@gbinlansing My dad's family lived on Clemens, at one point they were going to take out one side of the street to expand it but apparently the neighborhood fought hard against it. I believe it was their intention to expand Clemens and join it up with Wood street to make it a main thoroughfare.
You are correct Hood. The protests led to the formation of the East Side Neighborhood Association. On a similar note, the one-way street albatross in downtown Lansing was to afford quick dispersal from the Capitol area in the event of a bombing. Glad that they've reversed that plan on some streets - still makes navigation a headache for out-of-towners.
Thanks for the info. I know that MLK is part of M-99, I was kind of bemoaning the fact that ever since it was built it never saw the traffic it was built for, and they destroyed a lot of that neighborhood to build the boulevard.They use to truck the finished cars over to transport lots on Mt. Hope so there were a lot of trucks on S. Logan, and the traffic at shift change was very bad,so I know why they built it. I was a student at Sexton and walked over the new highway as it was being finished and also over the old Logan street bridge on the way home. The old bridge needed replacing but it was a much nicer in design with high arches over the river.
Your Dad's neighborhood must have had more clout than the folks on the west side. They did not let anything or anyone stop 496 and M-99, not even R.E. Olds's own house! I am sure that race my have played a part in who could raise their voice in opposition.
1-496 sure changed the dynamics of Lansing. I believe the government took many people's land under the guise of eminent domain, including the Olds Mansion an amazing building from my childhood memories.
I know that no place is like it was 40 or 50 years ago, it would be a pretty sad place if it were. It seems from the prospective of 2017 that we in Lansing never have been fully repaid for the destruction of our neighborhoods for freeways and roads, for GM expansion, for urban renewal, for the Capitol Complex. What has been built has filled in a lot of what was destroyed, but what has been built is generally [not all] less then spectacular. Our downtown has never recovered from the urban renewal projects of the 60's and 70's. However great it is to race to East Lansing in three minutes at 70 mph, I find they way they have maintained the highway rather disgraceful, and dangerous. The sub station on the garden feels very much the same way, what are we getting for this last little piece of what was a beautiful neighborhood? And do we, did we ever have anything to say about it?
Yeah, as the article states it's been in the works for a long time now but it looks like the team trying to put it together hasn't been able to get the project fully going. I get the feeling that Eyde has tried to accommodate them for some time, and they may have another potential tenant showing interest so they decided to cut off this project since they hadn't made real progress yet.
I had heard about it a while ago, and I thought may be a good place for a bar but the whole beer price exchange thing sounded complicated and too focused on a small number of craft beer lovers. I think that the craft beer craze is great but how many more people are going to join this craze? Also a flight of stairs can be a difficult obstacle to overcome, up will see a lot of bars downstairs, but not to many one floor up. Witness what happened to the sandwich shop at the Knapp's building they had no door on the street, you had to go into the lobby through two doors to get to the shop, nobody went in or even knew there was a shop there. I lived in a very busy tourist resort town where it was notable that maybe only two out of ten people walking by would walk up or down stairs or walk a block off the main street. People are use to shopping in a mall where there are no stairs or little alleys. I think Eyde should market that space for offices and focus on the ground floor store front next to the pizza shop for a bar or pub.
I am happy to hear that they are opening a coffee shop there. I think these folks will have a good business there, they have a successful shop on Michigan Ave. I thought the name Crafty Palette was the former businesses first and biggest problem. The name said to me Art and Craft Supplies! I never did go in there.
If you have not already read it, the story about the trail improvements coming this year in the City Pulse is very interesting. I think they are saying that much of the river trail will be repaved like the Hawk Island loop is now. That loop right now is the absolute best road in Lansing! Too bad we can't drive on it! I would like to see a more natural solution to the erosion problems along the river by GM. A more natural slop of stones and soil planted to hold the soil during high water, it would be all green and full of life at most times. Metal "seawalls" although effective make the river more like a canal. I also like hearing about a park in Lansing I never knew about. Maybe I will check it out during this strangely warm weather this weekend.
