Great video! Youngest of 8 children born in 1964. We grew up in Detroit. The memories on the long city block filled with growing families. It was beautiful. Homes were cared for meticulously. Stayed outside playing until the streetlights came on. Played hopscotch, jumprope, 4 square, land shipwreck sea, dodgeball, rode bikes to frogs paradise in Rouge Park, Walked to school, church and corner store for milk and bread. Wonderful memories.
I was born in 1947. We lived in Royal Oak and it was a big treat to go 'Downtown' with my grandma. (Grandma and Grandpa lived in a nice house on Puritan in Highland Park.) I was made to wear white gloves to go downtown, and certainly a dress and probably my patent leather shoes. There was a streetcar on Woodward, and we could visit Hudson's, Crowleys and the Kern store. The big treat was a malted milk from the soda fountain at Sanders where they always gave you the big stainless steel jug with the rest of the mix, alongside your glass.
Tina and Gavin Litchfield Yum! Great memories! And I do remember having to dress up to go downtown- especially if we went to Hudson's- forgot about that :) Thanks for sharing.
I loved Detroit I lived on Vernor between Campbell and junction,it was so much fun there and a very beautiful place,it is sad how it looks now.but Detroit is where my heart is and will all ways be even though I live in the south now ,there nothing like Detroit.and the friendliest people that i know,proud to say I was born and raised in Detroit.
Stella Rhoden True, Stella! That neighborhood was a very diverse and friendly one. We moved to a house on Navy Street in 1968 and have a LOT of great memories--- it WAS very beautiful at that time, the houses were kept up, the streets were clean. A thriving area with shops, businesses--- we were always up and down Vernor. Thanks for viewing, I'm glad it brought back some good memories.
Thank you so much for posting this treasure. Although I was born in Los Angeles, my family moved to Detroit when I was six, and I am so glad we did! What an incredible experience to live in Detroit. I consider it a rare privilege. I miss my old neighborhood near Prevost and Pembrooke. We moved back to LA in 1978, but Detroit will always be my home. The best years of my life were spent there and rarely a day goes by when I don't think of my happy childhood memories in northwest Detroit. Again, thank you very much for postiing this tribute to such an amazing city!
From my birth in 1957 until 1969 I lived on Mansfield street (roughly Greenfield and Schoolcraft), then on Rosemont (Schoolcraft and Southfield). The memories this video evoked are priceless.
Thank You so much. I was born and raised in Detroit and still reside here. This video brought back so many good memories. I resided on the west side first on Cortland and then on Oakman Blvd. It seems like they were simple times. I can't wait to show my children how I grew up.
Yvonne Evans Thanks Yvonne! It's nice to share with someone who lived through those times and to be able to share a little bit of those memories with our kids who's lives are so different nowadays!
Wow, thank you Irma for bringing back such a rush of wonderful memories. I was born on the Northwest side of Detroit, at Grace Hospital in 1950. We lived on Mansfield near Fenkell (Cook Park, Bob's Grocery and Bert's Beer store). We attended St. Mary's of Redford, went to movies at the Redford, Norwest and Great Lakes Theatres on Grand River for $0.10. The Norwest was just down the street from the St. Mary's Bakery ($0.05 lunchsticks, $0.07 cherry rolls and $0.04 sugar cookies), Basher Drugs, the Barber Shop and Dooley's Bar for St. Patrick's Day. We went to Sanders, Montgomery Wards and Federal's Department Stores at Grand River and Greenfield. We ate the best pizza in the city at Red Devil's on Fenkell and Greenfield. We played baseball and went swimming at Cooley High School (Fenkell and Hubbell) and played hockey at Cook Park, the outdoor Butzel Skating Rink (Meyers and Lyndon), and the indoor rink at the old Detroit Skating Club on 7 Mile near Wyoming. Briggs Stadium was a great place for Goodfellow football games and Tiger's baseball to watch Bill Tuttle, Charlie (Paw-Paw) Maxwell, and of course Al Kaline. Olympia Stadium was a great old barn for watching Bill Gadsby, Ted Lindsey, Terry Sawchuck and Gordie Howe pursue the Stanley Cup. Hydroplane races near Belle Isle, the Auto Shows at Cobo Hall and of course the Moonlight Cruises to Bob-Lo. Street racing was quite the thing on both Woodward Ave, and Telegraph Rd on hot summer weekend nights in the muscle-car 60's era. Crystal Pool at Greenfield and 8 Mile (near Northland) and Rouge Pool in Dearborn both had excellent diving boards/platforms for cooling off on hot summer days. Rouge also had a super toboggan hill and great hot chocolate in the winter. Kensington Beach, Camp Dearborn and Whitmore Lake were also wonderful swimming holes. The 50's and 60's seem to be the sweet spot for Detroit. Sadly, the '67 riots ushered in a change in the environment that has never been corrected, although the most recent actions give the city its biggest hope in almost 50 years. I moved out West in 1977. I still drink Vernors on a regular basis, and still miss Lafayette Coney Island hot dogs, hamburgers loose and Red Devil pizza. I make it back to my old home town on an irregular basis and hope only the best for Detroit, as a huge turnaround is long overdue.
+9tube1 Wow!!! Thanks for sharing all of those fantastic memories!!! You should make a video ;) There are so many names and places that it would be an amazing trip through memory lane!
