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A Day at the Dairy: Ann Arbor's Washtenaw Dairy

"A Day At The Dairy brings viewers though the spectrum of a full day at Washtenaw Dairy in the summer of 2024 — opening with coffee and donuts before sunrise until the final ice cream is served after sunset. Since its founding in 1934 as an outlet for dairy farmers to sell their milk, through expanding with ice cream and a donut enterprise reaching all over town, "The Dairy" has provided commodities and served as a community hub in Ann Arbor for 90 years. Owner and President Mary Jean Raab recounts its history alongside a cross section of a day's customers who share what's kept them coming back for a tasty treat, time and time again." - Filmmakers Donald Harrison & Isabel Ratner

Ann Arbor 200

The Observer Observed: Online Exhibit and Interview Collection

Year
2024

(Scroll right to view exhibit)

When the AADL Archives put together its exhibit of pages from the Ann Arbor Observer, we knew it was going to be a difficult task; we had to select 500 pages from over 60,000, and in doing so we had to attempt to show as much of a representative example of what the magazine is as we could--while still covering its nearly 50-year history of existence.  

We also knew it would be popular, but we didn't realize how many people we would hear from and how many people we would see spending extensive time poring over the pages we put up on the walls.  Being that it was such a hit, we thought it only fair to put it up on our site so people can spend time looking at it at their leisure.

The other thing we didn't realize was how many questions it would leave us with about how that magazine was put together and the people who have worked there over the decades.  A full and detailed accounting of the history of the Observer has yet to be written, but to start the process, we performed interviews with six of the individuals whose writing, illustration, and editorial work have made the Observer what it is over the years.  Take a listen and learn a little bit more about the publication that has been a chronicle of our community over these many years.


Patricia Garcia and John Hilton

The longtime publisher (Garcia) and editor (Hilton) of the Observer talk about how they were selected for ownership, how the community has changed in their almost 40 years of covering it, and how they weathered the changes in the media industry and the pandemic.


Steve Gilzow

One of the Observer's most prolific cover artists talks about the inspiration behind his art, the people and places captured within his covers, and how his work with the Observer has allowed a deeper understanding of the community.


John Hinchey

John Hinchey spent two decades covering city hall and four decades editing the Observer's events calendar. He tells us about how the city and its institutions have changed in his time chronicling it.


Eve Silberman

Eve Silberman has written for the Observer for over four decades. As profile writer and editor Eve oversaw the Ann Arborites section, which highlights community members. In addition, she has covered and written features on local politics, social services, the city's history, and more.


Laura Strowe

The artist behind over 60 Observer covers tells us about her work from etching to pastels and how art has effected how she views the world.


Ann Arbor 200

Bicentennial Blocks Papercraft

Year
2024

Bicentennial Blocks: Ann Arbor Architecture Cardboard Cutout

If you've been in any AADL branches lately, you have probably seen the large cardboard blocks that can be stacked up to construct some of the most iconic buildings around Ann Arbor.  If you know how to have fun, you've even played with them!  Read our coverage of the project in Pulp to learn more about how these came about, including how AADL selected the seven buildings from the hundreds of possibilities around town.

What you might not have noticed is that these blocks are also available for you to take home and cut out to create your very own (smaller) cardboard block Ann Arbor on your own desk or bookshelf.  But maybe you can't make it in to a branch to grab your own?  Well we here at Ann Arbor 200 have you covered!  Below you will find links to the pdf versions of each of these sets of blocks that you can print at home on regular old 8 1/2 by 11 paper.  Want to color them in with your preferred palette?  Print them in black and white!  Want to create your own frankenstein versions of Ann Arbor's great buildings?  Print a whole bunch and stack to your hearts content!

We've also included here the text you will find on each set of blocks so you can learn a bit about each building (even if papercraft isn't your thing).  All of the text on these blocks comes from the premiere source for the history of our local architecture, Historic Ann Arbor: An Architectural Guide by Susan Wineberg and Patrick McCauley.  

