Detroit architect Louis Kamper and the City Beautiful
He designed hundreds of buildings, including some of the most conspicuous commercial buildings and spectacular mansions during Detroit’s Gilded Age from the 1890s through the 1920s.
Michigan History
Stories and photos about people, places and events from Michigan's past
Business
The Fisher brothers' magnificent building
Architect Albert Kahn’s early version for the Fisher Building included three skyscrapers. He settled for a single tower, 28 stories high, that would become his masterpiece.
Detroit's early auto giants: Daredevils and mad mechanics
Charles B. King may have been the first on Detroit streets with a gasoline powered motor carriage, but as early as the 1880s Detroit’s mechanics, machinists, engineers and amateur tinkers were all feverishly working on some version of a steam, electric or gasoline powered contraption.
'Holiday for labor' an early tradition in Detroit
Parades, rallies and picnics popular from the 19th century as unions sought support, pushed for workers’ rights By Bill Loomis / Special to The Detroit News In Detroit the earliest versions of a “holiday for labor” can be traced back to before the Civil War, when joining labor unions and agitating could be dangerous for … Continue Reading →
Clues at downtown bar point toward the Purple Gang and a colorful past
By Neal Rubin / Detroit News columnist For every old tavern in Detroit, there’s a story. Or two stories. And they tend to be the same ones. The joint was a speakeasy during Prohibition. That’s the first. No. 2, the Purple Gang drank there. If the Purple Gangsters had really been that devoted to drinking … Continue Reading →
Grand hotels of early Detroit: Cotillions, celebrities and Turkish baths
By Bill Loomis / Special to The Detroit News It was not long after the first steamboat, “Walk in the Water,” docked in Detroit in the summer of 1818 that emigrants from Europe and New England, tourists, soldiers and other visitors began pouring into the small town. By 1835 there were hundreds of newcomers daily; … Continue Reading →
The Arsenal of Democracy: How Detroit turned industrial might into military power during World War II
By Arthur Herman / Special to The Detroit News On May 28, 1940, the phone rang in Bill Knudsen’s office in the General Motors Building. Knudsen, a Danish immigrant who had made parts for Henry Ford’s Model T in a bicycle factory in Buffalo before working his way up to become president of GM, heard … Continue Reading →
Riding the first rails brought excitement, danger
“It is hard to make railroading pleasant in any country. Stage-coaching is infinitely more delightful.” — Mark Twain By Bill Loomis / Special to The Detroit News The desire for a railway began very early in Detroit, considering it was a frontier town on the western extremes. The first railroad chartered in the United … Continue Reading →
Six facts all Detroiters should know about their hometown
By Larry Jeddeloh / Special to The Detroit News Detroit has taken on many nicknames including Motown, The Motor City, Hockeytown, Rock City or just simply “The D.” While we are proud of our automotive heritage and music history, there are lesser-known facts about Detroit. Here we will explore six facts every Detroiter, historian or … Continue Reading →
The Battle of the Overpass, at 75
By Bryce Hoffman / The Detroit News Saturday, May 26, 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Overpass, the infamous encounter between leaders of a young United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co. security men on a footbridge over Miller Road outside the company’s River Rouge complex. It would prove a defining … Continue Reading →