Guess is doesn't matter where we grew up in SoE Mi-we all pretty much have the same memories-kinda brings a tear to my eye remembering how wonderful it was and how much I really miss those "good" old days-thanks for the post
I so enjoyed this tribute I remember so much of Detroit I lived on Fort St across from the Produce Terminal and then moved to Delray. I worked at Michigan Bell and A&P on Trumbull and the Fox Theatre. I have so many fond memories thank you for my walk down memory lane!
Thanks Sharon! I know that area well- I took my driver's training right near there at Southwestern HS... Later, we loved to go to a Hungarian restaurant in Delray- I think it was called Al's? Glad you enjoyed the video! Take care!
Thanks so much for the video. It brought back so many wonderful memories. Sad that all the beautiful houses in the old neighborhoods have been destroyed. Detroit was lovely in the 50s.
This was the BEST I ever saw, I really enjoyed it very much. I also grew up in this time frame, graduated from Denby in 1969. You did a wonderful job! Thanks so much!
This was bee-U-tiful, Irma. I'm an East Side girl from Islandview and EEV but can still relate to all the wonderful time Detroit has given us. Thanks for the memories, my sister Detroiter and keep the faith!
Nancy Jagielski Bazzell Yes, and even tho things have started to turn around, it's going to be a loooong process and so many buildings and neighborhoods have been lost--- it really is extremely sad!
Irma..your walk down memory lanebrings back the visits my mom and my grandma and I used to make to Greenfield's Restaurant on Woodward Ave...and going shopping at Demery's afterward...
OMG You just took me way back to my child hood I remember 90% of this video born & raised on 32nd & Buchannan off Michigan Ave Detroit in the 50's && 60's brought back so many Great memories I was sent this video from my cousin who lived next door to me! this was Great & I can relate! Thanks
Thanks, ya-ya! Many of my classmates at St. Casimir also lived around the Michigan and Junction area, so chances are you knew some of them! Small world. We loved to walk to the Kramer Theater--- close to where you lived. Great memories!
WOW! Great video. Grew up on east side but shared all the same memories. I see Denny McLain every once in a while on the road and always thank him for what his right arm and the team did to heal The City in '68. Soupy Sales, Bob Seger and the BIG 8, CKLW, forever!
Enjoyed the video very much!! My husband and I grew up on the east side off Davison between Conant and Jos. Campau. So many memories !! We even went back to the old neighborhood a year ago. We lived across the street from each other and both houses are still there. The house I grew up in as a small child on Medbury off Grand Blvd. is gone, but I have so many wonderful memories. Detroit was and still is a great city! Your video brought back so many memories of things we did back then. Thanks for the video.
Oh my gosh... enjoyed this so much. My parents were born in Detroit and I myself was born in Pontiac. I have so many memories of Detroit in the 60s. I now live in California but a Christmas doesn't go by that I don't think about visiting my grandparents on Christmas Eve and going downtown to see the Christmas lights and marvel at the windows at Hudsons. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you soooo much! this was my era, also. I remember it all. My family lived on Brush, St. Aubin and finally Oakman Blvd. I had a blessed childhood. I remember the Sanders day old bakery, Metropolitan Beach, Palmer Park, new cars in the windows of the General Motors Building on West Grand Blvd and more....
I enjoyed that video of 1950s and 1960s Detroit. I'm not a native Detroiter but lived there in the mid 70s in my late teens and early twenties. It is very sad to see Detroit in 2016. What a difference 50 years make.
Thanks! Yes, but the downhill slide went on for so many years--- it will take many more years to turn it back around- but, it is happening, fortunately.
Thanks, Tammy! I'd love that too. And, fortunately, there are a lot of good things starting to happen in Detroit now. But it is going to take a LONG time to bring it back.
Ahh, Paris of the west. What a beautiful city during one of the best times in history! Detroit was in it's golden time during the 50's. I wish I could have been alive to see it, but I wasn't born until '71. And I guess that's when the city started it decline into widespread decay.
Falling asleep listening to the transistor radio - Lee Alan "on the horn" on WXYZ and then waiting for Don Zee to come on the graveyard shift at midnight. Yup. Lived within walking distance of Edgewater Park, and remember riding the street car with my mom when I was a toddler. Friends and I at the age of 10 or 12 would take the bus downtown and spend an entire Saturday wandering around - getting a sub sandwich for 29 cents at Woolworth, going to the 12th floor toy dept and the book dept on the mezzanine at Hudson's, playing "escalator tag" at Cobo Hall...
I was raised in Warren and a little later than you, born in 1962 but I remember most of those things. Detroit and the surrounding suburbs were a great place to grow up then. My dad worked for Chatham as a baker. Before that he was the sole baker for the Northwood Inn, Club Berkley, and the Totem Pole on Woodward. If you ever ate any cakes, pies, bread, or any other baked goods at any of those places during the 60's up until they closed, you ate my dad's baking. He even baked bread for JFK at the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel. It was great to see your video. I live in Oregon now. It makes me sad. I am proud to have been born in Detroit and raised in the suburbs of that once great city. I recognize that I was also very lucky and fortunate to have been there when I was and not a decade or so later. I left just as things were really getting bad in 2001.
Great video thanks. I grew up north of Plymouth Road between Greenfield and Southfield (2 lane road). graduated from Cody in '66. Our parish was Gate of Heaven for short. Remember Monkey Wards ( Montgomery Wards) thanks again
Good memories in this photo essay. I grew up in the Michigan Ave. -Lonyo area, and went to school at St. Lawrence. Later I worked as a movie operator at the Globe, Kramer, Colonial, Palms, and Riviera Theaters while attending Wayne State. In the 50's there was as much neon along Michigan Ave as in Las Vegas today. Frequently rode the streetcar down to the Michigan-Junction area where there were lots of hobby stores while in grade school.
