Looking At The End Of Summer From The Lighthouse Steps

Usually the gate to the lighthouse is locked, and we peer through the fence longingly. On this late summer eve, the karmic scales tipped in our favor. Perhaps someone important had visited, perhaps the lawn was to be mowed. Carpe diem. We rushed in, and clanged the gate shut behind us.

Up close, we could see the details that were blurred from the other side of the gate...the pattern and patina of the door....

the cherub watching over the ships of the Great Lakes....

...we could see August, as it always does, stretching endlessly in a shimmering haze, and then suddenly, unexpectedly, gone.

In brief, the Livingstone Lighthouse was built as a memorial to William Livingstone, president of the Lake Carriers Association for many years, leading Detroit banker (Dime Savings Bank), investor in the Detroit Publishing Company (along with his sons, who ran the company), owner of the house known as "Slumpy", and horseman.....more on the lighthouse, and Livingstone's story and achievements later this week, in the next installment of "Named For Detroiters".

It is believed to be the only marble lighthouse in the US, and the only lighthouse designed by Albert Kahn.

Sounds Of Belle Isle, Part Two-Come Hear Belle Isle

Part One of this post was about the story of music past on Belle Isle. Part Two, today's post, is an unabashed plug for music's future on Belle Isle. "Come Hear Belle Isle" takes place this Saturday from 1-7pm, with nine bands performing. There will also be community organizations set up, "to recruit volunteers, share ideas, and get people involved in Detroit". It is free, with suggested donations to benefit The Friends of Belle Isle. The event is geared towards twenty and thirty-somethings, but music lovers and Belle Isle lovers of all ages are welcome. The music line-up...

I'm excited about this event because there are some great bands playing and it's in a great setting - it'll be sweet! Also, I think it's a great example of the more-and-more-frequent signs that Detroit is on its way back. Amanda Brewington, the champion of the event, hopes to attract some first-time visitors to the island. I was curious about how the event came about, so I asked Amanda some questions and she was gracious enough to take time from event preparations to respond. 

A little bit about Amanda...

 I grew-up in Romulus (where the airport is) in Metro Detroit. My childhood was full of visits to Belle Isle, Greektown, the DIA, the Fox and tons of other great Detroit attractions. Of course freezing at the Thanksgiving Day Parade and sweating at the Fireworks were a must. When I was a teenager I used to get lost going to St. Andrews Hall. I really got to see the city at night and I liked it. I never felt scared, it never seemed dangerous. I thought I want to grow-up and hangout here. I want to make people aware of this great place. 

I have always been into music. From making mix tapes at age 6 to today. I attended MSU and worked as a DJ and later a Director at Impact 89FM the MSU student radio station. I currently work at Harvest Creative in Lansing as a Music Supervisor/Project Manager (harvestmusicsupervision.com). I license music for commercials, TV and film. So when you hear a familiar pop song in an ad we might have licensed it. 

The moment she got the idea for Come Hear Belle Isle...

In February of this year I went out to Belle Isle with my family and we went over to the conservatory. We took some great pictures of the island and I shared them with friends. ALL of the friends I shared them with, even those from Metro Detroit had NEVER been to Belle Isle. That was when I decided to have an event that would get people out to Belle Isle and excited about this gem. 

The ups and downs of planning the event....

The biggest and most pleasant surprise is all the support we have behind the event. Tons of organizations and just random people who have stumbled upon the event want to get involved. The biggest challenge has been securing funds for the event. Many corporations in Detroit get asked for money all the time, and this wasn't a surprise by any means. We had to become creative, thinking of simple small ways to fund raise and pooling our resources. It's the first year, that too worked against us, but if we live through year one, who knows what we could do in the future? 

Why it's important to her to bring more people to the island, younger people in particular...

Detroit is not magically going to be restored to what it was in the height of the automotive industry. The only way Detroit and Michigan as a whole are going to grow and flourish is if people locate to the city, get involved in the community and take a stand for this great city with all its history and character. There is so much to be preserved and so much opportunity for ideas to become real in this city. 

Blanket and beach chair? Check. Picnic basket? Check. BYOB? Check. Sunscreen? Check. I'm ready, are you?
Come hear Belle Isle.

Poster for Come Hear Belle Isle designed by Peter Richards, Stargrazer LLC. Find more of his work at http://www.stargrazerllc.com/.

Images courtesy of Amanda Brewington, Come Hear Belle Isle.

Sounds Of Belle Isle Past And Future, Part One

Music has been an integral part of Belle Isle since its very beginning. Orchestras performed even on the boats going to and from the island. At first, the concerts took place in picturesque, simple structures...

Shortly after the turn of the century, the pagoda-like structure shown below was built over a canal...

This bandshell, in its romantic setting over the canal, was the setting for regular performances by symphony and concert bands. In the 1920's, at the beginning of the golden age of radio, WWJ broadcast Herman Schmeman's Military Band live from Belle Isle. Schmeman was a successful insurance salesman who had started out as a newsboy. He had played initially in the newsboys' band, which was folded into the Light Guard's band. His Military Band became, according to Clarence Burton, "the unofficial municipal band of Detroit". It performed as many as thirteen times a week at parks around the city. Go here (look at top and bottom of page) for a notice of 4th of July performances on Belle Isle.  Another vantage point....

When the Remick Bandshell was built in 1950, it became the summer home of the Detroit Concert Band, led by Leonard Smith. The Detroit Concert Band was known for its stirring renditions of John Phillips Sousa marches in particular, owing to Leonard Smith's mastery of Sousa's music.

