Depot Town
42°14′45″N 83°36′33″W / 42.245961°N 83.609143°W
Depot Town is a commercial area, with some residences above storefronts,
History
Depot Town was created after the Ypsilanti Train Depot was opened in 1838. As the railroad connected Ypsilanti, MI with Detroit, the area surrounding the depot grew.
One of the earliest developments of note in Depot Town was the Western Hotel, built by Mark Norris. Opening in May 1839, the Western Hotel stood on a triangular plot west of River Street and north of the railroad track. Around 1860, the
In early 1860, Depot Town experienced a large fire, which spread sparks so far that a barn one-third of a mile away was destroyed.[7]
I've been told by two interesting people of those days about a couple of sales that were made at the Depot. One was when Denny Doyle sold the Follett House. It seems that business had fallen off quite a lot. Denny wanted to sell the place so he heard about a fellow by the name of Mathias who was looking for a tavern so he invited him to Ypsilanti to take a look at the Follett House. Denny was a little bit unscrupulous in his business actions but he got a group of fellows to go to Ann Arbor with suit cases and another group to go down to Wayne and when the Michigan Central train came in these fellows flocked into the Follett House to register and stay over night. Mathias was sitting in the lobby and he looked over the crowd and just then the train came in from the other way and these fellows he had sent to Wayne came in. Well, the bar was doing business and the barber shop was doing business and Mathias was mesmerized by the amount of business he anticipated so he bought the place; and didn't they sell him another place up in the Thompson Building for an overflow of his patrons. Well, he paid his money and he owned the hotel and Doyle was gone.[8]
Joseph H. Thompson
Tunnels, originally built for water drainage, passed beneath the railroad and ran between the Thompson Block and the businesses on Cross Street, and were used as hiding places by escaped slaves, who hid by day and then rode boats down the Huron River by night.[9] Leonard Chase, a known abolitionist, also operated a station on the Underground Railroad from 1841 to 1860, hiding escaped slaves in his home near the depot.[10] Also during the American Civil War, the Norris Block was used as a barracks by two regiments: the Fourteenth Michigan Infantry Regiment in early 1862, and the Twenty-Seventh Michigan Infantry Regiment in 1863. Oliver E. Thompson bought the building in 1869, and as it passed down through several generations of the Thompson family, it eventually became known as the Thompson Block.[6]
The Michigan Central Depot was widely known for the gardens which surrounded it. The longtime gardener, John Laidlaw, built enormous arrangements that evoked Niagara Falls, the battleship Maine, and well-known landscapes.[8]
By the 1950s, railroad traffic declined and parts of Depot Town began to fall into disrepair. The Thompson Block was put up for sale in 1950, standing vacant for more than a year. A series of businesses opened and closed in the building, with none finding lasting success. In the late 1960s, landlord David Kircher bought the building, using it as a warehouse. From 1996 until 2005, the building was tied up in legal disputes. Kircher was found guilty of demolition by neglect, and first Barnes and Barnes and then Beal Properties were named receivers. In May 2006, Stewart Beal purchased the building outright.[6]
Structures
The original Michigan Central Depot, from which the area took its name, no longer stands,
The freighthouse was closed in 2004 due to safety concerns. In early 2009, the city of Ypsilanti and the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse received more than $600,000 (~$828,388 in 2023) for repairs to make the freighthouse usable again.[16]
Architecturally, the [Thompson Block]'s historical significance is quite apparent. Built in the mid 18th century, the building is an excellent example of the typical downtown building block (here freestanding) with retail on the first floor and dwellings/storage on the upper floors. The masonry brick and wood beam construction was built using bricks from the Great Western Hotel that was torn down to make room for the railroad tracks. The Italianate style with arched fenestration and intricate wooden frieze was particularly popular at that time and can be observed in the few remaining buildings in Ypsilanti from that time period. Its subsequent rehabilitation and preservation would be a great asset and historical resource for not only the citizens of Ypsilanti but also an excellent example of Midwestern architecture from the 1800s for the entire country.[6]
Craig Zehnder, 1992 research report
At the northeast corner of Cross and River Streets stands the Thompson Block, a historic building which was used as barracks in the Civil War. The Thompson Block suffered a bad fire early in the morning on September 23, 2009,[17] and the temporary supports reaching into adjacent streets, installed shortly after the fire to stabilize the structure, blocked westbound traffic on Cross Street for more than three months[18] and have resulted in legal tussles between the city and the property owner.[19]