+George Stevens Thanks for sharing, George! We walked to the Globe and Kramer theaters as kids. The area around Michigan and Lonyo was so beautiful--- declined a lot, but is now on the upswing--- still a lot of nice homes there.
I haven't been there in ten years, but the last time I visited Detroit I thought the retro street lighting and the fact there were few closed businesses along Michigan Ave. made it one of the best streets currently in the entire city. Walking along Michigan between Wyoming and Junction was how I got my exercise sixty years ago.
I loved your video. You did everything I did and more. I grew up in Royal Oak....the suburbs. Always thought it might be different somehow in the inner city. But it was the same for you as for me. Right down to Winkelman's and Cunninghams Drug Store and my old time fav, Bill Kennedy. I had forgotten some of the things you remembered. Thank you so much. Wish things were better for our great city.
Thanks for making this video it brought back a lot of memories,my name was McAdams and we lived on Vernor above Detroit New,I loved it there I had six brothers and two sister back then there was a lot of big family there ,we went to Amelia Erhardt junior high school and Western high school and we would walk about 7 or 8 blocks to,we would go to Dooleys
Stella Rhoden Wow, great memories, Stella. Clark Park was so beautiful too- the kids from Earhart and Western would hang out there. Did you know that Earhart was torn down and there is a brand new K-8 Earhart school there? Western was also expanded.
Thanks, Joe! Yes, I hope the old neighborhoods will come back. Thank goodness for the old photos because so many of the buildings and structures that we remember are gone. I am glad that you enjoyed the video! Best of Luck!
I was born on 15th st., and temple,and my house is still there, owned by Brightman construction, who where my next door neighbors. I remember all of the video. It hurts to see Detroit the way that it is now.
Hi Judith- We used to love to go to the dimestore on 14th and Myrtle- you must remember that store? Yes, it does really hurt to see how Detroit is now- it makes me so angry/sad that it was allowed to deteriorate so completely!
Irma Landin-Obregon moved to 7mi and Evergreen from Cooter, Mo 1961. Was the coolest move my Dad ever did.I got to meet the best people...ever! Now I miss it sooooo much! Ur cool!!!
Another thing, I am drunk as we speak, how about the Bagley Boys?, They were very cool and sharp dressers, they and I bought our shoes at Cancellations!!! COOL!
Yes it was. The church is still there and the school building too. But the school is now a public school. That area around Michigan and Junction looks very different from those days.
What a great video! Heard many good things about Detroit while growing up. Detroit may be down right now but it will come back in greater glory than before. But it will take awhile yet.
Bravo Irma, Delray born n raised! we went to Higgins elementary then Wilson Jr High which was the coolest school, great video do another one. Detroit was a grat place to grow up then.
Fantastic work Irma in preserving memories for not only yourself, but other fellow Detroiters who simply mourn for their magnificent city's beautiful past.And guess what?I am AustralianI am a MelburnianI was born in the year of the riot, just a few days beforeI am from a comfortable middle class suburband I want to emigrate not to the US.....but to Detroit!!!!I am returning for a short stay in December to explore business opportunities, having recently visited with family in July this year.To say I have become transfixed with the history of Detroit, its present as well as its future, is an understatement to say the very least.Perhaps an obsession which many say I must be crazy, given how modern Detroit is portrayed.Despite all that, there is something about this city, so vastly different from Melbourne, that has enamoured me, wanting me to live the rest of my days there, and I am so very pleased to see in graphic emotional detail, how the city was to its many long lost inhabitants, and hope that in my days, many will return to also live out their days in their true home.Thank you Irma.
+David Pryse Thanks, David! There are many people still passionate about Detroit and hopeful for its future! Things have been turning around and there are definitely many opportunities for you to pursue! There is a lot going on business-wise and redevelopment-wise, so I wish you the best in your endeavors and I hope that Detroit will be good to you and that you will be good for Detroit! Best of luck!
This is the area my folks grew up in the 30's; Mom on Humbolt, Dad on Bagley. They dated in the Myrtle Theater. As a toddler, the family visited Roosevelt Park near MCR station. Good times before WW II.
thank you so much for this vid! my wife grew up in corktown, we lived there for awhile with her mom right after our wedding. the people in that neiborhood were so special!
Great video at about 1:01 into the video is a picture from a news article Off to school as equal pupils the youngest one is my brother Tom and our friend Joanne holding his hand. I have a copy of that article we lived in the projects then 1953.
Hi Denise! I did not even know that was your brother in the picture! What a great coincidence! How cool is that! I remember when you lived a couple of blocks from St.Casimir- was it on Tillman? Hope you are well!
:) Amazing! So nice to hear that you're well! Hope you enjoy living in AL- and congratulations on your graduation- sounds great! Take care and hope to keep in touch!
