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9 Mile Rd. looking east from near Woodward Ave. (1956)
10/10/2026

9 Mile Rd. looking east from near Woodward Ave. (1956)

Painting the Columbia and Ste. Clair (1974)Photo by Tony Spina
10/10/2026

Painting the Columbia and Ste. Clair (1974)

Photo by Tony Spina

A section of the Detroit River Tunnel in being towed down the St. Clair River. (1907)
10/10/2026

A section of the Detroit River Tunnel in being towed down the St. Clair River. (1907)

Detroit built one last American luxury convertible—and an era came to an endIn 1976, workers at Cadillac’s Clark Street ...
10/10/2026

Detroit built one last American luxury convertible—and an era came to an end

In 1976, workers at Cadillac’s Clark Street Assembly plant in Detroit watched a special car roll off the production line: the last Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Bicentennial Edition Convertible produced during the end of an era for American-made convertibles.

A surviving historical photograph captures Cadillac Motor Car Division General Manager Edward C. Kennard driving the car away from the assembly line. Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young and Manufacturing Manager Bud Brawner sat alongside him, while three production workers celebrated from the backseat.

The crowd gathered around the car, smiling and taking pictures. A sign reading
“The End of an Era 1916–1976” commemorated the end of convertible production by a domestic automobile manufacturer.

For Detroit, where generations of workers had built the cars that defined American motoring, this was more than a factory milestone. It was a moment when an iconic chapter of automotive history reached its close.

Inside Detroit’s steelmaking world in 1975Long before Detroit’s skyline became the symbol of a changing city, its indust...
09/10/2026

Inside Detroit’s steelmaking world in 1975

Long before Detroit’s skyline became the symbol of a changing city, its industrial waterfront was filled with heavy machinery, steel production, and workers keeping factories running.

In 1974–1975, the McLouth Steel Corporation carried out a major industrial project involving the replacement of an older pickling line with a new continuous annealing and pickling line. The work formed part of a larger chapter in the region’s steelmaking history.

The process helped prepare steel for further manufacturing by cleaning and treating its surface. It was a reminder that Detroit’s industrial story extended beyond automobile assembly plants to the specialized steel operations that supported manufacturing throughout the region.

Photographs preserved in the McLouth Steel collection offer a window into this complex world of production lines, industrial equipment, and the people and technology behind the steel economy.

A visiting ocean-going ship sailed past Detroit’s skyline in 1975On September 10, 1975, photographer Harry J. Wolf captu...
09/10/2026

A visiting ocean-going ship sailed past Detroit’s skyline in 1975

On September 10, 1975, photographer Harry J. Wolf captured the passenger ship WORLD DISCOVERER traveling upbound on the Detroit River, with downtown Detroit rising behind it.

The photograph preserved an extraordinary contrast: a working vessel moving along the international waterway while Detroit’s hotels, office towers, and riverfront formed the backdrop. Across the river, Windsor, Ontario, was part of the same shared landscape.

The image later appeared on a Christmas card, with a handwritten greeting wishing friends a “Merry Christmas and Happy Bicentennial Year”—a reminder that America’s 200th anniversary was approaching in 1976.

Today, this photograph offers a glimpse of Detroit’s international river traffic and the skyline residents saw before decades of waterfront changes reshaped the city.

Seven Detroit police officers lined up beside the river—with the city skyline behind themAround 1975, a City of Detroit ...
09/10/2026

Seven Detroit police officers lined up beside the river—with the city skyline behind them

Around 1975, a City of Detroit photographer captured a striking scene: seven Detroit Police Department motorcycle patrol officers sitting in a neat row on their motorcycles on a grassy area west of Cobo Hall. The Detroit River and downtown buildings formed the backdrop.

The photograph’s original handwritten note was simple: “Crime Control.” The officers’ motorcycles were positioned together beside the auto ramp near Cobo

Hall, creating a powerful portrait of the city’s police presence during the 1970s.
Motorcycle patrols offered police a compact way to move through city streets and manage traffic, especially around busy downtown roads and public gatherings.

Their uniforms, motorcycles, and coordinated formation made them instantly recognizable on the street.

Today, this image preserves a little-seen detail of Detroit’s public-safety history: seven officers, seven motorcycles, and a downtown riverfront that has changed dramatically over the decades.

Detroit put a giant ice sculpture in the middle of Woodward AvenueIn 1975, Detroit’s annual Noel Night holiday celebrati...
09/10/2026

Detroit put a giant ice sculpture in the middle of Woodward Avenue

In 1975, Detroit’s annual Noel Night holiday celebration brought a remarkable winter attraction to Woodward Avenue: a large ice sculpture displayed right in the center of the street. The three-hour event invited Detroiters to enjoy the Cultural Center’s museums, performances, and seasonal festivities.

Noel Night had begun just two years earlier, in December 1973, as a cooperative effort involving local cultural institutions. Museums, churches, schools, and arts organizations opened their doors, while choirs and performers helped fill the neighborhood with music and holiday spirit.

Woodward Avenue was closed to traffic for the celebration, turning a major city thoroughfare into a shared public space. Instead of cars rushing past the Cultural Center, visitors could walk between participating institutions and enjoy the festivities together.

The 1975 ice sculpture captures a wonderfully unusual moment in Detroit history: an ordinary city street transformed into a winter gathering place, bringing art and community into the heart of the city.

Detroit - Corner of Grand Circus Park (1908)
09/10/2026

Detroit - Corner of Grand Circus Park (1908)

Detroit's Belle Isle Bridge Construction (1922)
09/10/2026

Detroit's Belle Isle Bridge Construction (1922)

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