At the southwest corner of the same intersection, the building housing Sidetrack Bar & Grill—which has held a bar and restaurant continuously since at least 1850—has an unusual shape resulting from a 1929 train derailment. On an early January morning, the twelfth car, laden with lumber, of an 85-car freight train came off the tracks and crashed into the corner of the building. The owner of the building, who lived just above the section that was hit, was uninjured but had most of her personal effects scattered into the street. There were only a few people near the railroad crossing when it derailed including an 18-year-old female who was knocked unconscious and a man who was sitting in his car, but was able to get away unharmed.[20] When the current owners went to build a patio on the spot, they found some of the debris had been piled up underneath, which made it more difficult to dig post holes.[21] In 1931, the entrance to the building was moved from the east side to its current position on the north side to accommodate a post-prohibition law requiring bar entrances to be at least 500 feet from any church. The back patio was constructed after the nearby church burned down.[21] According to Sidetrack owner Linda French, the first-floor walls are three bricks deep, with the oldest remaining bricks dating to the 1850s.[22]
At the southeast corner of Cross and River Streets, the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum is housed in the last Hudson Motor Car Company dealership. In 1927 the business opened as "Hudson Sales & Service", becoming "Miller Motors" in 1955. After the discontinuance of the Hudson brand in 1958, Miller Motors continued as a service and parts supplier for Hudson collectors.[23]
On the east side of River Street, south from the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum across the railroad tracks, the Mill Works Building, originally a foundry, contains the Ypsilanti Food Co-op and the River Street Bakery, owned by the co-op. On the roof of the Mill Works Building, Solar Ypsi installed 12 solar panels for the co-op in April 2009, followed by 30 panels for the bakery in 2010, producing a total of 8.3 kilowatts during peak sunlight.[24] Data from the meters can be viewed at the Solar Ypsi website, allowing anyone to compare generation from different sites.[25]
Most of the buildings in Depot Town are two or three stories. At the east end, the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum building is a single story. East of Rice Street, the building facing Cross Street from the north is four stories, while the freighthouse behind it is a single tall story. Toward the west end of Depot Town, on both sides of Cross Street, there are several one-story structures, which are of more-recent construction than the taller buildings.
Vicinity
Depot Town is immediately northeast of downtown Ypsilanti. Frog Island and Riverside Parks, both on the
Depot Town is also a half-mile southeast of the campus of Eastern Michigan University. During "New Student Orientation", Eastern provides students with gift certificates called "Ypsibucks", which can be used at many restaurants in Depot Town and downtown Ypsilanti. Students use the day, known as "Ypsifest", to walk around the city and become acquainted with Ypsilanti.[27][28]
Businesses
In addition to antique stores, a Michigan artisan market (The Eyrie), tattoo parlor, record shop, fly fishing store, one of Ypsilanti's two farmers' markets & a variety of services including massage therapy, Russian ballet instruction, and motorcycle/auto repair; Depot Town is home to several well-known restaurants. Depot Town's newest restaurant MAIZ Mexican Cantina opened June 2014 serving fresh from scratch Mexican fare complementing the other institutions on Cross St. Sidetrack Bar & Grill has occupied the southwest corner of the River Street-Cross Street intersection since 1980,[20] while Aubree's Saloon is in the last building on the north side of Cross Street. The Ypsilanti Food Co-op, established in 1975, moved into the Mill Works Building in the 1980s and in addition to groceries, sells sandwiches, salads, soups, and fresh bread from the bakery next door.[3][29]
The River Street Bakery, also in the Mill Works Building and now owned by the Co-op, claims to have the only wood-fired brick oven in commercial use in Washtenaw County. Originally called the Depot Town Sourdough Bakery, the bakery was founded by Tom Kinney as an independent cooperative non-profit with a $20,000 loan from the Cooperative Whole Grain Education Association and pledges from prospective customers. To stretch the limited funds, the brick oven was built by hand in 1989. From the beginning, the Ypsilanti Food Co-op retailed the bread.[30]
The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum is housed in the world's last surviving Hudson Motor Car Company dealership,[3][31] across the street from the Thompson Block.