Enjoy playing with your own bicentennial blocks and see the buildings you've walked past for years in a whole new way!

Burton Memorial Tower, 1936

881 N University Ave
Architect: Albert Kahn
It had long been the dream of U-M President Marion L. Burton (1920–25) to have a centrally located tower and carillon. He died before it became a reality but it now perpetuates his name. The carillon, a set of 55 bells cast in England, was the gift of Charles M. Baird, a lawyer and the U-M’s first athletic director. The carillon marks every quarter hour with Westminster chimes, and during the noon hour and on special occasions tunes are played. It forms a unique part of Ann Arbor’s ambiance and can be seen and heard far from Central Campus.

The 10-story limestone sheath, an obelisk in the Art Deco style with a pointed copper cap and clocks on each of its four sides, was designed by the Detroit architect Albert Kahn and begun in 1935. Burton Tower originally was going to be much taller and it’s believed that Kahn’s design was highly influenced by his friend Eliel Saarinen. The Depression affected the funding, which resulted in the building we see (and hear) today.

YMCA Building, 1904

110 N Fourth Ave
Architects: Pond & Pond
The history of YMCA in Ann Arbor begins in 1858, when a group was started on the University of Michigan campus and eventually housed at Lane Hall. In 1892, the Ann Arbor YMCA was founded, and in 1904 the group built this building.

Designed by Pond and Pond, with elements of the Italian Renaissance Revival and Beaux Arts styles, this building was home to the YMCA from 1904 to 1959. The building originally housed a swimming pool in the basement and a gymnasium on the top floor. Pond and Pond was founded by brothers Irving K. and Allen B. Pond of Ann Arbor. They designed numerous buildings in Chicago, as well as a number of Ann Arbor landmarks. Pond and Pond were known for their elaborate brickwork, which can be seen in the YMCA building with its contrasting layers of hard-fired glazed brick, red brick, and limestone. The glazed brick is utilized on the street level, and is continued upward in the striped, brick pilasters and corner quoins.

In 1959, the YMCA moved to a new building on Fifth Avenue and William (since demolished). Today the old YMCA building serves as the Washtenaw County Annex.

First National Building, 1929

201 S Main St
Architects: Fry & Kasurin
In February 1929, before the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression, this building opened with a flourish and a special edition of the Ann Arbor Daily Times News. Sixteen floodlights made it a focal point of downtown at night. This Romanesque wonder sheathed in terra-cotta has carved lion heads, a sumptuous lobby with black terrazzo floors, black and gold marble, Italian travertine walls, bronze doorways, and a richly decorated coffered ceiling. It was designed by the local firm of Fry and Kasurin.

The First National Bank was the first bank chartered in Michigan under the National Bank Act of 1863. After occupying other spaces, they built their own building only to succumb to economic realities during the Depression.

Hill Auditorium, 1913

825 N University Ave
Architects: Albert Kahn with Ernst Wilby
This brick, limestone, and terra-cotta structure, designed by Albert Kahn with Ernst Wilby, was the first performance space built on campus and Kahn’s second building on campus. Parabolic in shape, it is said to have among the best acoustics in the country. Regent Arthur Hill donated the funds for this 4,300-seat auditorium, designed in the spare Prairie style started by Louis Sullivan in Chicago. The facade, with its tapestry brick framing classical columns, resembles several of Sullivan’s buildings. These brick patterns are almost the only exterior decoration. The name “Hill Auditorium” is spelled out in simple, almost invisible, copper lettering.

Kahn used a special reinforced concrete system developed by his brother Julius (who had two degrees from U-M) known as the “Kahn Bar.” The building underwent a major renovation and was re-dedicated in 2004.

Hill has been the centerpiece of the cultural scene in Ann Arbor since its opening in 1913.

