The Way It Was — International Freedom Festival in Detroit, 1982
For the past 66 years, summer has unofficially begun with a massive multicolored pyrotechnics show full of fireworks exploding and cascading over the Detroit...
The Way It Was — Mexicantown, 1990
One of the most vibrant and culturally significant areas in our region is Mexicantown, located in Southwest Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge, where it...
The Way It Was — The Detroit Tigers, 1972
It is often said that seeing a robin after a chilly winter is the first sign of spring. However, for generations of Detroit baseball...
The Way It Was — Mariners’ Church, 1955
1955 Seventy years ago, Detroit demonstrated that achieving both urban renewal and historic preservation was possible.To make way for a new civic center development...
The Way It Was — Little Harry’s Restaurant, 1991
1991 For 55 years, from 1934 to 1989, Little Harry’s restaurant at 2681 E. Jefferson Ave., known for its classic American cuisine and piano...
The Way It Was — Detroit Radio, 1957
1957 Pioneering Detroit radio and TV broadcasting legend Robin Seymour (born Seymour Samuel Altman) is credited with introducing white audiences to Black R&B and...
The Way It Was — The Book-Cadillac Hotel, 1924
1924 During the Roaring '20s, 100 years ago this Dec. 8, the majestic 33-story Book-Cadillac Hotel opened at the corner of Washington Boulevard and...
The Way It Was — Grosse Pointe War Memorial, 1949
1949 Following the end of World War II, a number of memorials dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom...
The Way It Was — The Detroit Lions, 1934
1934When WJR Radio owner G.A. Richards bought the NFL’s Portsmouth Spartans 90 years ago and moved the fledgling franchise from Ohio to the Motor...
The Way It Was — Marshall Fredericks Sculptures
1963
The renowned sculptor Marshall Fredericks was commissioned to create numerous sculptures, reliefs, and memorials throughout metro Detroit, the United States, and the world. However,...
The Way It Was — Roostertail Supper Club
1958 Built by Joseph Schoenith as a 50th birthday gift for his wife, Millie, the Roostertail supper club became one of Detroit’s most celebrated...
The Way It Was — Motorboat Racing on the Detroit River
1968 For over 100 years, motorboat racing on the Detroit River has been a celebrated summer tradition, with the Gold Cup at the center...
The Way It Was — Michigan Central Station
1913 In an undated photo, a stationmaster checks the ticket of a passenger ready to board a train at one of the 10 track...
The Way It Was — Detroit Historical Museum
1951Dozens gathered at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Kirby Street for the dedication of the new Detroit Historical Museum on July 24, 1951,...
The Way It Was — Bozo the Clown
1961From the early days of television in the ’50s through the ’70s, numerous children’s shows produced by Detroit stations and Windsor, Ontario’s CKLW had...
The Way It Was — The Wedding of Martha Parke Firestone and William Clay...
1947As reported in newspapers across the country, on June 21, 1947, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio, two of the most powerful...
The Way It Was — Esther Gordy, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder
1998Esther Gordy Edwards, the sister of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, stands on the steps of the Motown Museum with Michael Jackson and Stevie...
The Way It Was — Coleman A. Young’s Oath of Office
1974
A half-century ago on Jan. 2, former state Sen. Coleman A. Young was administered the oath of office as Detroit’s first Black mayor by...
The Way It Was — Christmas at Hudson’s
1952
Five-year-old Skip Shaw was one of thousands of children over several generations who would relish cherished memories of meeting Santa Claus in the 12th-floor...
The Way It Was — Civil War Veterans Marching at Campus Martius
1891
Although Veterans Day has long been observed on Nov. 11, an earlier significant acknowledgment of the sacrifices of military personnel began at the end...
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