Irma Landin-Obregon What were your cousins last names? I moved out in 1960. Would have graduated from St. Leo in 1963. Very impressed by your presentation..
it was over on mack ave,,wonder if any belle isle pictures of the canoe rental rides, the jefferies projects where i stayed a spell, the eastern market, etc
Irma, I live in England, absolutely love your video, what a fantastic record of social history! I happened upon your video researching the rise & fall of the US auto industry & Detroit..... I wish you & your fellow Detroiters a golden renaissance .... thank God that Obama stepped in to save GM . Best regards, Alex
and tha vernors ginger ale plant where they made the pop, , i forgot what street it was on , you could see bottles going to and fro, from the street,,,walk many a day across that belle isle brigde,
TheFishman88 Vernors was on Woodward- Here is a link to one of my pinterest boards that has a lot of photos from old Detroit that you might like. Enjoy! www.pinterest.com/bettertolaugh/detroit-memories/
grew up in Highland Park in the 40's & 50's it was a great city, thru mis-management it turned into a real mess. I happened to be in Detroit over the 4th of July 2014 and had to shead a tear. Graduated from Denby 1955 on the East side, what a school, understand now it is now protected with armed guards. Yes this did bring back memories unfortunately at this time it is going to take a lot of time and effort to bring it back, I know it will not happen in my life time, but I wish everyone all the luck in the world.
Yes, Jim, you are quite right. But it does look like things are starting to change for the better. It will definitely be a different Detroit from the one I grew up in and it will take many, many years. Thanks for viewing!
you're breakin' my heart my brother(I'm sorry; Sister) from another mother. I too come from a family of six kids. We grew up in a small Ohio town, and would visit Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles in Hazel Park and Detroit. I totally get the Vib!
i know theres 2 building thats still standing, the old ymca, over on jefferson and st clair, andthbig methodist church right cross from it on jefferson, and foch jr high overon fairfield ave
Pablo Tupone Hola, Pablo. If you can see at the end of the video, I have a picture of my childhood home as it looks now- it is falling down, but it is still standing :( No one lives in it (as far as I know!). We moved out of that house when I was in high school and I moved away from Detorit about 14 years ago after living in Detroit for 43 years, so I still consider it my hometown. Thanks for viewing!
BEAUTIFUL! but you left out Farmer Jacks and Federals Thanks for the time travel trip! I know if someone were to ask you to trade all your back inna day memories to be 21 again ill bet you'd tellem to go to hell!
Thanks! We didn't have a Farmer Jacks by our house then until we moved in 1968. Then we always shopped at Farmer Jack. And you're right- great memories, but I don't want to be 21 again. :)
thanks irma been showing this to friends they love it also. be well
Great video! Youngest of 8 children born in 1964. We grew up in Detroit. The memories on the long city block filled with growing families. It was beautiful. Homes were cared for meticulously. Stayed outside playing until the streetlights came on. Played hopscotch, jumprope, 4 square, land shipwreck sea, dodgeball, rode bikes to frogs paradise in Rouge Park, Walked to school, church and corner store for milk and bread. Wonderful memories.
I was born in 1947. We lived in Royal Oak and it was a big treat to go 'Downtown' with my grandma. (Grandma and Grandpa lived in a nice house on Puritan in Highland Park.) I was made to wear white gloves to go downtown, and certainly a dress and probably my patent leather shoes. There was a streetcar on Woodward, and we could visit Hudson's, Crowleys and the Kern store. The big treat was a malted milk from the soda fountain at Sanders where they always gave you the big stainless steel jug with the rest of the mix, alongside your glass.
Tina and Gavin Litchfield Yum! Great memories! And I do remember having to dress up to go downtown- especially if we went to Hudson's- forgot about that :) Thanks for sharing.
I loved Detroit I lived on Vernor between Campbell and junction,it was so much fun there and a very beautiful place,it is sad how it looks now.but Detroit is where my heart is and will all ways be even though I live in the south now ,there nothing like Detroit.and the friendliest people that i know,proud to say I was born and raised in Detroit.
Stella Rhoden True, Stella! That neighborhood was a very diverse and friendly one. We moved to a house on Navy Street in 1968 and have a LOT of great memories--- it WAS very beautiful at that time, the houses were kept up, the streets were clean. A thriving area with shops, businesses--- we were always up and down Vernor. Thanks for viewing, I'm glad it brought back some good memories.
Thank you so much for posting this treasure. Although I was born in Los Angeles, my family moved to Detroit when I was six, and I am so glad we did! What an incredible experience to live in Detroit. I consider it a rare privilege. I miss my old neighborhood near Prevost and Pembrooke. We moved back to LA in 1978, but Detroit will always be my home. The best years of my life were spent there and rarely a day goes by when I don't think of my happy childhood memories in northwest Detroit. Again, thank you very much for postiing this tribute to such an amazing city!
You're so welcome! I'm glad that it's brought back some happy memories!
Had a smile on my face through out the entire video. Nice work. I grew up in Highland Park. Those were the days my friend. Awesome memories.
Diane Hajdyla AWWW, Thanks so much Diane! Yes they were! Glad you enjoyed it!
From my birth in 1957 until 1969 I lived on Mansfield street (roughly Greenfield and Schoolcraft), then on Rosemont (Schoolcraft and Southfield). The memories this video evoked are priceless.
Great stroll down memory lane. Brought back lots of memories. Thanks!
Larry McCarty You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great compilation. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the old sites and I loved the Motown soundtrack. Thanks for all your efforts in uploading!
Thank You so much. I was born and raised in Detroit and still reside here. This video brought back so many good memories. I resided on the west side first on Cortland and then on Oakman Blvd. It seems like they were simple times. I can't wait to show my children how I grew up.
Yvonne Evans Thanks Yvonne! It's nice to share with someone who lived through those times and to be able to share a little bit of those memories with our kids who's lives are so different nowadays!
