Exactly, the stacks in the second picture could not have been south of the building. If you have the book "Through The Years" Greater Lansing Pictorial History on page 51 they show the buildings in the correct order.
My project phase one is complete, please look up at East Arbor Architecture in East Lansing on Facebook.
They will be showing 13 of the images I had high resolution scans made into metal plate photos. They take you from where we have been discussing on Ottawa and Grand down to the 500 block south Grand Ave. They include what have to have been the best and last photos of The Hotel Kerns taken 5 months before the fire. There are many more to be done and they will be shown in Lansing as I can afford to do more for a bigger venue.
It is a very small gallery and I had a very small budget.....but, I'm getting them out there for people to see.
@gomsu It'd really be nice to see a local history museum someday. One option might be to have CADL incorporate a small local history museum into a new downtown library if they go for their millage again. If not that then perhaps something run by a non profit in a house or small building.
Anyone know if there's ever been any serious talk of a local history museum? How would something like that even get started? I ask because maybe we could be part of a push for a local history museum, it's sure to be a long process and if we want to see it happen someone has to get the ball rolling.
Thank you for posting these interesting photos that I have not seen before. It may have been just an over look typo, but you said REOtown in your description, which is a recent place name for the S. Washington Ave neighborhood. I may be wrong but we never called a neighborhood by a name except for maybe Colonial Village. It was mainly directional references like North Lansing, or the local school or church or park that we called a neighborhood. For instance we never called our neighborhood Oldsdale, or Sagamore if anything it was Quentin Park. Not picking just a note of interest!
It is kind of sad we do not really have a history museum for Lansing, we are a town of such great import to the state and the world really. We could have a very interesting story to present.
Strange you would say that about museums. I drove to Lansing last Saturday to get some photos.
After which, we headed to 831 N Washington to the Lansing Historical society to see the displays. The signs said we were in the right place. It was locked up tight with no cars in the lot, on a Saturday at 2:00 pm while a festival was going on downtown....nothing. It is the Creyts house and was nice to walk around and admire. Ended up at the REO museum, but couldn't believe the local history society wasn't open.
I don't know where to even start to bring all the scattered remains of Lansing's history together, Lansing didn't really care about its past until most was lost.
According to the website: http://lansinghistory.blogspot.com/ That is where they are located, the page shows there should be rotating displays and special events.
I have e-mailed them with no response, I met with one of the trustees and never heard back from them. Not really sure if it has gone under or they just cannot staff the building.
By the link posted above, it looks like there is a Historical Society of Greater Lansing. They also have a facebook page under the same name. The organization seens current and updated. Apparently they have walking tours in different neighborhoods during the summer. Maybe with a little more support that can do more things or maintain a facility with exhibits. I don't know about their current location, but it would be nice to have them in a more visible location downtown or on Michigan Ave.
Also, they have a twitter account https://twitter.com/LansingHistory with pictures and the hashtag #LansingHistory on twitter has good relevant content too.
The city's public service department has put up some really clear shots of the 100 block of West Michigan Avenue in front of the Capitol from the 50's recently.
The first one was taken in 1955 looking directly north across the avenue. It shows the old post office (later city hall annex) slightly out of view to the left and city hall in the background on Ottawa and Capitol, and a YMCA with scaffolding over the sidewalk to protect pedestrians from pieces falling off of it. I had no idea the YMCA had been there. Funny thing is that the YMCA is on this block, today.
The next one is four years later a few days before Christmas 1959 after the construction of new City Hall looking northeast from a similar location. As you can see the white building in between it (Jury Rowe's) and the old Bank of Lansing tower survived. Though, I can't seem to remember if it survived all the way until the construction of the Capitol Tower office building (110 West Michigan Avenue) completed in 2000, or if it had been replaced earlier by something else that was reconstructed to make Capitol Tower.
Comments
My project phase one is complete, please look up at East Arbor Architecture in East Lansing on Facebook.
They will be showing 13 of the images I had high resolution scans made into metal plate photos. They take you from where we have been discussing on Ottawa and Grand down to the 500 block south Grand Ave. They include what have to have been the best and last photos of The Hotel Kerns taken 5 months before the fire. There are many more to be done and they will be shown in Lansing as I can afford to do more for a bigger venue.
It is a very small gallery and I had a very small budget.....but, I'm getting them out there for people to see.
Anyone know if there's ever been any serious talk of a local history museum? How would something like that even get started? I ask because maybe we could be part of a push for a local history museum, it's sure to be a long process and if we want to see it happen someone has to get the ball rolling.
It is kind of sad we do not really have a history museum for Lansing, we are a town of such great import to the state and the world really. We could have a very interesting story to present.
After which, we headed to 831 N Washington to the Lansing Historical society to see the displays. The signs said we were in the right place. It was locked up tight with no cars in the lot, on a Saturday at 2:00 pm while a festival was going on downtown....nothing. It is the Creyts house and was nice to walk around and admire. Ended up at the REO museum, but couldn't believe the local history society wasn't open.
I don't know where to even start to bring all the scattered remains of Lansing's history together, Lansing didn't really care about its past until most was lost.
I have e-mailed them with no response, I met with one of the trustees and never heard back from them. Not really sure if it has gone under or they just cannot staff the building.
Also, they have a twitter account https://twitter.com/LansingHistory with pictures and the hashtag #LansingHistory on twitter has good relevant content too.
The first one was taken in 1955 looking directly north across the avenue. It shows the old post office (later city hall annex) slightly out of view to the left and city hall in the background on Ottawa and Capitol, and a YMCA with scaffolding over the sidewalk to protect pedestrians from pieces falling off of it. I had no idea the YMCA had been there. Funny thing is that the YMCA is on this block, today.
The next one is four years later a few days before Christmas 1959 after the construction of new City Hall looking northeast from a similar location. As you can see the white building in between it (Jury Rowe's) and the old Bank of Lansing tower survived. Though, I can't seem to remember if it survived all the way until the construction of the Capitol Tower office building (110 West Michigan Avenue) completed in 2000, or if it had been replaced earlier by something else that was reconstructed to make Capitol Tower.
Here is Capitol Hall, today: