Detroit is shining brightly

Posted on by farlane
Detroit Shining Brightly by Chris Ahern Photography

Hudson and Gordie Howe Bridge with new lighting by Chris Ahern Photography

Chris shared a perfect photo for a roundup of recent Detroit news saying: “Both projects broke ground in 2020. The Hudson’s site is now Detroit’s second tallest building, while the Gordie Howe Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. Also lit up is the Ambassador Bridge which recently reached its 100 year anniversary.” (the Ambassador is in the foreground with the string of lights).

For starters, the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit to Windsor announced that the planned Fall 2025 opening has been delayed to 2026. WDIV Detroit writes:

While 98% of the $5.7 billion project is complete, bridge officials say the remaining work is forcing the delay from the previously announced fall 2025 opening … The final phase focuses heavily on testing the bridge’s technological systems.

…A report from S&P Global Ratings indicated that contractors had missed previous deadlines for transferring border facilities to authorities, though bridge officials would not specifically comment on this.

Detroit has definitely been on the come up in recent years, but it is still notable that 13 years after a poll showed two-thirds of Detroiters felt the city was moving in the wrong direction, a new survey found a dramatic, 180-degree turnaround with 76% feeling the city is headed in the right direction with 11% disagreeing & 13% having no opinion. Among that 11% is Livonia resident & leader of the Detroit News editorial page Nolan Finley, who ruffled more than a few feathers when he suggested that Detroiters are deluded to express contentment.

If you tuned in to Monday Night Football to see the Lions whomp on the Buccaneers, you saw the spectacular drone footage of Detroit taken by Chris. I can’t find it all, but you can see some drone video of the Hudson on his Instagram & also of the Detroit Riverfront on the opening of the Monday Night Football highlights. For sure follow Chris Ahern Photography on Facebook and view and purchase his work & drone photography services on his website!

Ford Field from Above by Chris Ahern Photography

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The Beauty of Detroit’s Brush Park

Posted on by farlane
Brush Park in Detroit by Terrell Morton

Brush Park in Detroit by Terrell Morton

The Detroit Historical Society shares some great information on Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood that begins:

Established in 1860, Brush Park is one of the oldest historic neighborhoods in Detroit. Today it encompasses twenty-four blocks, bounded by Mack Avenue on the north, Woodward Avenue on the west, Beaubien Street on the east, and the Fisher Freeway on the south. In the late 1700s, the land was part of a ribbon farm owned by the Askin family, prominent fur traders and British loyalists.

Askin did not approve of American independence, so in 1802 he and his wife moved to Canada, leaving control of the farm and the enslaved people who worked there in the hands of his son-in-law Elijah Brush, husband to Adelaide Askin. Brush was active in civic affairs, serving as the second mayor of Detroit, the Michigan Territory United States Attorney, and Michigan Territory Treasurer. As a lieutenant colonel in the territorial militia, Brush was taken prisoner during the War of 1812 when the British captured Detroit.

Edmund Brush inherited the estate when his father died. He was also an influential figure in Detroit – a volunteer with the fire department and president of the water commission. In the 1850s, Brush began dividing and selling his land to wealthy families. He named the streets Alfred, Adelaide, Edmund, Eliot, and Brush after family members. Brush had many building restrictions, some which required expensive, large homes for the neighborhood, leading Brush Park to be called “Little Paris” for its mansions. Many famous Detroiters lived in the area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century including Joseph L. Hudson, Albert Kahn and Grace Whitney Evans, daughter of David Whitney.

Read more and/or see related historical photos & from the Detroit Historical Society, and as someone who used to live on Adelaide, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see these wonderful buildings return to life!

Check out all the photos on Terrell’s Facebook page! and follow him there and on his Instagram @UrbanPharaoh444!

More wonderful Michigan architecture on Michigan in Pictures!

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Pope Frances Passes

Posted on by farlane
Copper Top by Rudy Malmquist

Copper Top by Rudy Malmquist

I’d like to share my condolences to those mourning the passing of the Pope. The Associated Press shares that Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff, has died.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born Dec. 17, 1936, to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1969 and led the religious order in Argentina during the country’s murderous dictatorship from 1976-83. He became archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and elevated to cardinal in 2001 by St. John Paul II. He was elected the 266th pope on March 13, 2013, on the fifth ballot.

Francis’s first included:

  • The first pope from the Americas.
  • The first from the Jesuit order to be elected pope.
  • The first to take the name of Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi.
  • The first to visit Iraq, meeting its top Shiite Muslim cleric in 2021.

Rudy took this photo of the Basilica of St Adalbert in Grand Rapids back in 2010. Head over to Flickr to see his latest.

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Detroit Pistons return to the NBA Playoffs!

Posted on by farlane
Michigan Central lights up for the Detroit Pistons by Chris Ahern Photography

Michigan Central lights up for the Detroit Pistons by Chris Ahern Photography

The NBA shares that after an unprecedented turnaround, the Detroit Pistons are back in the NBA Playoffs! The Cade Cunningham-led Pistons were 44-38 good for 6th in the Eastern Conference this season just one year after winning a league-low 14 games.

The seven game series vs the New York Knicks (51-31) opens Saturday at 6pm at Madison Square Garden. The Freep notes that this isn’t a matchup between a top seed like 2019 playoff sweep vs MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Knicks do have home-court advantage, more playoff experience, and more star power, but the Pistons won three of four games against the Knicks this season.

I went over to Michigan Central this morning after a reader tipped me off about the cool color scheme yesterday, but it was just the usual white lights. The very large silver lining is that you all get this amazing drone shot from yesterday morning. Click the photo to follow Chris on Facebook, click here for his Instagram, and for sure check out the Detroit portfolio on his website for more great shots, including some of MCS in different colors!

And PS: You can relive Detroit Piston greatness through 30 years on Michigan in Pictures posts!

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Michigan Central goes green for St Paddy’s Day!

Posted on by farlane

Wearin’ o the Green (lights) at Michigan Central by Andrew McFarlane

Longtime followers of Michigan in Pictures who know how near & dear to my heart and the very existence of this photoblog Detroit’s Michigan Central Station is probably won’t be surprised that a string of requests from readers & friends to share pics of MCS lit up for St Patrick’s Day moved me to ride over there at 5am today!

I don’t have a photo site (yet at least) but you can always throw me a buck or two on Patreon! And for sure check out lots more Michigan Central Station on Michigan in Pictures!

PS: WOW do I wish I’d brought my dSLR over – the moon was incredible!!!

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Farlane Friday: Not Your Grandma’s Hudson’s

Posted on by farlane
Not your grandma's Hudson's

Not your grandma’s Hudson’s by Andrew McFarlane

On December 31st, I will begin my 20th year of doing Michigan-focused photo blog Michigan in Pictures!! I’m going to try some new things this year to keep things fresh & fun for Michigan in Pictures regulars including yours truly like featuring more of my photos from the present day & my surprisingly extensive archives. As with today’s entry, a lot of them will be from Detroit where I live.

My first “Farlane Friday” is the brand new building at the new Hudson’s building in downtown Detroit which I am honestly a big fan of. I wasn’t alone, because this photo blew up when I shared it in the Detroit Photography group on Facebook. Hudson’s was Detroit’s signature department store and the place where I – like many Detroiters – unquestionably got my first picture taken with Santa. I also spent more than one Saturday reading dinosaur books at the lunch counter while my Grandma shopped with her friends. You can head over to Hudson’s Detroit for lots more about this new addition to Detroit’s skyline & for sure check out this post about the history of Hudson’s on Michigan in Pictures.

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Bedrock & GM announce Renaissance Center Redesign

Posted on by farlane

GlooM Headquarters by Camera Jesus

Yesterday Bedrock and General Motors announced a conceptual plan to redevelop the Renaissance Center (RenCen) and 27 acres along the Detroit riverfront. They say that the plan “preserves the essence of Detroit’s skyline, ‘right sizes’ the RenCen’s footprint, and connects the site to the heart of downtown. The surrounding entertainment district would become a vibrant waterfront destination, drawing international visitors and featuring restaurants, hospitality, residential and market space—complementing Detroit’s award-winning Riverwalk, which draws more than 3.5 million annual visitors to the city.”

Check out the renderings & Detroit News excerpt below for an idea of what’s in store & please share your thoughts. Personally, I’m glad that they’re preserving some of this truly iconic structure but honestly worried that it could end up being a terrifying albatross in the event of an economic downturn. Much more about the Renaissance Center on Michigan in Pictures.

