Wow cool!! Neat photos. I remember seeing photos of this in one of the Lansing history books and very being intrigued....I wanna say the book called it the mechanics school, or normal school, or boys reform school or something like that.
The building looks very much like something you'd see in England, much more of a victorian style vs the neoclassical/georgian style of Eastern HS. I always wondered if Don Johnson was originally part of the boys school. Pretty sure that's the fieldhouse immediately to the right of the building in that lower photo.
I also always thought that ball field felt kind of haunted. Now I see why!! The most fun summer ball league I ever played on used this field for our games. Lots of fun memories here.
Eastern High School acquired the field house after they closed what we used to call The Boys Reform School. Eastern used to have a tiny gym before that. I remember going to a Sexton vs. Eastern game over there at the fieldhouse in '72 when Sexton had a pretty good team, so it has been at least since '72. I want to say they remodeled that gym in '70. My Dad would drive us boys by the school and tell us if we did not behave we would end up there where all you get to eat is bread and beans! The Reform School had corn fields and gardens where the new houses are now, off Saginaw.
It's true that the mall did "have to" fail. I think if they had built the shopping center and office tower that was planned for the 100 block there would have been a lot more people and activity on the mall. My point is that the arcitects and City planners failed to understand by the time it was built most folks had already decided to shop eleswhere at outlying shoping centers that freed them from the hated parking meters. The whole urban renewal district ended up more like an office park than a shopping district, and the cement dominated mall was not really comfortable or welcoming enough to attarct people. I realize that that arcitects are planning for what their customer wants. An indoor mall with just offices lining the mall may not have been very active either.
Yeah, that's true. In that sense it was the architects fault that the mall failed, and I do agree that the mall was designed in a very brutalist fashion. I believe that we go through generational trends of space use. There were about 20 years where the suburban mall was the pot of gold that drew people from near and far. We appear to have entered a new trend where the live/work/play downtown is the new pot of gold. It would be great if this will last for a 20 year span. I wonder what the next trend will be?
I find that whole mall attempt really interesting, and at the time it really was seen as the new trend. I actually recall in my undergrad that had a landscape architecture component with urban planning, our professor showed an old documentary on the behavior habits of people and shared outdoor public spaces. It demonstrated what should be considered, how to layout them out, etc. Funny enough, Lansing's new Washington Court Mall was featured alongside major cities like NYC. The video, given the mall was relatively new, made it appear that the whole thing was a huge success. The idea was that people working in the area would use it, though we know that never really happened. So I'd have to say that I think the architect/landscape architect thought it out and were following trends but perhaps it wasn't right for a moderate city like Lansing or times simply changed.
Funny enough, he showed this video after the mall had been removed so all of the students from the Lansing area new it wasn't such a success...
I've got to say, I'm also really curious what the next trend will be. As someone who despises urban sprawl and suburbs I'd really like the focus to remain on a live/work/play downtown or at least maintain it while chasing another trend
The mall was put built in 1973 and lasted until 2007, over thirty years was a pretty good run. I am glad that the city saw it was time for a change. I could see the urban centers that were emptied out like Lansing's become the place folks want to live. I have lived in places where I would not have to use my car for days because everything I needed including my job was within walking distance. I have also lived in places where I would have to use my car for every time I left the house. I think walkable villages with the city will be a new phase. It is very nice to be able to walk to work and shopping. We have the start of this idea with Old Town, and downtown EL and East Michigan Ave. In downtown Lansing, I could see Grand Ave. parking lots being filled in with apartment/office buildings, as well as the areas directly to the south and west that are just starting to be developed. This new population will start a return of more retail and services to the downtown area. Like the urban Meijer's.
@gbdlansing, you are right; it really did have a good run. I guess I was just trying to say I don't think it worked out quite as intended in the long run.
I agree with the walk-able cities/districts being a trend. A city I always reference is Columbus, OH as far as it's success with various districts. It's similar to Lansing, of course on a larger scale, in the sense that it has distinct districts which may be difficult to walk from one to another but once you're in it you don't really need a car to get around. I think what could help Lansing is that while the districts are separated from downtown, they are much closer for walking than places like Columbus.
