Postcards

Restaurant Remembrances

Restaurants come and go, but their images become artifacts of the past, a direct connection with generations gone by who sat at the bar, ate at the tables. These postcards depict some restaurants that operated in the city from the 1950s through the 1980s, which some of our readers may recall patronizing or even working at. They showcase the modernist sensibilities and sometimes outlandish styles that were used to thematically decorate mid-century eating establishments. Please share any personal memories in the Comments section below.

Tiny Places

In a big city with big industry and big buildings like Detroit, sometimes the tiniest of places can be just as interesting. In 1914, Detroit claimed to have the smallest park in the World sitting on the sidewalk outside the Hermitage Hotel on Congress Street.

Future Friday: The Detroit that Never Could Have Been

Over the past few weeks, you’ve been reading about the Detroit that never was. These novelty postcards depict a whole different kind of Detroit that never was. Rudimentary composite imaging techniques became popular in the early 20th century.

Future Friday: The Detroit That Never Was, Part IV

Aviation Town and Country Club Building

 

Future Friday: The Detroit That Never Was, Part III

The 1892 Masonic Temple as it actually once stood.

 

Future Friday: The Detroit That Never Was, Part I

One need not look far to find images of Detroit as it once was. But what of the Detroit that never was? Hidden within the Detroit Historical Society’s collection of objects from our past are hints at possible futures which never came to fruition-- renderings of buildings which were never built or proposals for projects which never came about. This is the first in our FUTURE FRIDAY series of entries exploring such material.