It’s been a minute since I’ve featured a photo by the amazing Joe Gall aka Camera Jesus. He shared this back in January of 2023. Follow him on Facebook & Instagram for the latest and for sure head over to CameraJesus.com to view & purchase his photos including this beauty of a supermoon rising over the Ren Cen!!

Renaissance Center Conceptual Renderings by Bedrock

The Detroit News shares (in part):

The Renaissance Center would shrink to three towers with residential, office and hotel tenancy to create space for a six-acre riverfront park in a more than $1.6 billion redevelopment plan dependent on $250 million in state support that would make billionaire mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert’s real estate firm shared owner of the complex with current owner General Motors … Gilbert is contributing $1 billion in equity and debt, and GM is providing $250 million after having invested $1.5 billion into the building during its ownership. A new entity owning the site will reflect each party’s contribution toward the redevelopment, said Dave Massaron, GM’s vice president of infrastructure and corporate citizenship.

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The Mackinac Bridge is seeking a steeplejack

Posted on by farlane

Mackinac Bridge Steeplejack by MightyMac.org

If you’d like this to be your next office, the Mackinac Bridge Authority is hiring for the unique job of steeplejack – get all the details & apply right here. The Science & Media Museum shares the history of steeplejacks & steeplejacking:

During the 20th century, expanding cities, new technologies, and changing lifestyles generated demand for new housing, offices and infrastructure—increasingly built to towering proportions. The booming construction industry depended on skilled workers capable of navigating great heights … Named for their historical role maintaining ecclesiastical buildings, ‘steeplejacks’ are the skilled tradespeople who assess, maintain and construct tall buildings, structures and towers.

Click for lots more including very cool photos, and more sure get everything you need to know about the Mighty Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures!

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Get ready for the 2024 Detroit Lions!

Posted on by farlane
500 Drone Lion over Michigan Central Station by Stephen McGee Films

500 Drone Lion over Michigan Central Station by Stephen McGee Films

The Detroit Lions open the 2024 NFL Season at home Sunday night at 8:30pm vs Matthew Stafford & the Los Angeles Rams. In celebration, the Lions will hold a drone show over downtown Detroit like the one they held over Michigan Central Station back in January. The show will take place 400 feet above Ford Field facing downtown this Saturday (Sep 7) at 8:45pm.

There’s a huge amount of excitement around the Lions this year following their stellar 2023 season – let us know how you’re feeling in the comments!!

Stephen took this photo in January . Follow him @stephen_mcgree on Instagram. You can purchase this print & get information about his work including Resurgo, a documentary about the rebirth of Detroit on his website.

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Detrpit Lions Drone Show

A tower, but make it creepy

Posted on by farlane

Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital Tower by William Dolak

Bill shared this photo in the Michigan in Pictures photo group on Facebook & writes:

They built the “Kalamazoo State Hospital Water Tower” for the Michigan Asylum for the Insane in 1895. They instructed the architect to design something with a medieval feeling to complement the existing buildings – it looks creepy because it was meant to look creepy. It is no longer used as a water tower; its only function now is a landmark. They planned to demolish it in 1974 (almost none of the original asylum buildings remain), but “The Committee to Save the Tower” raised funds to save it. The National Register of Historic Places added the tower to its list in 1972.

See William’s latest in the Michigan in Pictures group & on his Flickr. Although he shares you can no longer tour the tower, you can watch a YouTube tour of the tower stairs from mLive & read all about the Kalamazoo Water Tower at the Kalamazoo Public Library:

The tower soars 175 feet into the air, rising from a base of cut stone blocks five feet high. The brick begins above this base. Approximately 50 feet wide at its widest point, it contains three water storage tanks inside. The main tank is 40 feet high and 40 feet in diameter and has a capacity to hold more than 200,000 gallons of hard water … The structure is really a tower within a tower. The outer shell tapers from six feet thick at the base to four feet at the top. Enclosed is an inner shell, which is also about six feet thick. Between the inner and outer shells is a wooden circular stairway, which winds upwards until it reaches 100 feet. Then a series of ladders leads to the top of the tower. At the top is a little room, gothic in appearance, that has a window facing in each direction. Four enormous wooden beams meet in the center of the room. They are etched with dozens of sets of initials carved by visitors, the oldest by one W. E. DeLong dated 1898.

Thanks for reading! You may be interested this photo feature on the Grand Traverse Asylum as well!!

Kalamazoo Asylum, early 1900s

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