Monday, November 1, 2010

I Keep Clean Now

Detroit - Woodward Ave

Postmarked 2 December 1915
Detroit, MI

Message:
Hello Phle- / I can't play out of doors I keep clean now / Monica
The back of this card (not to mention the front) is in such bad shape, I can't bear to post it publicly, but I wanted to include a Detroit card in honor of my trip to Michigan, first to Ann Arbor for the Net Impact Conference, and then to Detroit to see my in-laws.

This postcard depicts an area of Detroit that was central in the early 1900s but later became known as a skyscraper graveyard. Constructed in the mid-1910s, the Statler Hotel was exclusive and popular, hosting such guests as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry Houdini. It was taken over by Hilton in 1954, but Hilton stopped managing the hotel in 1974. For a year, the hotel operated under another moniker, though was abandoned in 1975. It was vacant for 30 years, and finally demolished in 2005. The David Whitney building was constructed about the same time, and has been vacant since 1990. Sebastian Spering Kresge opened a five and dime in 1899, an operation which evolved into K-Mart. The Kresge Department Store closed in 1982, but the building is being redeveloped.

Buildings of Detroit: Statler Hotel

1 comment:

Christine H. said...

It's a great card, rough shape or not. I absolutely love the message on the back.

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