The Way It Was: Jackie Cooper Visits Detroit in 1932
During the Great Depression, Detroit kids, like most of the country, didn’t have a lot to be cheerful about. But when 9-year-old actor Jackie...
The Way It Was: The Tauber Family Railroad at the Detroit Zoo
For nearly 100 years, the miniature Tauber Family Railroad has been one of the most popular attractions at the 125-acre Detroit Zoo, especially on...
The Way It Was: Ernie Harwell and George Kell
The start of baseball season brings back fond memories of seasons past and the sights and sounds of the game. For generations of fans,...
The Way It Was: Lee Iacocca’s 46-year Career at Ford and Chrysler
It’s rare for an auto executive to become a household name across the country, but Lee Iacocca earned that distinction over an impressive 46-year...
The Way It Was: 1972 and Erma Henderson
Erma Henderson, one of the most influential and respected politicians in Detroit history, was a trailblazing advocate for civil rights and women’s rights even...
The Way It Was: 1922 and the Graystone Ballroom
Of several ballrooms and dance halls that opened in Detroit during the Roaring ’20s — when jazz music and dance styles like the Charleston,...
The Way It Was: Simmons and Clark
Among the thousands of loyal customers over the decades at the Simmons and Clark jewelry store, now celebrating its 100th anniversary on Broadway across...
The Way It Was: 1975 & the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald
Fifty years ago this November 10th, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald freighter battled gale-force winds, nearly 100 mph gusts, monstrous 35-foot waves, and a blinding snowstorm...
The Way It Was: 1980, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, & the Detroit Jazz Festival
Within a year after his parents opened a small restaurant at 20510 Livernois Ave. in Detroit in 1934, Clarence Baker, then in his mid-20s,...
The Way It Was — Dr. Ossian H. Sweet House, 1925
One hundred years ago, Black physician Ossian Sweet and his wife purchased this home at 2905 Garland St. in an all-white neighborhood on Detroit’s...
The Way It Was: Edgar A. Guest, Michigan First Official Poet Laureate
Often called the “people’s poet,” Edgar A. Guest was one of the most widely read writers of the 20th century during his nearly 65...
The Way It Was — Buhl Building in Detroit, 1925
During the roaring '20s, when Detroit became the fourth largest city in the country largely due to the burgeoning auto industry, the skyline was...
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...
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