Detroit’s Fort Street runs about 7 miles west from downtown to the city of Melvindale, just across the Rouge River. It’s a wide, multi-lane street that was once lined with small, active manufacturing facilities, mom and pop retail stores and other businesses that have served to community over the years. But like many major streets in Detroit, most of the places have closed, moved or been abandoned and boarded. On my ride west on Fort Street the other morning, I began to notice the beautiful old red brick buildings and the intricate brickwork incorporated into the overall design. I also noticed dates etched into cornerstones and keystones above doorways.
Looking at the dates found on the cornerstones of the buildings, I could follow the development of Fort Street from downtown heading west, out to the city limits. The buildings close to downtown are dated in the late 1800’s and the further west I rode, the etched-in dates began to climb through the 1930’s. The date range of the buildings I looked at represented a variety of architectural eras and styles. They included the Classical style featuring Romanesque Pillars and multi-level Victorian Era structures with intricate brickwork. The simple, clean lines found in the Arts and Crafts period are represented as is the eclectic design elements of the Art Deco Movement.
Traveling this street is a living history lesson of industrial and commercial architecture built across this city, in phases, during its manufacturing heyday. Cycling along, I could imagine how it must have been back then with streets bustling with people, cars everywhere, beautiful new manufacturing plants, built of red brick, humming around the clock with thousands of employees supporting the many shops that lined the street. Unfortunately, the only activity I saw on my ride the other day was limited to truck traffic near and under the Ambassador Bridge and at the Detroit Produce Terminal, a large warehouse facility where many trucks were backed in being loaded and unloaded. Not many cars passed me while riding on Fort St. There was virtually no foot traffic to speak of, and the only places open were a couple of party stores. What a shame to lose so much history through abandonment and deterioration.
This is an excellent example of the awesome masonry left in Detroit.
The Fort street run to Wyandotte…where one can sit in a riverfront park & watch the steel foundry dump molten slag out over the river.
The next run, it would be good to juxtapose Del Ray…& the hulls of wrecked ships along the mighty Straights of Detroit…a ghost town in one of the largest cities in Amerika!
Hi Michael–
Yes Fort Street, as I soon discovered, is full of interesting brick buildings. Thanks for sharing other down river areas to explore, I appreciate it.
Charlie
I always enjoy your eye for great old Detroit architecture! The city has so many great old buildings that you wish you’d been able to see in their heyday…and you wish someone could restore some of these gems.
Hi Dominique-
Thanks for the compliment. Yes indeed, Detroit has countless old, great buildings and it’s unfortunate we’re losing so many of them. Although some are being saved and restored, especially along Michigan Avenue near Trumbull. Hopefully others will be rescued in other sections of the city.
Charlie
Did you know that Detroit once had more white clay tile structures than any other city in the world?
These are the ones that have that beautiful cracked & crazed glazing.
When they took down the Crowley twin towers…Grand River & Randolph…I salvaged about 40′ of the cornice. The pieces of the cornice were 2′ wide, 2’tall, & at least 2’deep. They were cast in a mold & are hollow…1″thick walls. They still weighed about 30-40lbs apiece. The finger lines from the worker who slathered the clay into the mold were inside.
If you look around you will constantly notice these tile bldgs…some of them VERY ornamental. I think it was Scottish immigrant masons who knew the method…not sure.
The kilns these were fired in were long tunnels that had a rail system running through them so they could fire train car loads all at once…
Hi Michael K
Thanks a lot for the info on the white clay tile structures. I had no idea. That’s very cool you were able to salvage some of the remnants from the Crowley’s Building. You are very fortunate to get them before they were lost forever.
The two websites you sent along are fascinating, thanks for sharing them.
http://buildingsofdetroit.com/places/national
http://buildingsofdetroit.com/content/national-theatre-old-photos
Charlie
CHUCK , COOL LOOKING BUILDINGS.. SEE YOU IN AUGUST. DENVER DAVE..
Hi Dave–
Yes, Detroit has some pretty cool buildings for sure.
Charlie