The Depot Town Farmers' Market, one of Ypsilanti's two farmers' markets, began near downtown in 1919, moving several times before settling in the freighthouse in the late 1970s. Inside the freighthouse, the market operated year-round, and included a coffee shop and frequent live music. Since the 2004 closure of the freighthouse due to structural concerns, the farmers' market has operated seasonally only, in the courtyard just outside the freighthouse.[32]
Events
Due to Michigan's cold winter, the majority of Depot Towns events are held from late March to early October. There are many events that take place in and around Depot Town such as the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival, Michigan ElvisFest,[3] the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival,[3] Tuesday "bike" night, and Thursday "cruise nights".[33] Depot Town is also home to vintage car shows, concert band, jazz band, orchestra concerts, and an annual dog parade.[34]
Summer Beer Festival
The
In 2010, the festival drew about 9,000 attendees, despite "sweltering heat, torrential downpours, an overflowing Huron River, power blackouts and the possibility of tornadoes".[37] Fifty-four Michigan breweries served around 350 different beers that year.[37]
Michigan ElvisFest
Founded in 1999, the Michigan ElvisFest is an annual two-day festival held in July in Riverside Park and Depot Town. Established to replace the previous Ypsilanti-based music festival, the Bob Marley Festival, ElvisFest has grown to be the largest Elvis festival in North America, attended by approximately 10,000 fans each year.[38] In addition to Elvis impersonators, ElvisFest also often includes performances by Tom Jones and Roy Orbison impersonators.
Ypsilanti Heritage Festival
Held each year on the last weekend of August, the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival sprawls across Frog Island Park, Riverside Park, Depot Town, and downtown Ypsilanti. The festival includes events such as vintage base ball, a bed race, a hot dog eating contest, a rubber duck race, and the "Nightmare Cruise" (a spoof of the Woodward Dream Cruise from Pontiac to Detroit).[39]
Orphan Car Show
Each summer since 1997, Riverside Park hosts the Orphan Car Show. The show includes a parade and presentations by automotive historians about defunct car brands. Discontinued models of ongoing brands are accepted if they were made in Ypsilanti, and foreign vehicles are allowed if they are no longer sold in the United States.[40]
References
- Ann Arbor News, 1997, p. 77
- ISBN 0-403-09322-8, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ^ Eastern Echo, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ISBN 978-0-19-509379-7.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, 1988, pp. 138–139, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ^ a b c d Mann, James (Winter 2009), "The Thompson Block — Then and Now!", Ypsilanti Gleanings, Ypsilanti Historical Society, retrieved May 12, 2011
- ^ Anschuetz, Janice (Summer 2010), "Peckville", Ypsilanti Gleanings, Ypsilanti Historical Society, retrieved May 12, 2011,
In the Michigan Argus of February 3, 1860 we read of a fire in Depot Town with some of the sparks flying as far as Peckville and starting one of Peck's barns on fire and destroying it.
- ^ a b c Thompson, Joseph H. (July 1974), "Memories of Early Depot Town", Ypsilanti Gleanings, Ypsilanti Historical Society, retrieved May 12, 2011
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4638-4
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4638-4
- Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 10, 2011,
Amtrak trains' last roundtrip stops in Ypsilanti came in 1982, although the eastbound train stopped in Depot Town until 1984. Magliari said that line, the Michigan Executive, was a remnant of the commuter train that connected Detroit with western suburbs and cities up until 1975. As Amtrak focused more on inter-city connection instead of commuter, or suburb-to-city lines, it phased out the Ypsilanti stop, Magliari said.
