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
Locations
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.
Capitol Park: Where's Detroit's past and future intersect
You might not notice Capitol Park, even if you were in it: It’s a tiny, triangular wedge with a few benches and monuments, largely concrete, tucked behind the Westin Book Cadillac.
1913 Great Lakes storm reminder of nature's fury
Nearly forgotten disaster sank 12 ships, killed 250 By Francis Donnelly / The Detroit News What was the biggest disaster in the history of the Great Lakes? Would it help if we told you it battered four of the five lakes, killing 250 people, sinking 12 ships and causing $120 million in damage? Still don’t … Continue Reading →
Who slept in the U.S. Grant house?
By Laura Berman / Detroit News columnist A tour of the Ulysses S. Grant House at the state fairgrounds raises this question: Who’s been sleeping in the waterbed? Ulysses S. Grant and his wife lived in the Greek Revival house in 1849, on Fort Street. Threatened by bulldozers as factories moved in, the house was … 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 →
Camp Grayling, training National Guard troops for 100 years
By Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News Grayling — Unbeknownst to most people, a 100-year war has raged around this small north Michigan city. Not “war” like a dispute, but “war” like tanks, eight-inch howitzers and planes lobbing 500-pound bombs. The fighting takes place at Camp Grayling, the largest National Guard training facility in … Continue Reading →
Book details the lure, history of Michigan's beaches to St. Louis residents
For Michiganians, it’s all too easy to become almost immune to the charm of vast stretches of lake and sky and a brisk, watery breeze.It takes someone from a landlocked state to remind us why people would travel for days in sweltering trains, trams and steamers to bask on one of our lakes in the … Continue Reading →
Frank Lloyd Wright home ahead of its time
House in Palmer Woods is restored to its former glory By Maureen Feighan | Detroit News Design Writer In January 1955, Dorothy Turkel of Detroit wrote a letter to America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, asking him to design her a new home. After he agreed, Turkel, whose family owned a chain of parking … Continue Reading →
Dusting off Detroit's grand old castle
There’s new life in the old towers of the G.A.R. Memorial Hall in Detroit: An American flag now flies from one of the turrets; the plywood that covered the windows has been replaced with plate glass; there is a new roof, and temporary fencing now surrounds the ground floor.
