Detroiters know their history well. Founded in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac; the city subsisted on a variety of industries: fur trading; stove building; and; of course; the automobile. Names such as Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh resonate in Detroiters common memory. Detroits meteoric rise during the 20th century established the city as an influential leader in commerce; culture; and religion. This growth spawned the development of numerous businesses; organizations; and institutions; many now forgotten. Albert Kahn left his indelible mark. Mary Chase Stratton created a new art form. And Henry Ford II changed the course of his family legacy. Forgotten Detroit delves into the wellspring of history to retell some of these lesser-known stories within Detroits rich heritage.
#1535233 in eBooks 2012-07-05 2012-07-05File Name: B0091DPYUS
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A great book for anybody interested in creating livable cities!By Marcia Borst KlenbortThe surprising death of Dev Bowly Jr. at age 71 in August 2014 sadly cuts short his energetic lifework: as a neighborhood historian. as a Legal Aid lawyer. as a Chicago-wide public housing researcher and preservationist. as an extraordinarily active student and interpreter of architecture both in his native city and in a summer community on the shore of Lake Michigan. and -- his unfinished project -- as chronicler of Chicagos great philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. We are lucky to have this book. The Poorhouse: Subsidized Housing in Chicago. published in 2012 (a revised and updated version of his original book by the same name. which was published in 1978). This book adds three more decades. so we now see public housing from its advent in 1895 to the start of the 21st century. The subject is public multi-family housing in Chicago. Who notices the need for housing projects? Who builds them? Who lives there? How long do they last? How do government agencies -- local and federal -- work with communities to establish housing projects? To tear them down? Which projects can count as "success for the city"? Which projects as "success for the poor people" who live there? Its a big story. fascinating to me as one who grew up on the South Side of Chicago. as Dev did. but it can fascinate city dwellers throughout the country who ponder the role of good public housing in creating livable cities. The very readable text (whod have thought a book about public housing could be such a page-turner?) is augmented by dozens of period photographs. From the beginning story of Francisco Terrace. the first subsidized housing in 1895 (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright). to the destruction or reworking and restoring of failed projects. this is a book thats a pleasure to read. I hope there will be an effort to publish his unfinished writings about Julius Rosenwald. the Sears tycoon who saw the need for and built the first decent housing for Chicagos Black citizens in the late twenties at 47th St. and Michigan Ave. Rosenwald at that time also saw a need much further South. and. as Dev briefly tells. started building small rural schools for black children in the South for whom schools did not exist. And shops. And houses for teachers. Over five thousand of them. In fifteen Southern states.