- ^ "All Aboard!". City of Ypsilanti. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ a b Perkins, Tom (March 16, 2016). "Ypsilanti approves $2 million for new Depot Town train stop platform". Advance Publications. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ "Street Closures at Rail Stops". City of Ypsilanti. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ Perkins, Tom (May 18, 2016). "Ypsilanti to close railroad crossings for Depot Town train stop project". Advance Publishing. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 11, 2011
- Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 6, 2011
- Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 11, 2011
- Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 6, 2011
- ^ a b Ridenour, George; McDermott, Lyle (Fall 2009), "The Sidetrack-A History", Ypsilanti Gleanings, Ypsilanti Historical Society, retrieved May 12, 2011
- ^ a b "Sidetrack Bar and Grill". Ypsilanti Gleanings. Ypsilanti Historical Society. Summer 2006. pp. 15–17. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ Badgerow, Ted (Fall 2009), "Sidetrack Bar and Grill", Ypsilanti Gleanings, Ypsilanti Historical Society, retrieved May 13, 2011,
How old are the oldest bricks in this building? 1850s. When we tore out a staircase we found little shoes from, like, 1870...It's been really easy to work with, because it is so sound – three bricks deep.
- ^ Learn More, Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, archived from the original on July 22, 2011, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ^ Project installations, Solar Ypsi, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ^ Lukowski, Kristin (December 1, 2010), "With Ypsilanti Food Co-op bakery solar panels in place, Solar Ypsi looks for next project", Concentrate Media, retrieved May 11, 2011,
Part of the reason for putting the generation of energy online is so people can compare solar sites; in a recent comparison of the main co-op roof to the Ypsilanti City Hall, he found that city hall is a more efficient site because of its height and lack of shading.
- ^ Parks & Facilities Directory, Ypsilanti, Michigan, archived from the original on January 2, 2014, retrieved 2012-04-04
- ^ "Neighborhood Lunch". Focus EMU Online. Eastern Michigan University. September 7, 2004. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ "News Briefs". Focus EMU Online. Eastern Michigan University. August 29, 2006. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ Washtenaw County 3-R Business Directory: Ypsilanti Food Cooperative and River Street Bakery, Washtenaw County, Michigan, archived from the original on June 14, 2012, retrieved May 13, 2011
- ISBN 1-890132-05-5, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ^ Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, MotorCities National Heritage Area, archived from the original on July 27, 2011, retrieved May 12, 2011
- ^ Mann, James (August 17, 2008), "Ypsilanti Farmers Market 90 years old next year", The Ann Arbor News, archived from the original on October 13, 2012, retrieved May 11, 2011
- Eastern Echo, retrieved June 21, 2011,
If you're an autophile, be sure to check out the Depot Town Cruise Nights. Set in the back drop of historic Depot Town every Thursday night, weather permitting, classic cars line the road by Sidetrack and Aubree's.
- ^ Bell, Amy (March 24, 2011), "Marching mutts parade through Depot Town", The Ypsilanti Courier, Heritage Newspapers, retrieved May 13, 2011
- Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 13, 2011
- ^ Nichols, Jerome Stuart (June 20, 2011), "Ypsi has 'frothy history,' 'hoppy future'", The Eastern Echo, Eastern Michigan University, archived from the original on April 11, 2014, retrieved 2011-06-21,
Unlike many other celebrations of industry, the Ypsilanti Summer Beer Festival is fully independent. The large number of paying festival attendants and Michigan Brewer's Guild members, the Ypsilanti Summer Beer Festival can operate without outside sponsorships.
- ^ Advance Publications, Inc., retrieved May 13, 2011
- Ann Arbor News. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ^ "Ypsilanti Heritage Festival: Festival hours and featured events", The Ypsilanti Courier, Heritage Newspapers, August 21, 2010, retrieved May 11, 2011
- ^ "DRIVING; A Car Show Just for 'Orphans'", The New York Times, June 6, 2003, retrieved May 11, 2011
External links
- Depot Town community website Archived May 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine — community development dept.