Wow, thank you Irma for bringing back such a rush of wonderful memories. I was born on the Northwest side of Detroit, at Grace Hospital in 1950. We lived on Mansfield near Fenkell (Cook Park, Bob's Grocery and Bert's Beer store). We attended St. Mary's of Redford, went to movies at the Redford, Norwest and Great Lakes Theatres on Grand River for $0.10. The Norwest was just down the street from the St. Mary's Bakery ($0.05 lunchsticks, $0.07 cherry rolls and $0.04 sugar cookies), Basher Drugs, the Barber Shop and Dooley's Bar for St. Patrick's Day. We went to Sanders, Montgomery Wards and Federal's Department Stores at Grand River and Greenfield. We ate the best pizza in the city at Red Devil's on Fenkell and Greenfield. We played baseball and went swimming at Cooley High School (Fenkell and Hubbell) and played hockey at Cook Park, the outdoor Butzel Skating Rink (Meyers and Lyndon), and the indoor rink at the old Detroit Skating Club on 7 Mile near Wyoming.
Briggs Stadium was a great place for Goodfellow football games and Tiger's baseball to watch Bill Tuttle, Charlie (Paw-Paw) Maxwell, and of course Al Kaline. Olympia Stadium was a great old barn for watching Bill Gadsby, Ted Lindsey, Terry Sawchuck and Gordie Howe pursue the Stanley Cup. Hydroplane races near Belle Isle, the Auto Shows at Cobo Hall and of course the Moonlight Cruises to Bob-Lo. Street racing was quite the thing on both Woodward Ave, and Telegraph Rd on hot summer weekend nights in the muscle-car 60's era. Crystal Pool at Greenfield and 8 Mile (near Northland) and Rouge Pool in Dearborn both had excellent diving boards/platforms for cooling off on hot summer days. Rouge also had a super toboggan hill and great hot chocolate in the winter. Kensington Beach, Camp Dearborn and Whitmore Lake were also wonderful swimming holes.
The 50's and 60's seem to be the sweet spot for Detroit. Sadly, the '67 riots ushered in a change in the environment that has never been corrected, although the most recent actions give the city its biggest hope in almost 50 years. I moved out West in 1977. I still drink Vernors on a regular basis, and still miss Lafayette Coney Island hot dogs, hamburgers loose and Red Devil pizza. I make it back to my old home town on an irregular basis and hope only the best for Detroit, as a huge turnaround is long overdue.
+9tube1 Wow!!! Thanks for sharing all of those fantastic memories!!! You should make a video ;) There are so many names and places that it would be an amazing trip through memory lane!
Guess is doesn't matter where we grew up in SoE Mi-we all pretty much have the same memories-kinda brings a tear to my eye remembering how wonderful it was and how much I really miss those "good" old days-thanks for the post
vandie100 So true! Lots of the same memories! Glad you enjoyed it!
I so enjoyed this tribute I remember so much of Detroit I lived on Fort St across from the Produce Terminal and then moved to Delray. I worked at Michigan Bell and A&P on Trumbull and the Fox Theatre. I have so many fond memories thank you for my walk down memory lane!
Thanks Sharon! I know that area well- I took my driver's training right near there at Southwestern HS... Later, we loved to go to a Hungarian restaurant in Delray- I think it was called Al's? Glad you enjoyed the video! Take care!
Yes I went to Southwestern and remember Als Bar my family moved to Delray in 1966
Yes! We moved to Navy St. off Central in 1968. We were practically neighbors :)
Awesome video! Grew up in Northeast Detroit. I miss the culture we had. Don't have that whole neighborhood is a family attitude here in Dayton Ohio
Thanks so much for the video. It brought back so many wonderful memories. Sad that all the beautiful houses in the old neighborhoods have been destroyed. Detroit was lovely in the 50s.
Javel I'm so glad that you liked it! Yes, so many of the old homes have been destroyed. I hope that those remaining will be restored!
Thanks for sharing your memories.... I grew up in Detroit in the 60's & 70's.... So Many wonderful times...
All I can say about this video is THANK YOU! I needed that.....
Kevin Daniels Thanks so much, Kevin! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it!
Very impressive! This is an extremely well done video.
This was the BEST I ever saw, I really enjoyed it very much. I also grew up in this time frame, graduated from Denby in 1969. You did a wonderful job! Thanks so much!
This was bee-U-tiful, Irma. I'm an East Side girl from Islandview and EEV but can still relate to all the wonderful time Detroit has given us. Thanks for the memories, my sister Detroiter and keep the faith!
kathy 2trips Thanks, Kathy! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I grew up Downriver and remember all of this so well. What a wonderful time that was! Thank you for "taking me back."
Thanks for the memories.. but it is sad when I see it today...
Nancy Jagielski Bazzell Yes, and even tho things have started to turn around, it's going to be a loooong process and so many buildings and neighborhoods have been lost--- it really is extremely sad!
Irma..your walk down memory lanebrings back the visits my mom and my grandma and I used to make to Greenfield's Restaurant on Woodward Ave...and going shopping at Demery's afterward...
Excellent! I pray that Detroit's economically improves.
Thanks so much! I pray for that also- there are some hopeful signs and many positive things happening right now!
