Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Detroit 2014 IV (7/30/2014)

Wednesday, July 30, 2014
We checked out of the hotel and picked up Laura to drive to BASF offices in Southfield, MI. From there I continued to the Detroit Zoo (1928) in Royal Oak.
Bird House (1930)
Wildlife Fine Art Gallery
Bullet Elephant (1995) by Mary Engel
Cossypha niveicapilla/Snowy-headed Robin Chat
Lontra canadensis/North American River Otters
Holden Reptile Conservation Center with
Flying Pterodactyls by Marshall Fredericks
This python is making his own bridge
Gyps rueppellii/Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture
Camelus bactrianus/Bactrian Camel family
Equus ferus przewalskii/Przewalski's Horses
with lots of flowers
Ailurus fulgens/Red Panda hiding in a tree
Panthera tigris/Tiger napping
Macaca fuscata/Snow Monkey
Split log fencing
I heard numerous parents telling their children to get off the fences and wondered how long these fences could hold up. Then I saw volunteers building new fencing.
No one is going to climb on these fences
Volunteers build a fence
Pavo sp/Peahen & chick
The giraffe enclosure
Cynomys ludovicianus/Black-tailed Prairie Dog exhibit
Cervus elaphus/North American Elk
with Christmas ornament?
Arctic Ring of Life
Inuit inukshuk/cairn
Concrete snow in the Arctic Ring of Life
Carousel (2011)
Part of the Horace Rackham Memorial Fountain (1939)
by sculptor Corrado Parducci
Horace Rackham Memorial Fountain
named for the first president of the Zoological Commission
After the zoo, I went to the National Shrine of the Little Flower (1931-1936), also located in Royal Oak, MI.
Stations of the Cross Garden
Crucifixion Tower in Art Deco style
Two weeks after the first Church of the Little Flower was built in 1926, the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross out front. The tower represents a cross they could not burn.
Church (and tower designed by architect Henry J McGill)
The church is made with granite and limestone
interspersed with stone blocks from the American states and territories
It was time to pick up Kent and Laura, drop Laura off at the airport, and head home.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Detroit 2014 III (7/29/2014)

Tuesday, July 29, 2014
The Motown Museum was open today.
Hitsville, USA is the nickname of the house with the recording studio
at 2648 W Grand Boulevard
Berry Gordy, Jr started his own music recording company, named Tamla, in 1959, and changed it to Motown in 1960. The recording studio is still in the attached garage and an apartment used by Gordy is on the second floor.
In 1961 the house next door on the right (2644/2646) was purchased as home for the Jobete Publishing Company that published all the music. Now the Motown Museum is located here.
The next year the house on the left (2650) was bought to be used as offices. That house no longer exists, having burned in 1971. Also purchased in 1962 was the house at 2652/2654 for administration.
2656 W Grand Boulevard was bought in 1965
for the finance department
4657 W Grand Boulevard was purchased early in 1966
for artist development
2662/2664 and 2666/2668 W Grand Boulevard were bought in 1966
for sales and marketing
2670 W Grand Boulevard was also purchased in 1966
for ITMI (International Talent Management Incorporated)
Next:
David Whitney, Jr House aka The Whitney (1890-1894)
David Whitney, Jr was a lumber baron, who had the house designed by architect Gordon W. Lloyd in Romanesque Revival style. It is now a restaurant and event location. The Whitney was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Charles H Wright Museum of African American History (1997)
by architect Harold R Varner
Michigan Science Center (1978)
designed by architect William Kessler, with multiple additions
Suddenly I heard sirens, and police cars blocked traffic on Woodward Avenue, to allow parade floats to go by.
Christmas-themed float?
Maccabees Building aka Wayne Tower (1926-1927)
in Art Deco style with Romanesque details
Maccabees Building portal, the building was listed
on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983
Detroit Public Library (1921)
designed by Cass Gilbert in early Italian Renaissance style
and funded by Andrew Carnegie
Detroit Historical Museum (1951)
Detroit Institute of Arts (1923-1927)
designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret
in Beaux Arts-Italian Renaissance style
The Thinker (1904) by Auguste Rodin
(this Thinker is whole!)
The Wedding Dance (1566) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
In 1932, Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint frescos on the courtyard walls, which he titled "Detroit Industry, or Man and Machine." The courtyard was then roofed over.
Diego fresco on west wall
East wall
Access to Rivera Court
Self-portrait with Straw Hat (1887) by Vincent van Gogh
Self-portrait of a Collagist (1989) by Benny Andrews
Sexton (from Triple Point of Water) (2004-2005)
by Sarah Sze
Self-portrait (1967) Andy Warhol
Stack (1969) by Donald Judd
(Cleveland Museum of Art has a green stack, too!)
Cycles (c. 1965) by Norval Morriseau (Ojibwa)
Returning to the car, I passed the Scarab Club.
Scarab Club (1928) by Lancelot Sukert
in Northern Renaissance Revival style,
the logo above the door is done in Pewabic tiles
Steam is leaking all over downtown
Back at the hotel in Dearborn, a view of the Detroit skyline:

Detroit skyline from the concierge lounge of The Henry hotel
This evening we drove downtown with one of Kent's colleagues, Laura, to see a Detroit Tigers MLB game.
There are tigers crawling all over Comerica Park (2000)
Tiger with a baseball in his fangs
Aha! The floats are part of tonight's game's theme of Christmas in July
Headed to Cheli's Chili Bar for dinner
Wow! Chris Chelios himself was at his restaurant
Left-center field concourse with statues of players
whose numbers were retired (Ty Cobb played before players wore numbers)
Comerica Park after removal of the infield tarp
A busy day for everyone!
Next: Detroit 2014 IV.