As things fill in, like all those parking lots in general, I think it will help with the walk-ability. Walking down streets with huge, empty parking lots after 5 isn't the most pleasant walk. I'm still surprised no developer has pounced on any Grand properties yet honestly. Seems like a missed opportunity.
The wide streets that we have in Lansing could lend themselves to linear parks or "pedestrian greenways". Greenways that connect the developing districts that provide beauty, shade, and safety. In some places, they could include dedicated bike/scooter lanes. All while keeping vehicle traffic on the same streets. Here in Michigan vehicle traffic is part of what animates a street, busy with traffic feels like there is something going on there. It would be nice to separate the two giving a bit more to the pedestrian side while keeping the access for traffic.
I have been in a couple of discussions about the I- 496 project and its effects on the city and the people who lived in the path of the highway on the Lansing Historical Society's Facebook page. It is very interesting to hear the stories of people and places that only exist in our memories. Many people who did not live here then or who are not old enough to remember have lots of questions about what happened. I am afraid that some people have a problem with the idea that "one reason" they built the highway where it is was to get rid of the older African American neighborhoods. Some think that having that opinion is somehow a liberal misreading of history, that liberals are even wrong about the reason for the Civil War and liberals have only harmed the Black community. This is the first Facebook blog I have ever participated in, so I may be quite naive about these things, is it usual to find folks posting such nonsense, and then go on to say that I must have some sort of mental disorder for pointing out that they are wrong? I guess the point is I should not care if some guys out there are just plain ignorant, or they like trolling sites to spread their ignorance and get their jollies. Sorry, it's really the first time I have tried to communicate with this sort of person, I found it sad.
Back to this project, the pictures of the area and the whole building project's progress are the best part. The whole thing took a very long time and when it was done I had a strong feeling of "this is it!?"
Comments
Wow cool!! Neat photos. I remember seeing photos of this in one of the Lansing history books and very being intrigued....I wanna say the book called it the mechanics school, or normal school, or boys reform school or something like that.
The building looks very much like something you'd see in England, much more of a victorian style vs the neoclassical/georgian style of Eastern HS. I always wondered if Don Johnson was originally part of the boys school. Pretty sure that's the fieldhouse immediately to the right of the building in that lower photo.
I also always thought that ball field felt kind of haunted. Now I see why!! The most fun summer ball league I ever played on used this field for our games. Lots of fun memories here.
Eastern High School acquired the field house after they closed what we used to call The Boys Reform School. Eastern used to have a tiny gym before that. I remember going to a Sexton vs. Eastern game over there at the fieldhouse in '72 when Sexton had a pretty good team, so it has been at least since '72. I want to say they remodeled that gym in '70. My Dad would drive us boys by the school and tell us if we did not behave we would end up there where all you get to eat is bread and beans! The Reform School had corn fields and gardens where the new houses are now, off Saginaw.
It's true that the mall did "have to" fail. I think if they had built the shopping center and office tower that was planned for the 100 block there would have been a lot more people and activity on the mall. My point is that the arcitects and City planners failed to understand by the time it was built most folks had already decided to shop eleswhere at outlying shoping centers that freed them from the hated parking meters. The whole urban renewal district ended up more like an office park than a shopping district, and the cement dominated mall was not really comfortable or welcoming enough to attarct people. I realize that that arcitects are planning for what their customer wants. An indoor mall with just offices lining the mall may not have been very active either.
Yeah, that's true. In that sense it was the architects fault that the mall failed, and I do agree that the mall was designed in a very brutalist fashion. I believe that we go through generational trends of space use. There were about 20 years where the suburban mall was the pot of gold that drew people from near and far. We appear to have entered a new trend where the live/work/play downtown is the new pot of gold. It would be great if this will last for a 20 year span. I wonder what the next trend will be?