First National Bank Block / Goodyear's, 1867

120-124 S Main St
Shortly after it opened as the “Bank Building” in 1867, this structure was described as having “a freestone front, in which are large and elegant stores and the First National Bank.” This bank was the first federally chartered bank in Michigan and only the twenty-second such bank in the U.S. The building is of solid brick, with various bays of arched windows on both floors, typical of the Italianate commercial style popular in the 1860s and ’70s. The bank portion has a more Gothic front, with pointed arches and a cornice that rose above the others, fitted with higher brackets and pointed pinnacles which increased its visual domination.

For almost 100 years this building was known as “Goodyear’s” because of the department store that over the 20th century eventually occupied the entire building. Goodyear’s was the major retail anchor of downtown for almost a century. It closed in 1983.

Michigan Central Railroad Depot, 1886

401 Depot St
Architects: Spier & Rohns
Detroit architects Spier and Rohns designed this Richardsonian Romanesque train station that opened in 1886. Diagnostic of the style are the heavy stone walls, the deep-set openings, and the large arched entry into the building. The heavy construction represented the solidity, strength, and prestige of the railroad. Stained glass windows, two fireplaces, and beautifully carved woodwork graced the interior of the waiting rooms and baggage areas. It was considered the finest station on the Michigan Central Line (and later the New York Central Line) when it opened.

The station was a port of entry into Ann Arbor for visiting students, tourists, and presidents of the United States. Cabs met them there and traveled up State Street to the main campus. Soldiers left from here during both world wars. After World War II, passenger service declined and the station closed in 1967. In 1968, Chuck Muer bought the property and restored it, opening a seafood restaurant with a railroad theme called the Gandy Dancer.

Glazier Building, 1906

100 S Main St
Architect: Claire Allen
Jackson architect Claire Allen designed this fine example of a Beaux Arts building in 1906 for Frank P. Glazier, a wealthy banker and stove factory owner from Chelsea, Michigan. It is constructed of red brick with fluted limestone columns, rosettes, and garlands over the windows. The elaborate cornice, which had been removed in the 1950s, was completely restored by owner Dennis Dahlman in 2008, who received an award from the Historic District Commission. The style had been made popular by the Columbian Exposition in 1893 in Chicago.

Frank Glazier was the State Treasurer in 1906, but was jailed over corruption charges for using state funds to build this building and pad his own bank. The Panic of 1907 caused the collapse of his financial empire and in 1910 he was convicted of embezzlement and sent to Jackson Prison.

Ann Arbor 200

Celebration and Recognition: A Woven Portrait of Local Female Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Businesswomen - Original Collage

Year
2024

Celebration and Recognition Collage by Johanna Liao

"This collage celebrates the seen and unseen female leaders, entrepreneurs, and businesswomen of Ann Arbor." - Johanna Liao, Collage artist

Title: Celebration and Recognition - A Woven Portrait of Local Female Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Businesswomen
Dimensions: 40"x32"
Materials: Paper, Fabric, Yarn, Thread
The following images were selected by the artist and used in the creation of this collage, from left to right (top to bottom):

Ann Arbor 200

Ann Arbor News Photographs In Color

Year
2024

The Ann Arbor District Library Archives is home to over 2.3 million photographic negatives, the vast majority of which are in black and white. For decades color photography was nonexistent, prohibitively expensive, or its processing was inaccessible. Since photography’s earliest days people have experimented with applying color by hand to bring images closer to capturing our vivid world.  Many of the postcards in our Making of Ann Arbor collection were hand-colored to create a truer-to-life image of the city's landmarks than the photographic technology of the time allowed.

Below is a selection of photographs from our Ann Arbor News collection that have been colored through a combination of automation and hand-applied hues. In most cases it is impossible to know what colors were originally present, so these should be viewed as an artistic interpretation rather than an accurate depiction of what was.  But adding color to these images, whether accurate or not, allows us to see our past in an entirely new way.  Enjoy!

 

Kathleen & Johnny Dolan On Horses Entered into the Northville Show, May 1938, Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: Kathleen Dolan on Goldie. Johnny Dolan on Sheba.

