 
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 10:48 am: |    |
I grew up at 13953 Birwood and attended Monnier, St Brigids, Detroit Cathedral HS and Mackenzie HS.
Does anyone remember the good times and good places in our neighborhood : Eagle Dairy, Vio's Pizza, Hillbills Soda Shoppe, Tower Bowl, Washburn Hill, Al Pisa Drugs, Safier Drugs, Meyers Beer Garden, Booby Trap Bar, Ladiocers Bike Shopp, the A & P , Louies Market, Hank & Pauls Standard, Chris Wrights Pure Oil Service, Butzel Pool, Superior Cement Works(the Crocks), Double Cola bottling plant, Twin Pines Dairy, Bond Bread, Superior Potato Chips, Bonds Field, Rowe Sign Shop, Vans Barber shop, Jerrys Barber Shop, Kriss Shoe repair, Charlies Speedway 79, Robinsons Market, Watts Drug Store, playing on the RR Tracks being chased by the cops from #14, D&W Oil (it burned in the early 60's) Restrick Lumber, Northwest Plumbing Supply, the little cemetary at Meyers & Lyndon, Jerry Bike shop on Grand River, Monnier Library.
It was a good neighborhood, lots of good memories, can anyone else remember it |
Paulmcall
Member
Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 441
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 11:00 am: | |
Butzel Field (later Jack Adams rink was added) wasn't far from there off Lyndon not too far was the Twin Pines outlet where all their trucks parked.
Wallach Lumber was in that neck off the woods too. As I recall, TV reception wasn't good in the area of town.
Rocky's Pizza wasn't too far from there either. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 153
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 11:09 am: | |
Hello Birwood....one of my best friends from Mackenzie lived not too far from you.
Would you happen to remember the name of cemetery near Butzel; speaking of Butzel - I life guarded there for three summers in the mid-1970s.
Mos-def recall Twin Pines Dairy; loved their variety of cookies!
My brother bought a bike or two from Jerry's
We lived just off Fullerton, between Meyers and Schaefer. |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2025
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 12:03 pm: | |
Hiya, Birwood! 13960 Steel here; two blocks east of Meyers and just north of Schoolcraft. I remember nearly every place you mentioned! Jerry's Barber Shop gives me a chuckle because every time I got a haircut there, Jerry the owner would be on the phone placing a horse bet. I sometimes wondered if he was booking them as well.
Al Pisa had a great soda fountain. I dated one of the gals who worked behind the counter and still have a bit of a throb when I think of her.
Restrick Lumber had a heck of a fire back around the late fifties, as I recall. And there was another lumber yard just east of Meyers at Gavel Street that went up about 1955 or so. Quite spectacular fires, as lumber yards tend to be.
On another thread I posted the life history of the namesake of Monnier school and library. He was Peter C. Monnier, a farmer who held extensive land in the area at the turn of the century, and donated land to the city for the original Monnier School (which was later the Monnier Library).
I remember when St. Brigids was built. Probably around 1949 or so. This Lutheran always thought it was a pretty church.
I took the Wyoming bus to Mackenzie, and usually walked from Meyers to Wyoming to catch it since the Schoolcraft bus was few and far between.
You're right. It was a great place to grow up, wasn't it? |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 1:22 pm: | |
I don't remember the name of the little cemetary on Meyers....does anyone know ?
The indoor rink at Butzel wasn't built yet, but I do remember the outdoor skating rink and the lighted hardball diamond where the minor leaguers played at night.
Speaking of playing at night, we'd park in that little cemetary or the far back corner parking lot by the Ice Rink or we'd to park on Gavel or in one of the alleys off Ward or Sorrento at night to watch the submarine races
I graduated from Mackenzie in 68,I entered the USAF shortly there after, but I used to walk to school or take the Wyoming bus.
How about the Tower Theater on Meyers & Grand River ? |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 155
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 1:36 pm: | |
Right-On Birwood; I moved into the neighborhood just as the Tower Theatre closed up shop - a couple of years later, it became the recording studio for mega-hit makers Holland-Dozier-Holland. It was too-cool watching all the famous musicians walking in & out of that place.
Birwood: did you play any sports for good old Mackenzie? |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 5
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 2:10 pm: | |
Didn't play any sports....coming from a strict all boys catholic high school....I had a hard enough time concentrating on chasing skirts.
I used tell people, that I was parolled to the Detroit Public School System.....cause Mackenzie WAS the best 3 yrs of my growing up |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 158
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 2:12 pm: | |
Roger-That Birwood....my feelings exactly about Mackenzie; although scared-to-death on my first day....loved every minute of it thereafter. |
Jjaba
Member
Username: Jjaba
Post Number: 5558
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 2:19 pm: | |
Birwood, welcome to Forum.
jjaba is from Schoolcraft and Northlawn, 1940 and 1950s.
More later.
jjaba, Proudly Westsider. |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 6
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 4:00 pm: | |
Jjaba....Thank you. Didn't move on to Birwood until 1955 but my Dad used to drive the Northlawn DSR route. He also drove the Schoolcraft, Oakman, Davison and Fenkell lines too |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2027
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 4:43 pm: | |
Wonder how many times I was on his bus! I delivered the Free Press to the projectionist at the Tower c. 1951 or 2. That was when the Freep had a late evening edition...came out around 7 p.m. or so. Sometimes I dallied a bit to watch the movie, but usually I had to hump it on out and sell my extra papers. |
Paulmcall
Member
Username: Paulmcall
Post Number: 444
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 5:10 pm: | |
Didn't they have a party store right in the neighborhood on Chalfonte?