OMG You just took me way back to my child hood I remember 90% of this video born & raised on 32nd & Buchannan off Michigan Ave Detroit in the 50's && 60's brought back so many Great memories I was sent this video from my cousin who lived next door to me! this was Great & I can relate! Thanks
Thanks, ya-ya! Many of my classmates at St. Casimir also lived around the Michigan and Junction area, so chances are you knew some of them! Small world. We loved to walk to the Kramer Theater--- close to where you lived. Great memories!
Thanks I grew up on 32nd & Buchanan rt of michigan Ave along with my cousin's rt next door sure miss the hood when it was nice & safe
I remember that old junk man with his horse and wagon clip-clopping down Livernois! Thanks for the great memories!
Really? How great! Not too many of my friends remember that. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing. Makes me want to cry. Were wonderful times back then.
marlene vanhollebeke Awww! I'm glad it brought back some nice memories!
Much thanks! This about sums it up for me n husband. Both of us grew up near McGraw and Martin. So many same memories. Great to see the way it was.
Irma thank you for putting this video together and sharing it! Lots of great memories!
+R. Guastella You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
WOW! Great video. Grew up on east side but shared all the same memories. I see Denny McLain every once in a while on the road and always thank him for what his right arm and the team did to heal The City in '68. Soupy Sales, Bob Seger and the BIG 8, CKLW, forever!
+Joe Mahoney Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, Joe! Lots of great memories! :)
How great. We did lots of things at different times together except for high school which we did a lot of together! I loved it!
Loved it. Thanks for keeping the old memories alive!
Thanks! Lots of good memories!
Enjoyed the video very much!! My husband and I grew up on the east side off Davison between Conant and Jos. Campau. So many memories !! We even went back to the old neighborhood a year ago. We lived across the street from each other and both houses are still there. The house I grew up in as a small child on Medbury off Grand Blvd. is gone, but I have so many wonderful memories. Detroit was and still is a great city! Your video brought back so many memories of things we did back then. Thanks for the video.
Oh my gosh... enjoyed this so much. My parents were born in Detroit and I myself was born in Pontiac. I have so many memories of Detroit in the 60s. I now live in California but a Christmas doesn't go by that I don't think about visiting my grandparents on Christmas Eve and going downtown to see the Christmas lights and marvel at the windows at Hudsons. Thanks so much for sharing.
Darci Nelson You're welcome! I'm so glad that it brought back some pleasant memories for you. Thanks for viewing!
I grew up on the West side of Detroit... not too far from the Southwest. This was really well done.
Sir Success Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!
Love your Video, Love your Memories, so many the same as mine, thank you!
Thank you soooo much! this was my era, also. I remember it all. My family lived on Brush, St. Aubin and finally Oakman Blvd. I had a blessed childhood. I remember the Sanders day old bakery, Metropolitan Beach, Palmer Park, new cars in the windows of the General Motors Building on West Grand Blvd and more....
Lots of great memories! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
I enjoyed that video of 1950s and 1960s Detroit. I'm not a native Detroiter but lived there in the mid 70s in my late teens and early twenties. It is very sad to see Detroit in 2016. What a difference 50 years make.
Thanks! Yes, but the downhill slide went on for so many years--- it will take many more years to turn it back around- but, it is happening, fortunately.
I was born in 55 and lived by Warren and Livernois. Thanks, it was my childhood too! Great video!
Thanks #Debra Garrity! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful memories, thank you!!!!
Wish I could have seen it in its glory. It makes me sad to see a shell of what it used to be. I'd love to see it come back.
Thanks, Tammy! I'd love that too. And, fortunately, there are a lot of good things starting to happen in Detroit now. But it is going to take a LONG time to bring it back.
Ahh, Paris of the west. What a beautiful city during one of the best times in history! Detroit was in it's golden time during the 50's. I wish I could have been alive to see it, but I wasn't born until '71. And I guess that's when the city started it decline into widespread decay.
Thank you for sharing your photos/memories. I really enjoyed watching your video. My family is from Detroit but I only had the pleasure of visiting.
+kcballen90 Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh, Joe! I grew up in Flint... My cousins were from Detroit, and Oh so cool! Thanks for the memories!
Falling asleep listening to the transistor radio - Lee Alan "on the horn" on WXYZ and then waiting for Don Zee to come on the graveyard shift at midnight. Yup. Lived within walking distance of Edgewater Park, and remember riding the street car with my mom when I was a toddler. Friends and I at the age of 10 or 12 would take the bus downtown and spend an entire Saturday wandering around - getting a sub sandwich for 29 cents at Woolworth, going to the 12th floor toy dept and the book dept on the mezzanine at Hudson's, playing "escalator tag" at Cobo Hall...
Wow! Great memories! Thanks for sharing!
I was raised in Warren and a little later than you, born in 1962 but I remember most of those things. Detroit and the surrounding suburbs were a great place to grow up then. My dad worked for Chatham as a baker. Before that he was the sole baker for the Northwood Inn, Club Berkley, and the Totem Pole on Woodward. If you ever ate any cakes, pies, bread, or any other baked goods at any of those places during the 60's up until they closed, you ate my dad's baking. He even baked bread for JFK at the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel.
It was great to see your video. I live in Oregon now. It makes me sad. I am proud to have been born in Detroit and raised in the suburbs of that once great city. I recognize that I was also very lucky and fortunate to have been there when I was and not a decade or so later. I left just as things were really getting bad in 2001.
