I'm pretty sure he's talking about the hill in Oak Park, the same one they shoot the City's fireworks display off of. I haven't ventured into Oak Park before, but now I kinda want to. I've always thought the best view of downtown was from 496 above Cedar St, good luck getting a picture from there though.
Yeah, I was talking about Oak Park. Though, the view is more something you just want to see than photograph. The VOA shelter blocks a lot of the view, but you still get some interesting sites from up there. You also get a really neat view of Boji Tower from the playground in the park, which is right at entrance to the park on Linden Grove (which is right off Pennsylvania). Way, way back in the city's history, Oak Park was actually the cemetary for the city of Lansing before they moved it down to Mount Hope. They eventually moved the graves down there. The park also used to have a small pond.
I found your story about what happened after I moved out east very interesting. There was a great turning away from the cities and Michigan that began in the 70's. People would line up out side Paramount News on Sundays to get the latest newspapers from Houston the promised land of jobs in the oil business. People in Texas called the Michigaders "Motor Heads" and make light of them for traveling to Texas in old cars with everything they owned packed into a trailer. Why desperate people seem funny is something I asked a Texan who was at my bar out east, he said because they look like the Beverly Hillbillys coming to town. I cut him off, and told him I was from Lansing, he did not know were Lansing is!
I did not see the devastation that crack brought here, I did see Boston in those days and yes it was kind of dumpy and could be dangerous in almost any neighborhood. Today most of Boston is beautiful.
Meanwhile back to here, today I am also going to take a little drive over there and check out Oak Park.
I was also wondering why there are always lots of folks down by the V.O.A. on Larch is there housing there, do they work there? Is that the shelter that blocks the view? I guess it must be!
The City of Lansing had a #tbt showing the old Fire Station #1. They said it was on the eastside of Grand at the intersection with Allegan, which would be where the Grand Tower now riseS;
That said, in none of the pictures do I see the old city club, which would have been next door being one of the oldest buildings in the city.
Is the city club the building visible on the far right in the second story and the fire station is closer to Michigan which would be where the parking garage now is?
This weeks #tbt from the city. I've seen this photo quite a few times, but I love it. It's looking west across the Franklin Street (now Grand River Avenue) over the Grand River in Old Town. This would have been taken approximately at Franklin and Turner. The buildings peeking out from the left are still there save for that shorter one in the foreground. The structure at the end of Franklin is where the School of the Blind eventually went in. This photo, however, show's when the property was the Michigan Female College.
The church you see across the river is Franklin Street Presbyterian Church built in 1865. This church lasted until they built a new structure on the site completed in 1916 which stands today. The church changed it's name to North Presbyterian in 1934 when Franklin was renamed over the rerouted Grand River Avenue and to reflect location and direction from the mother church downtown. North Presbyterian moved a few years ago in with Westminster Presbyterian at Oakland and MLK creating the North Westminster Presbyterian .
BTW, the bridge pictured only last for approximately twenty years from 1854 to 1875 before it was washed away in a flood. Being that the building pictured wasn't completed until the early 1870's, this picture was probably taken a few years (maybe even just a year) before the bridged was washed out.
Thank you for posting this photo, I have never seen it. I like how the have nice wide plank side walks on both side of the street. I am sure that was a point if civic pride. It is also interesting to note how developed the area is only 30 or 40 years after Lansing was made the state capital.
Thank you for posting this photo, I have never seen it. I like how they have nice wide plank side walks on both side of the street. I am sure that was a point if civic pride. It is also interesting to note how developed the area is only 30 or 40 years after Lansing was made the state capital.
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I did not see the devastation that crack brought here, I did see Boston in those days and yes it was kind of dumpy and could be dangerous in almost any neighborhood. Today most of Boston is beautiful.
Meanwhile back to here, today I am also going to take a little drive over there and check out Oak Park.
That said, in none of the pictures do I see the old city club, which would have been next door being one of the oldest buildings in the city.
Is the city club the building visible on the far right in the second story and the fire station is closer to Michigan which would be where the parking garage now is?
The church you see across the river is Franklin Street Presbyterian Church built in 1865. This church lasted until they built a new structure on the site completed in 1916 which stands today. The church changed it's name to North Presbyterian in 1934 when Franklin was renamed over the rerouted Grand River Avenue and to reflect location and direction from the mother church downtown. North Presbyterian moved a few years ago in with Westminster Presbyterian at Oakland and MLK creating the North Westminster Presbyterian .
BTW, the bridge pictured only last for approximately twenty years from 1854 to 1875 before it was washed away in a flood. Being that the building pictured wasn't completed until the early 1870's, this picture was probably taken a few years (maybe even just a year) before the bridged was washed out.