They used to have some great ball games under the lights at Butzel.
My grandparents lived on Cloverlawn. |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 7
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 11:06 am: | |
Did anyone ever stop and play in the big cement crocks across Lyndon from Butzel Pool while going to or from the pool?
Did anyone ever hop one of the slow moving trains on the tracks that ran East & West between Intervale and Lyndon ? We started playing in an empty box car one time, coming home after swimming, near Meyers and the train began to move. It didn't stop until it got to the other side of Livernois....what a long walk back |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2032
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 12:24 pm: | |
Never had the balls to hop a train, Birwood. Always wanted to, but never did. I tip my hat to you. I shuda done it. |
Jjaba
Member
Username: Jjaba
Post Number: 5559
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 2:10 pm: | |
Birwood, love it. jjaba rode the Oakman street cars too. Do you know when they were removed?
And the route?
jjaba rode the Northlawn bus of your father every school day and many weekends. We loved seeing it on a snowy damn day in front of Cunninghams, Oakman, when arriving on the Grand River electrics.
Welcome to Forum.
jjaba, Westside Bar Mitzvah Bukkor. |
Gazhekwe
Member
Username: Gazhekwe
Post Number: 761
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 2:37 pm: | |
Where did that Northlawn bus go? I got on it once by mistake at Oakman and GR and jumped off in a panic when it took off north. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 192
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 2:47 pm: | |
Fellow West Siders....is it true that Butzel Field used to be an airstrip?
Also....folks tell me that, during the 50s & early 60s, there were some great amateur baseball teams and leagues at Butzel; is this so?
Also....the same folks told me about a big fire at a famous "beer garden", on or near Meyers - late 1950s; is this so? |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2042
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 4:07 pm: | |
Got me on all of the above, Chuck. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 201
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 5:48 pm: | |
Ray....you're still batting over .900 - Hall of Fame material.
I've also heard from some folks that Mackenzie High School is built upon, or very close to, an airstrip once used by the Ford Motor Company (Aviation Field/Aviation Subdivision).
Not long after I graduated, the pilot of a small prop-job had to perform an emergency landing on our practice football field - just to the west of Hammerberg.
Weird |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 12
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Friday, October 05, 2007 - 8:11 pm: | |
Chuck.....I don't recall Butzel as an airstrip but anything is possible.
I think the famous bar on Meyers was the original Booby Trap Bar. The name was in raised white letters on the sides of the building and both of the O's were turned side ways with dot in the centers. Think it was pretty risque for it time, definately not your neighbor hood shot & beer bar.
Does anyone remember GATO's Go Go Lounge on Grand River at Mendota. When it opened they originally hung curtains over the large store front type windows, but too many of us neighborhood kids were peeking in the cracks. They ended up having some type of guard stand oput there to shoo us away. They ended up painting the windows all black and later bricked them over. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 203
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 - 5:24 am: | |
Birwood....Oh yes, I remember GATO's; and speaking of peeking-through the cracks - friends and I did likewise at a strip joint on Plymouth & Mark Twain.
Not long after turning 18, I finally visited GATO's - had a great time!
I'd have never guessed that GATO's was around in the mid-1960's....always thought it was something that came along later.
Wasn't GATO's right beside the TOROS Motorcycle Club? |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 16
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 - 12:57 pm: | |
Chuck I don't remember any MC club in that area but then again my bride of 33 yrs accuses me of having terminal CRS, especially when I comes to stuff to do around here |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 2050
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 - 3:40 pm: | |
You too, huh, Birwood? |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 209
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 - 5:27 pm: | |
Birwood and Ray....The TOROS club would not have come about until the early 1970s; I never went inside, but had friends that were members.
That club also has a chapter down here in Dayton. |
Birwood
Member
Username: Birwood
Post Number: 20
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Monday, October 08, 2007 - 10:54 am: | |
Has anybody been back and cruised thru the old hood lately.
My parents moved in 1969 while I was in SEA, and I have never been back. |
9936sussex
Member
Username: 9936sussex
Post Number: 20
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Monday, October 08, 2007 - 2:37 pm: | |
I've been back in my old neighborhood (plymouth/w.chicago between Greenfield and Schaefer. Those beautiful elm trees are gone--so the streets look much different. EVerything looked smaller than I remembered. My street hasn't been kept up well, and a few houses have been torn down. But my house is still standing (yea!) |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 228
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Monday, October 08, 2007 - 2:54 pm: | |
9936sussex....I will never forget the tunnel-effect of traveling down Hubbell, from West Chicago northward.....those elms were legendary.
PS do you remember the park, on Hubbell - beside American Motors - about one-half mile north of Plymouth....can't seem to remember the park's name.
It was a cool place; had a summertime Parks & Rec activities supervisor too. |
Ravine
Member
Username: Ravine
Post Number: 1383
Registered: 01-2006
| | Posted on Monday, October 08, 2007 - 2:55 pm: | |
It's still a fairly decent neighborhood. You're right, about the trees, though. Some blocks have bunches of them; some blocks have nary a one. |
Ravine
Member
Username: Ravine
Post Number: 1384
Registered: 01-2006
| | Posted on Monday, October 08, 2007 - 3:00 pm: | |
Chuckjav, that park was given a once-over, about two years ago. I wouldn't exactly call it "Eden-like," but it looks a fair piece better, now. They cleaned it up some, probably did some re-sodding, and installed some new playground-type stuff. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 230
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 09, 2007 - 6:26 am: | |
Ravine....Thanks for the information - I saw the park on a Google map; I believe it's named Mallett Park. |