  Esteban Member Username: Esteban Post Number: 71 Registered: 10-2003 |
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." So wrote Winston Churchill. This is a wise observation - and a warning. Those who have unique knowledge, but for one reason or other omit to share it with the World, such treasures will sadly fade from our collective memory. There is so much content of substance, a uniqueness of character in this amazing megalopolis. It would be sad if these multitudes of histories and deeds were not recorded for our the rest of the World to behold. If we fail here, in our time, to take the responsibility to tell these stories, then we must content ourselves to wallow in a historical backwater of our own making. Lesser historians define us, relegate our existence into a regional insignificance of little or no import, if they mention it at all. For these reasons, I implore you to become the guardians of your heritage by signing in and becoming contributors for Wikipedia. - And if you do add something to Wikipedia, please report it here so you can share it with the rest of us. | ||
Esteban Member Username: Esteban Post Number: 72 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'll start. I had the singular honor of being the first contributor to define the Cass Corridor, and it has gone through many changes since then. If anyone else in this forum has contributed, please let us know. Don't forget to mention the Wikipedia subject, or URL link. | ||
Mpow Member Username: Mpow Post Number: 282 Registered: 11-2003 |
detroit a megalopolis? | ||
Esteban Member Username: Esteban Post Number: 73 Registered: 10-2003 |
If I get carried away - you can correct it on Wikipedia :-) | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 842 Registered: 07-2006 |
Most of what i do on WP involves reverting vandalism or incorrect facts, but I wrote nearly the entire current article on Delphi's Flint East plant, building on what was only a small, two-paragraph stub. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F lint_East I wish i knew more about other plants, since so much of our heritage in this area is based on the automotive industry. I think it would be a shame to let that be lost to history when we have resources like Wikipedia freely available to record that information. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 1288 Registered: 12-2005 |
I'm a major author of the Wikipedia article "Polar Bear Expedition", plus a contributor to "Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War" and "North Russia Campaign". This obscure subject of military history has a significant Detroit connection, which I explained on the Nov. 11th "Detroit's Own" thread. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 368 Registered: 08-2006 |
I've provided a couple of the photos a while back. Maybe it's time for more, or to replace some? I hate those crappy digital snapshots that are taken out of moving cars. Some nice shots of the city would help. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5833 Registered: 08-2004 |
I've corrected a lot of incorrect facts on historic movie palaces on Wikipedia... (yeah those folks in Chicago would like you to believe that their 3,600 seat Chicago Theatre has 5,000 seats like the Detroit Fox... but it doesn't!) | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 3170 Registered: 06-2004 |
well...the Fox doesn't have 5,000 anymore, either | ||
Jonnyfive Member Username: Jonnyfive Post Number: 78 Registered: 03-2007 |
I added Cliff Bells and Baker's keyboard lounge to the "list of Jazz clubs" since neither were on there. Thats the only thing I've actually ever contributed to Wikipedia despite using it daily. | ||
Jasoncw Member Username: Jasoncw Post Number: 461 Registered: 07-2005 |
I've done occasional corrections and small additions. The biggest thing I did was fix all of these pages that had confused Albert Kahn and Louis Kampfer. | ||
Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 408 Registered: 08-2007 |
Dang Esteban, sure do like that writing style of yours, very Wilsonian. | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6468 Registered: 10-2003 |
Paging Carptrash... | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 524 Registered: 02-2007 |
You guys get what real "history" is, right? It's professionals and adept amateurs exchanging ideas and test hypotheses in an open forum. Wiki is not regulated enough to be credible for much more than middle school research papers. | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 525 Registered: 02-2007 |
You guys get what real "history" is, right? It's professionals and adept amateurs exchanging ideas and testing hypotheses in an open forum. Wiki is not regulated enough to be credible for much more than middle school research papers. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 2277 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: By itself, no. But Detroit is actually a part of two different megalopolis'... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C hiPitts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q uebec_City-Windsor_Corridor | ||
Mcp001 Member Username: Mcp001 Post Number: 3104 Registered: 11-2003 |
Mike, Have you ever spoken to the curator at Michigan's Own Military & Space Museum up in Frankenmuth? He was the first person that told me about the Polar Bears (as well as The USS Liberty and other topics that were left out of my history classes as a youth). | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 911 Registered: 09-2007 |
