Posted on 08/10/2009 9:30:13 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Detroit was the Silicon Valley of the 1920s – the booming home of a glamorous new industry, a place where huge fortunes were conjured in years, sometimes months. But while the creators of the computer industry have as yet bequeathed very little to the built environment, the automobile industry piled up around it an astounding American city, in astoundingly little time.
The Detroit of 1910 was thriving Midwestern milling and shipping entrepot, a bigger Minneapolis. The Detroit of 1930 had rebuilt itself as grand metropolis of skyscrapers, mansions, movie palaces and frame cottages spreading northward beyond the line of sight, exceeding Philadelphia and St. Louis, rivaling Chicago and New York. I had a chance to tour central Detroit recently, my first visit to the downtown core in many, many years.
Some of the old visual magnificence remains, has even been improved. The Guardian tower displays again the blazing colors of its vaulted atrium, long covered up by dry wall. The marble adorning the Fisher building still glows. The Renaissance Center, once as walled and moated against the city as medieval castle, has lowered its defenses, especially on the side facing the Detroit River. But for the most part, all is decay. Whole towers stand empty, waiting to join the long line of grand structures that have either been abandoned to pillage and ruin, like Detroit’s once magnificent neoclassical skyscraper of a train station, or else pulled down entirely, like the downtown Dayton Hudson department store, once the largest enclosed shopping space in the United States.
Detroit’s fall was as steep and rapid as its rise. In 1960 it remained a thriving city, showing early signs of future trouble yes, but still strong, rich, and proud. By 1970, Detroit was a byword for urban dystopia. A small symbol of the change.
(Excerpt) Read more at network.nationalpost.com ...
Detroit was a center of communist and other left-wing activism from the 1920s-1940s. The “great migration” and the riots that followed in 1967 were the final nail in the coffin of the city proper. The auto industry got blindsided by both the Arab oil embargo and competition from Japan, to say nothing of high benefit costs (negotiated in the 1950s when the US proletariat had unparalleled bargaining power) and piss-poor management.
Also my home. Causes of decline are fairly simple:
1. 67 riots
2. Threat of forced school busing (early 70s)
3. White flight caused by both of the above
4. Ensuing tribal governance and corruption
It will be interesting to see whether Micael Barone, who actually knows something about the place, comments.
I would also add to that list a two month long teachers’ strike in 1973. A lot of people said “forget it” as far as staying in Detroit because of that and the busing.
BTW....
I would trade the New Major (Bing) for the Bamster in a hearbeat. he is kicking @$$ and trying to run it like a business. I wish him luck.....
Going the other way, is the key to revitalization. Providing a good business environment is the key to any thriving metropolis. To bad todays administration has no clue on the above.
This was already posted at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308808/posts
But, hey, you can’t have too many “kick Detroit while its down” articles.
Depressing. And there are lots of little “Detroits” all around the country. That’s what liberalism and the New World Order has done to destroy America.
1) the EPA / Clean Air Act which was initiated to reduce the acid rain that was hitting New York lakes and streams. Instead of merely removing the sulfur from the exhaust stacks via scrubbing, we’ve killed our coal and steel industry and our auto industry as well. The EPA has had massive scope-creep and its other environmental regulations have made it more cost effective to move the manufacturing/fabrication jobs elsewhere. 2) the shoddy workmanship and poor design of domestically produced cars in the 70’s (programmed obsolescense) versus some of the lower cost / higher quality cars that were being produced by the Japanese. Such ‘innovative’ designs as the K-car didn’t help. The enviro-nazis should note that if we continue to export all of our manufacturing jobs to Asia, we will lose our economic viability. When our economy is in shambles, nobody will give a rat’s a$$ about the environment ... everyone will be too busy worrying about keeping a roof over their heads, where their next meal will come from and protecting their family and possessions. Any previous concerns people might have had about protecting the snail darter or the north-earstern flatulating barn owl will quickly disappear.
Just sayin :-).....
I was just going to say, I don’t about the snail darter, but I’d certainly miss the flatulating barn owl
Detroit is also the City I was born in. My Italian immigrant grandparents opened a restaurant in Highland Park across the street from Chrysler’s world headquarters. In the late 60’s Chrysler expanded and took out a big, thriving, Italian neighborhood and turned it into a parking lot. Beautiful churches, schools, libraries were all torn down. Many Italians relocated into Sterling Heights where they found affordable new homes and no crime. I was recently in Michigan and visiting with one of my very liberal, pro-union friends, I asked her what the answer was for Detroit. She said it needs to be leveled because there is no way to fix it. It is bringing down the rest of the State. I was shocked at this response. I drove through downtown on my way back to NC and the abandoned buildings and homes are still shocking to see.
LMAO, oh that’s good!
http://detroityes.com/gild/20trum-barn.htm
A zillion pictures of decayed and decaying Detroit bldgs here. Makes me wonder what the value of used bricks are.
.......there are lots of little “Detroits” all around the country......
Little DEEtroit in East Tennessee is a massive empty lot where there were formerly GM and Chrysler dealerships under one owner.
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