Comments
@gbinlansing My dad's family lived on Clemens, at one point they were going to take out one side of the street to expand it but apparently the neighborhood fought hard against it. I believe it was their intention to expand Clemens and join it up with Wood street to make it a main thoroughfare.
You are correct Hood. The protests led to the formation of the East Side Neighborhood Association. On a similar note, the one-way street albatross in downtown Lansing was to afford quick dispersal from the Capitol area in the event of a bombing. Glad that they've reversed that plan on some streets - still makes navigation a headache for out-of-towners.
Thanks for the info. I know that MLK is part of M-99, I was kind of bemoaning the fact that ever since it was built it never saw the traffic it was built for, and they destroyed a lot of that neighborhood to build the boulevard.They use to truck the finished cars over to transport lots on Mt. Hope so there were a lot of trucks on S. Logan, and the traffic at shift change was very bad,so I know why they built it. I was a student at Sexton and walked over the new highway as it was being finished and also over the old Logan street bridge on the way home. The old bridge needed replacing but it was a much nicer in design with high arches over the river.
Your Dad's neighborhood must have had more clout than the folks on the west side. They did not let anything or anyone stop 496 and M-99, not even R.E. Olds's own house! I am sure that race my have played a part in who could raise their voice in opposition.
1-496 sure changed the dynamics of Lansing. I believe the government took many people's land under the guise of eminent domain, including the Olds Mansion an amazing building from my childhood memories.
I know that no place is like it was 40 or 50 years ago, it would be a pretty sad place if it were. It seems from the prospective of 2017 that we in Lansing never have been fully repaid for the destruction of our neighborhoods for freeways and roads, for GM expansion, for urban renewal, for the Capitol Complex. What has been built has filled in a lot of what was destroyed, but what has been built is generally [not all] less then spectacular. Our downtown has never recovered from the urban renewal projects of the 60's and 70's. However great it is to race to East Lansing in three minutes at 70 mph, I find they way they have maintained the highway rather disgraceful, and dangerous. The sub station on the garden feels very much the same way, what are we getting for this last little piece of what was a beautiful neighborhood? And do we, did we ever have anything to say about it?
Yeah, as the article states it's been in the works for a long time now but it looks like the team trying to put it together hasn't been able to get the project fully going. I get the feeling that Eyde has tried to accommodate them for some time, and they may have another potential tenant showing interest so they decided to cut off this project since they hadn't made real progress yet.
I had heard about it a while ago, and I thought may be a good place for a bar but the whole beer price exchange thing sounded complicated and too focused on a small number of craft beer lovers. I think that the craft beer craze is great but how many more people are going to join this craze? Also a flight of stairs can be a difficult obstacle to overcome, up will see a lot of bars downstairs, but not to many one floor up. Witness what happened to the sandwich shop at the Knapp's building they had no door on the street, you had to go into the lobby through two doors to get to the shop, nobody went in or even knew there was a shop there. I lived in a very busy tourist resort town where it was notable that maybe only two out of ten people walking by would walk up or down stairs or walk a block off the main street. People are use to shopping in a mall where there are no stairs or little alleys. I think Eyde should market that space for offices and focus on the ground floor store front next to the pizza shop for a bar or pub.
@david_shane Have you heard any updates on the Under-The-Bridge project?
I am happy to hear that they are opening a coffee shop there. I think these folks will have a good business there, they have a successful shop on Michigan Ave. I thought the name Crafty Palette was the former businesses first and biggest problem. The name said to me Art and Craft Supplies! I never did go in there.
If you have not already read it, the story about the trail improvements coming this year in the City Pulse is very interesting. I think they are saying that much of the river trail will be repaved like the Hawk Island loop is now. That loop right now is the absolute best road in Lansing! Too bad we can't drive on it! I would like to see a more natural solution to the erosion problems along the river by GM. A more natural slop of stones and soil planted to hold the soil during high water, it would be all green and full of life at most times. Metal "seawalls" although effective make the river more like a canal. I also like hearing about a park in Lansing I never knew about. Maybe I will check it out during this strangely warm weather this weekend.