Iheartthed "Cities located in neighboring American regions (such as Upstate New York and Southeastern Michigan) are not considered part of the corridor,, but have many significant cultural, economic, and political ties with urban areas on or near the border (such as the Golden Horseshoe and Windsor). Though sometimes, Detroit is included in this area due to its major influence over the region. If included, these areas would increase the population by over 7 million." | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5657 Registered: 11-2003 |
Estaban and Scottr, thanks for the excellent work on Wikipedia. Although jjaba loved the current discussion of the Cass Corridor and the Tribes, there was much hisotry about Detroit race relations developed there. The race riots of June, 1943 came out of settlers in the Cass Corridor. jjaba, on the Dexter Bus rolling through Cass Avenue. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5834 Registered: 08-2004 |
Lilpup, the "maximum" seating at the Detroit Fox is 5,174. I got that from a Olympia Entertainment usher seating document. A friend who used to be a head usher at the Fox gave it to me (I gave it to PW). The maximum seating includes 200+ removable seats in the raised orchestra pit area. So without those seats it does drop below 5,000... but most concerts don't include an orchestra, and therefore most of the time the Fox has the maximum seating. Even the Detroit Opera House has seating that varies somewhere between 2,600 and 2,800, depending on the show. Ironically the St. Louis Fox, the virtual twin of the Detroit Fox, has only 4,500 seats reinstalled into their auditorium... one identical in size to the Detroit Fox. (Message edited by Gistok on November 30, 2007) | ||
Andylinn Member Username: Andylinn Post Number: 652 Registered: 04-2006 |
i've added alot of movies to the Detroit Movies article I've added about 15 songs to the "songs about detroit" article I wrote the original article about Jim Diamond (producer) I attempted to write an article about Cary Loren (Book Beat / Destroy All Monsters / Monster Island) but it got deleted... any tips on this? how to prove merit? Destroy all monsters claim to have invented noise music... that's big. Mike Kelley, one of the most famous artists today was in the band, every other member of the band has a page on wikipedia... but not Cary.. + he own's metrodetroit's best bookstore... I have added alot to the MOCAD page, plus the picture... | ||
Spacemonkey Member Username: Spacemonkey Post Number: 273 Registered: 03-2006 |
I wrote an essay all about the 2 Girls 1 Cup video phenomenon. | ||
Mayor_sekou Member Username: Mayor_sekou Post Number: 1742 Registered: 09-2006 |
Is there anyway to protect what you guys write? Whose to say some douche wont come along and edit all of your hard work for the worst. How do you lock people out? | ||
Kid_dynamite Member Username: Kid_dynamite Post Number: 397 Registered: 06-2007 |
Spacemonkey, I am very interested in reading your essay, for I have developed what one might consider and obsession over that video. I watch it sometimes 10 times in one day. I have had very vivid dreams of actually being the cup. | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 200 Registered: 02-2004 |
We should also not forget other forms of media, i.e. Google Earth. I have been constantly contributing to the addition of many marker photographs in Detroit. It is equally important and really the responsiblity of some of the photographers on this site--you know who you are. | ||
Fishtoes2000 Member Username: Fishtoes2000 Post Number: 356 Registered: 06-2005 |
I did the initial work on Detroiter Horatio Earle's entry, by gum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H oratio_earle | ||
Lifeinmontage Member Username: Lifeinmontage Post Number: 24 Registered: 10-2007 |
i think michigan could use another "father of good roads" like Earle sometime soon | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 1289 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote: I know Stan pretty well. In fact, he and I had lunch together this past Tuesday at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. We were both the guests of the featured speaker at the GP Senior Men's Club, who spoke about his father, who was a Polar Bear who was severely wounded in North Russia, then returned home and resumed a distinguished law career in Detroit and later Milford, MI. I would encourage anyone who is in the vicinity of Bronners in Frankenmuth to go next door (1 block to the north on Weiss St.) and tour the Michigan's Own Military & Space Museum (call ahead for hours, closed Jan and Feb). Besides the exhibits about the Polar Bears, it has the largest collection of Medals of Honor in the country, all belonging to Michigan veterans. It also contains exhibits about Michigan veterans of every war, plus exhibits and displays about the Astronauts who were Michigan natives. | ||
Esteban Member Username: Esteban Post Number: 74 Registered: 10-2003 |
Wow! I am pleasantly surprised by the volume of posts on this topic. I had no idea there was such a large bunch of WP scholars in our midst. Andylinn and Mayor_sekou, your comments give me an idea. Would it be unethical it we created a sort of a "Band of Wikipedia Comrades"? If an uninformed WP poster or administrator unjustifiably deletes information that is obviously correct and relevant to larger Detroit, perhaps - upon review - we can rectify the change by tackling it as a group? Your thoughts? | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5668 Registered: 11-2003 |