Great video thanks. I grew up north of Plymouth Road between Greenfield and Southfield (2 lane road). graduated from Cody in '66. Our parish was Gate of Heaven for short. Remember Monkey Wards ( Montgomery Wards) thanks again
Good memories in this photo essay. I grew up in the Michigan Ave. -Lonyo area, and went to school at St. Lawrence. Later I worked as a movie operator at the Globe, Kramer, Colonial, Palms, and Riviera Theaters while attending Wayne State. In the 50's there was as much neon along Michigan Ave as in Las Vegas today. Frequently rode the streetcar down to the Michigan-Junction area where there were lots of hobby stores while in grade school.
+George Stevens Thanks for sharing, George! We walked to the Globe and Kramer theaters as kids. The area around Michigan and Lonyo was so beautiful--- declined a lot, but is now on the upswing--- still a lot of nice homes there.
I haven't been there in ten years, but the last time I visited Detroit I thought the retro street lighting and the fact there were few closed businesses along Michigan Ave. made it one of the best streets currently in the entire city. Walking along Michigan between Wyoming and Junction was how I got my exercise sixty years ago.
It's like a long ago dream
I loved your video. You did everything I did and more. I grew up in Royal Oak....the suburbs. Always thought it might be different somehow in the inner city. But it was the same for you as for me. Right down to Winkelman's and Cunninghams Drug Store and my old time fav, Bill Kennedy. I had forgotten some of the things you remembered. Thank you so much. Wish things were better for our great city.
Thanks for making this video it brought back a lot of memories,my name was McAdams and we lived on Vernor above Detroit New,I loved it there I had six brothers and two sister back then there was a lot of big family there ,we went to Amelia Erhardt junior high school and Western high school and we would walk about 7 or 8 blocks to,we would go to Dooleys
Stella Rhoden Wow, great memories, Stella. Clark Park was so beautiful too- the kids from Earhart and Western would hang out there. Did you know that Earhart was torn down and there is a brand new K-8 Earhart school there? Western was also expanded.
Thanks, Joe! Yes, I hope the old neighborhoods will come back. Thank goodness for the old photos because so many of the buildings and structures that we remember are gone. I am glad that you enjoyed the video! Best of Luck!
I was born on 15th st., and temple,and my house is still there, owned by Brightman construction, who where my next door neighbors. I remember all of the video. It hurts to see Detroit the way that it is now.
Hi Judith- We used to love to go to the dimestore on 14th and Myrtle- you must remember that store? Yes, it does really hurt to see how Detroit is now- it makes me so angry/sad that it was allowed to deteriorate so completely!
:)
Wow you did a nice job presenting this!
Thanks so much, woldoog1! It was a "work of heart" :) I am glad you enjoyed it!
Irma Landin-Obregon
moved to 7mi and Evergreen from Cooter, Mo 1961. Was the coolest move my Dad ever did.I got to meet the best people...ever! Now I miss it sooooo much! Ur cool!!!
woldoog1
Another bit of info, I danced at St. Hedwigs(sp) in 62 very very cool area!!!
Another thing, I am drunk as we speak, how about the Bagley Boys?, They were very cool and sharp dressers, they and I bought our shoes at Cancellations!!! COOL!
Yes it was. The church is still there and the school building too. But the school is now a public school. That area around Michigan and Junction looks very different from those days.
What a great video! Heard many good things about Detroit while growing up. Detroit may be down right now but it will come back in greater glory than before. But it will take awhile yet.
Bravo Irma, Delray born n raised! we went to Higgins elementary then Wilson Jr High which was the coolest school, great video do another one. Detroit was a grat place to grow up then.
Thanks Louis! We moved to Navy St. so my sisters attended Wilson too! Small world!
Yes indeed, ...we've been there...done that...thanks so much for the trip down memory lane!
Thanks !! Great memories. you did a super job of putting this together!!!
Charles, Thanks so much for viewing it and I'm so glad you liked it!
Fantastic work Irma in preserving memories for not only yourself, but other fellow Detroiters who simply mourn for their magnificent city's beautiful past.And guess what?I am AustralianI am a MelburnianI was born in the year of the riot, just a few days beforeI am from a comfortable middle class suburband I want to emigrate not to the US.....but to Detroit!!!!I am returning for a short stay in December to explore business opportunities, having recently visited with family in July this year.To say I have become transfixed with the history of Detroit, its present as well as its future, is an understatement to say the very least.Perhaps an obsession which many say I must be crazy, given how modern Detroit is portrayed.Despite all that, there is something about this city, so vastly different from Melbourne, that has enamoured me, wanting me to live the rest of my days there, and I am so very pleased to see in graphic emotional detail, how the city was to its many long lost inhabitants, and hope that in my days, many will return to also live out their days in their true home.Thank you Irma.
+David Pryse Thanks, David! There are many people still passionate about Detroit and hopeful for its future! Things have been turning around and there are definitely many opportunities for you to pursue! There is a lot going on business-wise and redevelopment-wise, so I wish you the best in your endeavors and I hope that Detroit will be good to you and that you will be good for Detroit! Best of luck!
This is the area my folks grew up in the 30's; Mom on Humbolt, Dad on Bagley. They dated in the Myrtle Theater. As a toddler, the family visited Roosevelt Park near MCR station. Good times before WW II.
thank you so much for this vid! my wife grew up in corktown, we lived there for awhile with her mom right after our wedding. the people in that neiborhood were so special!
You're very welcome! Plz tell your wife that #DetroitCorktown is alive and well- one of Detroit's best kept secrets :)
was then too! (mid eighties), her family is still there! (maltese).
nice!