The Bandshell was adventurously contemporary in design, with its cantilevered roof and simple lines.

On April 30, 1967, the bandshell was the scene of the Love-In Detroit, featuring the MC5, Billy C. and the Sunshine, and the Seventh Seal. See Gary Grimshaw's posters for the event here. The Outlaws, a motorcycle gang, showed up, and mayhem ensued. 

The view from the stage...

More traditional symphony and band concerts continued at Belle Isle until 1980. Since then, there have been sporadic attempts at reviving the music programming that was so popular for so long. In the summer, jazz bands play near the beach on Sunday evenings. Popular family movies have been shown at the bandshell on Wednesday nights for past two summers, but that's about it. Like many things on Belle Isle, the bandshell is a little lonely and unkempt.

This coming Saturday afternoon the Remick Bandshell is going to regain a little of its faded glory, and rejoin Detroit's vibrant music scene. "Come Hear Belle Isle" is taking place from 1-7 pm, with The Sights, Champions of Breakfast, and The High Strung among other local bands playing.

Tomorrow in Sounds of Belle Isle, Part Two, you'll hear from Amanda Brewington, the creative engine behind this event:

In February of this year I went out to Belle Isle with my family and we went over to the conservatory. We took some great pictures of the island and I shared them with friends. ALL of the friends I shared them with, even those from Metro Detroit had NEVER been to Belle Isle. That was when I decided to have an event that would get people out to Belle Isle and excited about this gem.

 I asked her some questions via e-mail about the event and how it came about, and I'm excited to share her thoughts with you...

There is so much to be preserved and so much opportunity for ideas to become real in this city. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the Q & A.

Built For Bicycles

There's so much buzz these days about the resurgence of bicycling in Detroit, whether it's the success of Critical Mass, the proliferation of bicycling bloggers, modern-day bike clubs, or tours of the city by bike. It made me curious about the first age of bicycles in Detroit, especially when I learned that the Athletic Pavilion on Belle Isle was actually built as the Bicycle Pavilion. Then....

and now....

It was built in 1898 by prominent Detroit architect Edward A. Schilling, who was also involved in the Casino; many Catholic churches including St. Charles Borromeo, St. Theresa of Avila, St. Thomas the Apostle, and Holy Family; public schools like the Catherine Ferguson Academy, originally the Chaney School, and police precinct stations. Schilling, along with Emil Lorch, was one of the founding members of the Detroit Architectural Club, which later became the Thumb Tack Club. If you peruse this architecture publication of the era, you may see echoes in the rooflines of this building.

Could someone smarter than me please tell me what the cilia-like projections on the inside of the corbels are in the photo below? Anti-nest devices?

There is an account of the Cleveland Architectural Club visiting Detroit in August,1897, including a wheelmen's tour, here. They were very impressed with the wondrous new buildings and talent in Detroit, particularly with Albert Kahn.

The Bicycle Pavilion was built with the patronage of the League of American Wheelmen's Michigan Division. The excellent m-bike.org has more on the background of the building itself.  The Pavilion was built as a clubhouse for members to store their bikes and socialize, in addition to providing bicycle rentals.

Maybe circular bespoked balconies were common on buildings of the era, but this says "wheel" to me. Looks just like Woodward's map of Detroit, too.

This early photo of folks at the foot of the bridge to Belle Isle shows more bicycles than cars, including a few female cyclists....

On Central Avenue, the aptly-named middle road of the island, automobiles were not permitted. Central Avenue ends at the forest, where these folks are enjoying an outing....I have to say, this part of the island looks much the same today.

There are so many great web resources for Detroit bicyclists. Here are a few favorites to start with....these will lead you to the many others.

m-bike.org...promoting safe, convenient biking in Metro Detroit

Wheelhouse Detroit....rentals, service, retail, and tours by bike, in Rivard Plaza on the River

The Hub Of Detroit...non-profit, full-service bicycle shop

Bike Detroit...great descriptions of the nuts and bolts of riding around the D

Bikes, Books, and a Little Music...always something new to learn about the city here (I had been meaning to write about bikes and Belle Isle for a while, finally getting to it after running into this intrepid bike blogger on the island last weekend)

Tour de Hood... classic tales of biking the mean streets of Detroit

As for being part of a modern bike club, who wouldn't want to be part of the Suicide Squad? Tongue-in-cheek description from their facebook page.....

Holey mackerel! we have bunches of new fans... So maybe we should describe ourselves a bit better... We Ride Bikes! We like skinny tires and gears but a bike is a bike. We go fast most of the time, and we go through traffic. We drink, and party. Some of us smoke, most of us also smoke. We have plans for several organized rides coming up, notably an Ann Arbor ride, and a Underbelly Detroit Tour... Anything I missed?

The Athletic Shelter, born as the Bicycle Pavilion, is adjacent to the tennis courts and athletic fields. It serves primarily as restrooms today. 

Modern day bicyclists may not be aware of the island's history of cycling, but they still come out in droves to enjoy their touring, whether on elegant racing bikes, fixies, beaters, or pulling the baby trailer behind them. I'd stick with riding early in the day if you want to avoid traffic, especially in the summer. In the spring and fall, you could have the road to yourself pretty regularly. In the winter, if you are willing to ride then, you could have your very own island.

Bring your bike to Belle Isle. It's built for it.

All historical photos are by the Detroit Publishing Company, from the Library of Congress, in the public domain.