Gistok knows more than anybody in the history of Detroit about theaters, Detroit and otherwise. Run with anything he says on the subject. jjaba, at the movies. | ||
Atwater Member Username: Atwater Post Number: 115 Registered: 09-2007 |
Ok, I know that this may be unpopular with most.. but shouldn't an article about the "Cass Corridor" include mention of its negative connotation? That name has been notorious throughout the metro Detroit area, and I think it's been referenced nationally at times as well. I also think the article should mention that the area has improved and that the label is losing its "fear factor". But to leave out anything negative makes the article less real. Let's face it- the Cass Corridor has been one of the worse off areas of the city for a long time. As a Wikipedia user, I hope that the various articles I read express at least something close to a neutral point of view, and not just a sugar-coated "DetroitYES!" type view. | ||
Esteban Member Username: Esteban Post Number: 75 Registered: 10-2003 |
I think that makes sense. Go change it. | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 4333 Registered: 10-2003 |
Change it but back it up with facts. [Your personal experiences don't count.  ] However there might be some documentation about the infamous Anderson's Gardens and Willis Show Bars in police records. | ||
Locano Member Username: Locano Post Number: 8 Registered: 09-2007 |
Like Rfban said, don't forget about other media. Detroit's article at Wikitravel is rather pitiful. http://wikitravel.org/en/Detro it | ||
Fareastsider Member Username: Fareastsider Post Number: 703 Registered: 08-2006 |
Note the Detroit MSA population here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M etro_Detroit Then note the population in this list of largest metros on Earth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L ist_of_metropolitan_areas_by_p opulation | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 970 Registered: 09-2007 |
Ok, I have a question, What city has the second largest theatre district, Detroit or Houston? I keep hearing it's Houston now. | ||
Atwater Member Username: Atwater Post Number: 119 Registered: 09-2007 |
Well, I would add to the article, but having had only rather minor contact with the Cass Corridor, I don't feel particularly qualified to be the one to do so. But if someone else, who does have more knowledge on the area, and cares to add in a little of "the other side of the story", does, it would be a nice upgrade for the article. Thanks for the open-mindedness Esteban and Lowell. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5840 Registered: 08-2004 |
Cities like to put a spin onto their theatre district size by using their own criteria. In Houston... here's what Google came up with... "The Houston Theater District is ranked second, only behind New York City, for the number of theater seats in a concentrated downtown area." Those last 5 words say it all. The Detroit Theatre district is larger, going from GCP to New Center. But we have theatres all along and near the Woodward corridor... The Detroit Theatre District consists of (seating in parenthesis)... The Detroit Opera House (2,800) Music Hall (1,778) Gem Theatre (451) Century Theatre (200) Filmore (State) Theatre (2,200)* Fox Theatre (5,174) Masonic Theatre (4,404) Masonic Scottish Rite Theatre (1,585) Bonstelle Theatre (1,200) Orchestra Hall (2,286) Recital Hall at The Max (450) Majestic Theatre (1,565) Hillberry Theatre (550) DIA Theatre (1,200) Fisher Theatre (2,089) Total 27,932 Seats * - Note: the Filmore has moveable cabaret seating for 700 on the main floor. The 1,500 permanent seats originally on the main floor are away in storage, and would boost the 27,932 count by another 800 seats, if they were ever reinstalled. Sadly, Detroit lost the western part of the theatre district in downtown... Michigan Theatre (4,050, gutted) United Artists (2,012, decaying) Downtown RKO (2,950, razed) Adams Theatre (1,770, decaying) Madison Theatre (1,806 razed) (Message edited by Gistok on December 03, 2007) | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5671 Registered: 11-2003 |
Lowell and jjaba could write a book about Anderson Gardens. However, jjaba never got on any Police blotter for his patronage. jjaba. | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 210 Registered: 02-2004 |
What about the National Theatre? Is that the same as the Adams? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5842 Registered: 08-2004 |
No, the National Theatre, located on Monroe across from the Compuware HQ parking structure, is its' own theatre. It is the last of Detroits' original theatre district on Monroe Ave. There used to be about 10 small theatres and nickelodeons along that 2 block stretch of Monroe. The National originally seated about 900-1000. There is a strong possibility that the National may be reused as some type of performing space, since its' exterior has undergone a nice cleanup job. However the interior suffered much plaster damage before the city put a new roof on the building. Unlike the United Artists Theatre, which had a lot of ornate plasterwork, the National Theatre (Albert Kahn's only theatre design) had a somewhat restrained but elegant plaster interior. It was built in 1910, a full dozen years before movie palaces started getting really opulent and exotic. So it's iffy that the National interior will be restored to its' original look. Here's some pics of how it looks since a 1999 Preservation Wayne cleanup: http://www.forgottendetroit.co m/national/photos.html |
