History of the Pulaski, Regent park, Osborne, Von Steuban neighborhoods on the east side of Detroit

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Retroit

I concur with animatedmartian. Detroiters have always been outwardly mobile, meaning they tend to move further and further out from city center. There are probably more Pollacks and Italians in the northern suburbs than south. More Italian markets/bakeries/restaurants/cultural centers/etc. Also there has been so much intermarriage among the nationalities that you wont find distincly ethnic neighborhoods, like a Little Italy.

The old ethnic Polish and Italian neighborhoods in Detroit were on the East Side. So when they move out of the city they moved to the north and east along the Gratiot corridor. Similar to the way the Jews settled on the West Side of Detroit and moved out on the Woodward corridor. Also the East Side of Detroit had and has more automotive factories, thus the Blue Collar connection.

Here's some great illustration of those movements.


Map: Ethnic Migrations in Detroit 1900 – 1950 | DETROITography



Map: Jewish Migration in Detroit 1840 – 1965 | DETROITography


Map of Detroit’s Black Population 1940 – 1970 | DETROITography

[TwinbrookNine]

Von Steuben - Pulaski Area:


Until the late 1960's was 99.9% white, a mixture of lovely brick bungalows, an area of very nice 1930's "mini-mansions" (Outer Dr & Greiner) and interspersed clapboard (non-brick sided) homes on some streets. Other streets were built with large brick homes - Strasburg & 7 and Annot, Rowe near 6 mile comes to mind; late 1920's I believe. Most streets had a veil of lush elm trees lining the streets, some streets laid out and planted way before they were built (1930). Albion, Runyon, Teppert, and Gruebner south of 7 Mi Rd originally (until 1950) were boulevards. The island was removed and lawns between sidewalk and street were large. The area just north of 7 Mile Rd and the north side of 6 Mile Rd, west of Hoover up to Beland/Teppert was built in the 1920's. Ethnically this area was German, Polish, Ukrainian, Italian, with a few WASPs and isolated hillbillies. The streets Westphalia, Goulbourn, Waltham were part of a German nationalist "development" established during the late 1920's - early 1930's. There are homes there that had swastikas modeled into the fireplace mantel fronts. My dad had a friend there (Hans Hunt) who was a Nazi sympathizer. For some reason they were still pals.


This neighborhood was resistant to blacks moving in mostly because of the activities of blacks in the mid to late 60's which were scary. Real estate prices remained quite high though, through most of the 60's; these houses were pretty much an equal trade with much newer and bigger houses in Warren. Nonetheless most people stayed put.


Dutch elm disease decimated this area beginning around 1964. By 1970, I'd say 70% of elms were gone and some whole blocks were laid bare.


Von Steuben was initially built in 1933 (note the German name). In 1939 - 40 the middle and south wings and the auditorium were added. The modern, rectangular Seth Thomas clocks in that newer part were the last mechanical school clocks made by Seth Thomas. All were electric after that. I collect those clocks.


During the war, a large project was erected east of Hoover and south of 7 Mile Rd, west of Dresden, including where Osborn High sits today. Largely inhabited by southerners who came up to Detroit to work in the war machine. They were vacated by 1950 or so, sat vacant for years, and were quite slowly disassembled - that taking until 1956 - 57. "Portables" were erected around Von Steuben to accommodate the influx of extra students. The last of those were torn down around 1961. Osborn High opened in 1958.


Fleming elementary opened in early May, 1962 (during a heat wave with 94 degree temps I recall), and then Von Steuben became just a junior high with a ninth grade. Wilkens and Pulaski kids were added along with a few Trix kids a year or so later.


Bussing by "Hizzoner" (limited to within the city limits, by his special request) sent people fleeing. They were not going to have their kids bussed to a crime-laden slum when a school sat 3 blocks away. Between 1974 and 1983 about 70% of the remaining original people there fled, reluctantly, mostly to Warren, St Clair Shores, Sterling Heights.


The current state of this area is a patchwork. One extreme to the other. North of 7 Mile Rd whole blocks look like an F5 tornado went through, with a few streets looking just like nothing ever changed. Other areas are kept up very well, indeed - south of 7 Mile Rd, west of Hoover in particular, with only an isolated boarded up (or missing) house mostly closer to Hoover. The Greiner/Outer Drive area is still very well maintained.

[TwinbrookNine]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Here's some great illustration of those movements.


Map: Ethnic Migrations in Detroit 1900 – 1950 | DETROITography



Map: Jewish Migration in Detroit 1840 – 1965 | DETROITography


Map of Detroit’s Black Population 1940 – 1970 | DETROITography

There are even finer patterns of migration, embedded within these maps. Ukrainians who tended toward north Hamtramck, up Conant, today still comprise a significant population in Warren, specifically, west of Mound, including Madison Heights, and easternmost Troy. People who originally lived in proximity to Van Dyke (many Poles) inhabit those areas nearest Van Dyke, from Warren, right up to Romeo. Those nearer Schoenherr today live in eastern Warren (very Italian) right up to Clinton Twnshp and Macomb. Belgians and Germans, some Italians, originally east of Gratiot, moved up Kelly/Harper and inhabit St Clair Shores, Roseville, Clinton Twnshp. An interesting migration was the Bulgarians from West Grand Blvd and Michigan who migrated directly up Livernois to Troy. Lower east siders (south of Warren, east of Conner) largely headed to the southeasternrn parts of Roseville, East Detroit, and St Clair Shores, rarely north of 12 Mile Rd. It's interesting, the "linear" pattern of later migrations.

[TwinbrookNine]

Originally Posted by Retroit

To each his own. I don't find either of those places attractive. Maybe I wouldn't move out if I had been living there for a long time, but I certainly wouldn't move there. Houses too close together. I don't care for those two family flats. Small yards. Etc.

But there are some nicer areas in Detroit that I would consider: Indian Village, Palmer Woods, Boston-Edison. However, these homes are expensive to purchase and require a lot of maintenance and in many cases renovation.

But I will grant you this, there is a wide variety of housing in a city of 139 square miles with houses dating from mid-1800s to mid-1900s and even some more recent. Take the homes on Sand Bar Lane, for instance.

If you think these houses are close together, you've never been to Chicago. The area in discussion, certainly after 1930, had zoning laws that required houses to sit at least 12' (?) apart, maybe more. Certainly more on our block. Very few cities had those laws in those days. Most of these homes were very well built.

[camrongun]

dang! how did you find these maps!

[Fubarbundy]

Hasn't this been name been retired?

Guess not.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by camrongun

dang! how did you find these maps!

https://www.google.com/search?q=detr...w=1024&bih=672

[camrongun]

Thanks!