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Detroit circa 1901. "Woodward Avenue at the Campus Martius showing Bagley Fountain." Other landmarks include City Hall, the Majestic Building, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Detroit Opera House. Plus a "moonlight tower" super-streetlight. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
I was born at Grace Hospital a few years after this photo was taken. OK, many years after.
At first I took the white cart to the right to be a horse-drawn ice cream wagon, realizing that the frozen treats would have been packed in blocks of ice in 1901. On closer inspection it appears to be an ambulance for Grace Hospital.
What an amazing thing. And just as with all these sorts of crisp cityscapes, I love all the vignettes you can see when you zoom in.
Has the sign on the Majestic Building (C.A.SH_EER)(?!?) been intentionally obscured in post-production, or is there something going on with it that I just can't figure out?
[C.A. SHAFER, a department store. - Dave]
Also, I love the observation deck. I wish more buildings today offered that feature. If I traveled back to the day this was taken, I would be up there looking around to see how long it took me to spot an overweight person. Of the 80 or so people that I can clearly gauge in this photo, there are zero.
No automobiles in the 1901 photo, and just nine years later, most of the vehicles will be autos - Shorpy - Detroit: 1910.
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