public Library, 1916
The Ginsburg branch, named after Detroit Public Library board member Bernard Ginsburg, who was also a successful businessman and philanthropist of Jewish charities, opened in 1916 at 91 Brewster St.
The Way it Was – The Detroit Club, 1937
The Detroit Club may stand just four stories high, but it commands a towering presence in the city’s history. The Romanesque Revival private club at Cass and Fort in downtown Detroit, opened its doors in 1892 but its founding dates to a decade before.
The Way It Was – Detroit City Airport, 1970
Detroit was flying high in the 1920s, both economically and socially, but also on a more literal level. Henry and Edsel Ford opened the Ford Airport in Dearborn in 1924, touted as one of the world’s first modern airports.
The Way It Was – The Brazeal Dennard Chorale, 1975
Lifting their voices in song are members of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale, directed by its namesake, circa mid-1970s.
The Way it Was – Packard Motor Car Company, 1912
“Ask the man who owns one,” was the luxurious Packard Motor Car Company’s advertising slogan, and if you asked this man, he could tell you plenty about the allures of the Packard.
The Way It Was: Staff Edition
Following his first Christmas, a 10-month-old Thomas Klug stares up at the tree in his family’s Warren home in January 1957.
The Way it Was – Comedian Soupy Sales, 1956
Comedian Soupy Sales loved children as much as he enjoyed taking a signature cream pie to the face.
The Way It Was – The Great Depression, 1930
The Great Depression hit the world like a sucker punch, but it slammed Detroit like a tsunami. Cars being more or less a luxury than a necessity back then, the manufacturing of automobiles narrowed to a wafer-thin production, and countless workers lost their jobs.
The Way It Was – Alex Karras, 1970
As a burly defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, Alex Karras faced many a fearsome foe through the years, but none quite like this: an armor-clad knight. But with poleax in hand, Karras looks determined to crush his opponent.
The Way It Was – Eastern High School, 1907
1907, Eastern High School
The Way It Was – Detroit Express, 1982
Detroit Express soccer championship, 1982
The Way It Was – Midtown Neighborhood, 1929
Midtown neighborhood, 1929
NEWSLETTERS