Same here, man. Almost exactly. Cody '69
Very nice job, Irma. Thanks!
Great video at about 1:01 into the video is a picture from a news article Off to school as equal pupils the youngest one is my brother Tom and our friend Joanne holding his hand. I have a copy of that article we lived in the projects then 1953.
Hi Denise! I did not even know that was your brother in the picture! What a great coincidence! How cool is that! I remember when you lived a couple of blocks from St.Casimir- was it on Tillman? Hope you are well!
:) Amazing! So nice to hear that you're well! Hope you enjoy living in AL- and congratulations on your graduation- sounds great! Take care and hope to keep in touch!
Awesome. I lived about 3 blocks from you on Lawton north of Myrtle. Also attended Chaney, then St Leo. So many of the same memories.
Larry Bodoh Yes, many of the same memories! My cousins attended St. Leo on Grand River! Really is a small world. Thanks for viewing!
Irma Landin-Obregon What were your cousins last names? I moved out in 1960. Would have graduated from St. Leo in 1963. Very impressed by your presentation..
Larry Bodoh It was a really big family- don't want to give the name in this public forum, but I would bet you did know them!
Irma Landin-Obregon The family I am thinking of lived on 18th north of Myrtle.
Larry Bodoh Yep, that's where they lived! :)
it was over on mack ave,,wonder if any belle isle pictures of the canoe rental rides, the jefferies projects where i stayed a spell, the eastern market, etc
TheFishman88 Here is another video you might like th-cam.com/video/gdcuJCuztZc/w-d-xo.html
Irma, I live in England, absolutely love your video, what a fantastic record of social history! I happened upon your video researching the rise & fall of the US auto industry & Detroit..... I wish you & your fellow Detroiters a golden renaissance .... thank God that Obama stepped in to save GM . Best regards, Alex
+Alex Corfield Thanks so much for your good wishes Alex! Detroit is on the rebound and there's nowhere to go but up :)
Very nice, thank you!!
and tha vernors ginger ale plant where they made the pop, , i forgot what street it was on , you could see bottles going to and fro, from the street,,,walk many a day across that belle isle brigde,
TheFishman88 Vernors was on Woodward- Here is a link to one of my pinterest boards that has a lot of photos from old Detroit that you might like. Enjoy! www.pinterest.com/bettertolaugh/detroit-memories/
grew up in Highland Park in the 40's & 50's it was a great city, thru mis-management it turned into a real mess. I happened to be in Detroit over the 4th of July 2014 and had to shead a tear. Graduated from Denby 1955 on the East side, what a school, understand now it is now protected with armed guards. Yes this did bring back memories unfortunately at this time it is going to take a lot of time and effort to bring it back, I know it will not happen in my life time, but I wish everyone all the luck in the world.
Yes, Jim, you are quite right. But it does look like things are starting to change for the better. It will definitely be a different Detroit from the one I grew up in and it will take many, many years. Thanks for viewing!
you're breakin' my heart my brother(I'm sorry; Sister) from another mother. I too come from a family of six kids. We grew up in a small Ohio town, and would visit Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles in Hazel Park and Detroit. I totally get the Vib!
That was awesome!
Thanks, Jim! :)
"OH PLEASE" CAN WE GO BACK TO THOSE DAYS & TIME ,WHEN LIFE WAS SIMPLE , FAMILY FOUNDATION WAS STRONGER AND BIBLICALLY NORMAL !!
+Lakeshia McGee LOL! Sometimes I wish we could, but life goes on. But, it is nice to be able to recall some of the happy times! Thanks for viewing!
Miss those days. Didn't matter who you were, if you showed up on the front porch you were family. Everyone looked after each other.
LOL, Thanks Laura! It was fun making them! Keeps me busy :)
I even remember the horse trough on Ash St.
You do?! I passed by it every day on the way to school! Wonder what year it was when it was removed...
Irma Landin-Obregon Don't know when it was removed. Was it on Ash near Humboldt?
Larry Bodoh Yes
Irma I saw all your videos what an awesome job!! I might have to hire you to make some for me! lol hope all is well!
daaaang the globe movie house , went there many a day , when i was 11-12 you forgot the greystone ball rooom that was popular too
TheFishman88 I remember going to see movies at the Globe--- can't remember the greystone ball room- where was it? Thanks!
now&then I still dream of those wonderful hot waffle ice cream sandwiches from downtown Kresge store
i know theres 2 building thats still standing, the old ymca, over on jefferson and st clair, andthbig methodist church right cross from it on jefferson, and foch jr high overon fairfield ave
do you still live in detroit? what about your chilhood house now? are you still there? or it's abandoned...?? greetings from malaga, spain
Pablo Tupone Hola, Pablo. If you can see at the end of the video, I have a picture of my childhood home as it looks now- it is falling down, but it is still standing :(
No one lives in it (as far as I know!). We moved out of that house when I was in high school and I moved away from Detorit about 14 years ago after living in Detroit for 43 years, so I still consider it my hometown. Thanks for viewing!
The show Bill Kennedy had was called the Million Dollar Movie not Prize Movie,
THANKS!!
BEAUTIFUL! but you left out Farmer Jacks and Federals
Thanks for the time travel trip!
I know if someone were to ask you to trade all your back inna day memories to be 21 again ill bet you'd tellem to go to hell!
Thanks! We didn't have a Farmer Jacks by our house then until we moved in 1968. Then we always shopped at Farmer Jack. And you're right- great memories, but I don't want to be 21 again. :)