Lansing History
This is a thread for historic pictures and info on the Lansing area. I'll start off by including the pics that I first posted on Urban Planet. I'm not sure what the photo limit is here, so I'll divide them into a few posts.
Here are some pics of the old REO Factory, which occupied the land from Washington to Cedar and Baker north to the RR tracks. The photos are from the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record.
1. Building #3 (Clubhouse), looking northeast from Washington Avenue.
2. Building #3 (Clubhouse), looking south from Grand Trunk Railroad Station.
3. Building #3 (Clubhouse), interior of ballroom.
4. Building #1 (Administration), looking east from Washington Avenue.
5. Building #1 (Administration), second floor offices.
6. Building #1 (Administration), first floor offices.
7. Building #4 (Engineering), looking northeast from Washington Avenue.
8. Building #5 (Engineering), looking west from interior of plant.
9. Building #5 (Engineering), looking west from interior of plant.
10. Building #2, looking south from Grand Trunk Railroad Station.
11. Building #8, looking northeast from Washington Avenue.
12. Buildings #8 (background) and #7 (foreground), looking northwest from Baker Street.
13. Building #5, looking northwest from interior of plant.
14. Building #5, looking northeast from interior of plant.
15. Building #6 (background) and #8 (foreground), looking southeast from interior of plant.
16. Baker Street Water tower, looking south.
17. Cedar Street water tower, looking north (beyond historic designation area).
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19.
Here are some pics of the old REO Factory, which occupied the land from Washington to Cedar and Baker north to the RR tracks. The photos are from the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record.
1. Building #3 (Clubhouse), looking northeast from Washington Avenue.
2. Building #3 (Clubhouse), looking south from Grand Trunk Railroad Station.
3. Building #3 (Clubhouse), interior of ballroom.
4. Building #1 (Administration), looking east from Washington Avenue.
5. Building #1 (Administration), second floor offices.
6. Building #1 (Administration), first floor offices.
7. Building #4 (Engineering), looking northeast from Washington Avenue.
8. Building #5 (Engineering), looking west from interior of plant.
9. Building #5 (Engineering), looking west from interior of plant.
10. Building #2, looking south from Grand Trunk Railroad Station.
11. Building #8, looking northeast from Washington Avenue.
12. Buildings #8 (background) and #7 (foreground), looking northwest from Baker Street.
13. Building #5, looking northwest from interior of plant.
14. Building #5, looking northeast from interior of plant.
15. Building #6 (background) and #8 (foreground), looking southeast from interior of plant.
16. Baker Street Water tower, looking south.
17. Cedar Street water tower, looking north (beyond historic designation area).
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19.
Comments
A view of the REO buildings that faced Washington Ave in 1977.
A view of REO along the RR tracks in 1977.
A view of the Old Lansing City Hall (Left) and the Old Post Office (Right)
The Lansing School for the Blind as it used to be.
Lansing Central High School, now known as LCC's Old Central Building (has been "modernized")
Some unknown Lansing Factory shots, non currently exist
Michigan National under construction
Here are a couple of Washington Ave pics from Water Winter Wonderland.
Quoted from Lmich, posted on UP:
"LS & MS Depot - this was somewhere along Cedar Street, downtown. I can't really remember the old railroad configuration of the area, but it was somewhere in this area and demolished long ago.
Hollister Building before it was expanded and still known as the Hollister Block. This is the oldest remaining "high-rise" building of Lansing.
Fire Station #1 - This one looks like the current home of the Lansing Civic Players on East Michigan Avenue, but Station #1 would be the one downtown at Grand and Shiawasee. So, I'm not sure where this one is or if it still exists.
300 south block of Washington Square looking north. With the old Downey Hotel dominating the foreground.
100 south block of Washington looking north. Looks to be sometime in the 60's.
Auto Body works, where Sir Pizza is now.
Lansing Brewing Co
Grand River, looking east accross the bridge.
Arial from 1935
Another view of the Auto Body plant
A flooded Race Street mill
Thoman Mill - SW corner of Grand & Ottawa
Michigan Ave bridge, pre 1870's
Post 1870's
Clarksmobile Plant, 231 S Grand, destroyed in 1906 by fire
New Way auto plant, 706 Sheridan. This was in the parking lot by the North Precinct.
A more recent picture:
Hotel Downey, razed for the Knapps Building
Prudden Building, SW corner of Michigan & Washington, destroyed by fire in 1920
Oakland Building, SE corner of Michigan & Capitol (Romney Building) destroyed by fire in 1923
Kerns Hotel, NE corner of Grand & Michigan, destroyed by fire in 1934 killing 34 people
Plymouth Congregational Church, SE Corner of Townsend & Allegan (Capitol View Building) destroyed by fire in 1977.
And here is a pdf of a 1976 historic survey. Towards the end are a bunh of pictures and references to them. Looking through these truely shows how disected central Lansing is, I just can't get over the amount of building's we've lost, the more I look the more I keep finding.
Lansing History
The buildings I find most interesting are the ones in picture numbers 53, 54, 87, 99, 108, 110
It's sad to see at the end of this report they give a number of reccomendations about saving historic structures, including specifically mentioning how LCC should consider saving buildings. Obviously the reccomendations of this report were never followed.
I found another good website with more Pictures, it's especially worth looking at the collage pictures.
Another good history site: L is for Lansing
From 1911
Gladmer Theater, SW corner of Washington & Ionia