I find that whole mall attempt really interesting, and at the time it really was seen as the new trend. I actually recall in my undergrad that had a landscape architecture component with urban planning, our professor showed an old documentary on the behavior habits of people and shared outdoor public spaces. It demonstrated what should be considered, how to layout them out, etc. Funny enough, Lansing's new Washington Court Mall was featured alongside major cities like NYC. The video, given the mall was relatively new, made it appear that the whole thing was a huge success. The idea was that people working in the area would use it, though we know that never really happened. So I'd have to say that I think the architect/landscape architect thought it out and were following trends but perhaps it wasn't right for a moderate city like Lansing or times simply changed.
Funny enough, he showed this video after the mall had been removed so all of the students from the Lansing area new it wasn't such a success...
I've got to say, I'm also really curious what the next trend will be. As someone who despises urban sprawl and suburbs I'd really like the focus to remain on a live/work/play downtown or at least maintain it while chasing another trend
The mall was put built in 1973 and lasted until 2007, over thirty years was a pretty good run. I am glad that the city saw it was time for a change. I could see the urban centers that were emptied out like Lansing's become the place folks want to live. I have lived in places where I would not have to use my car for days because everything I needed including my job was within walking distance. I have also lived in places where I would have to use my car for every time I left the house. I think walkable villages with the city will be a new phase. It is very nice to be able to walk to work and shopping. We have the start of this idea with Old Town, and downtown EL and East Michigan Ave. In downtown Lansing, I could see Grand Ave. parking lots being filled in with apartment/office buildings, as well as the areas directly to the south and west that are just starting to be developed. This new population will start a return of more retail and services to the downtown area. Like the urban Meijer's.
@gbdlansing, you are right; it really did have a good run. I guess I was just trying to say I don't think it worked out quite as intended in the long run.
I agree with the walk-able cities/districts being a trend. A city I always reference is Columbus, OH as far as it's success with various districts. It's similar to Lansing, of course on a larger scale, in the sense that it has distinct districts which may be difficult to walk from one to another but once you're in it you don't really need a car to get around. I think what could help Lansing is that while the districts are separated from downtown, they are much closer for walking than places like Columbus.
As things fill in, like all those parking lots in general, I think it will help with the walk-ability. Walking down streets with huge, empty parking lots after 5 isn't the most pleasant walk. I'm still surprised no developer has pounced on any Grand properties yet honestly. Seems like a missed opportunity.
The wide streets that we have in Lansing could lend themselves to linear parks or "pedestrian greenways". Greenways that connect the developing districts that provide beauty, shade, and safety. In some places, they could include dedicated bike/scooter lanes. All while keeping vehicle traffic on the same streets. Here in Michigan vehicle traffic is part of what animates a street, busy with traffic feels like there is something going on there. It would be nice to separate the two giving a bit more to the pedestrian side while keeping the access for traffic.
Great points, I love this idea for Lansing roads.
I have been in a couple of discussions about the I- 496 project and its effects on the city and the people who lived in the path of the highway on the Lansing Historical Society's Facebook page. It is very interesting to hear the stories of people and places that only exist in our memories. Many people who did not live here then or who are not old enough to remember have lots of questions about what happened. I am afraid that some people have a problem with the idea that "one reason" they built the highway where it is was to get rid of the older African American neighborhoods. Some think that having that opinion is somehow a liberal misreading of history, that liberals are even wrong about the reason for the Civil War and liberals have only harmed the Black community. This is the first Facebook blog I have ever participated in, so I may be quite naive about these things, is it usual to find folks posting such nonsense, and then go on to say that I must have some sort of mental disorder for pointing out that they are wrong? I guess the point is I should not care if some guys out there are just plain ignorant, or they like trolling sites to spread their ignorance and get their jollies. Sorry, it's really the first time I have tried to communicate with this sort of person, I found it sad.
Back to this project, the pictures of the area and the whole building project's progress are the best part. The whole thing took a very long time and when it was done I had a strong feeling of "this is it!?"