 

University of Michigan Cheerleaders, September 1947Ann Arbor News

 

Ice Cream For Everyone, June 1957Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY'S EATING CONES: Ann Arbor's finally getting some summer-like weather, so, to help commemorate National Dairy Month and also to please their palates, this group of pals downs ice cream cones. They are (left to right) Rodney Spencer, 5, his friend, "Major,", Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity mascot, and Judy Tsuchuira, 3.

 

Bethel AME Church Groups and Leaders, July 1944, Ann Arbor News

 

Barton Boat Club Member L. Clifford Dickason Rides the Rail of Craft, September 1947Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: L. Clifford Dickason, of 1013 Rose Ave., rides the rail of his sailing craft as he comes about on Barton Pond, where Boat Club members congregate every Sunday from April through November to race their boats. A club grand championship is decided at the end of each season.

 

Children Listening to Story at Dunbar Center, December 1940Ann Arbor News

 

Randall H. Nelson & His Leader Dog Sonny, December 1951, Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: AIDED BY LIONS CLUB WORK: Randall H. Nelson of 1201 E. University Ave. (above), a doctoral student in political science at the University who was blinded by a German shell burst in World War II, is one of many sightless persons reaping benefits from a statewide program of Lions Clubs. Michigan Lions, including those from the Ann Arbor organization headed by President S. D. Casey, contribute heavily to "Leader Dog" training at Rochester, Mich. Each dog, such as Sonny, the German boxer pictured with Nelson, costs an estimated $1,200 to train for the task of guiding a blind master. The dogs are purchased from the Leader Dog League for a token payment of $250.

 

Members of the Devil Dogs Motorcycle Club, Ann Arbor, 1938Ann Arbor News

 

Boys Eating Lunches During Nutrition Drive, Mack School, October 1942Ann Arbor News

 

Washtenaw County Court House, September 1948Ann Arbor News

 

Award-Winning "Let's Play" With Her Trainer Don Webb, September 1939, Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: ANN ARBOR DOG WINS FIRST PRIZE: This 11-month-old cocker spaniel, "Let's Play" won first place in the American bred black female class at the dog show sponsored by the Jaxon Kennel Club of Jackson. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Harold G. Ristine, 580 Allison Dr., Ann Arbor, the dog was shown by Don Webb of Ypsilanti (above), handler and trainer. Let's Play was sired by Rennard's First Chance of Plymouth, and her dam is Lady In Red VI, owned by the Ristines.

 

UM International Student & Refugee On Campus, December 1941Ann Arbor News

 

Rubber Salvage, Dixboro, July 1942, Ann Arbor News

 

Pete Brown At Model Airplane Meet, July 1948Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: YOUNGEST CONTESTANT EXCELS: Five-year-old Pete Brown, son of Howard C. Brown of 827 Brookwood Pl., squats beside the gasoline model he entered in yesterday's model plane meet. A few minutes later he successfully launched and guided the plane for a five-minute flight and brought it in to a perfect landing. He was the meet's youngest entrant.

 

Ski tow at Barton Hills, January, 1951Ann Arbor News

 

Ted Donahue Feeds Treppy At The University of Michigan Zoo, November 1946Ann Arbor News

Original Caption: Intrepidus - the University's domesticated wolverine - is not eating his gamekeeper's hand, as the above picture seems to indicate, but rather is enjoying a dinner of dog food which Ted Donahue is feeding him by hand at the zoo behind the University museum. Treppy (short for his Latin name) is far more dainty in his table manners than a dog, Donahue relates. Although he usually sits up for his dinner, Treppy did not have the courage to do so when the above picture was taken, due to the fact that The News photographer was standing in the opposite corner of the cage. Donahue is a returned veteran and a student at the University.

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Black Foodways

In this video compiled from dozens of interviews from the Living Oral History Project and the There Went The Neighborhood Interview Archive, participants share their memories of food and food traditions in their families, including fishing on the Huron River, hosting Fourth of July barbecues, and even starting a restaurant.

The Living Oral History Project is a partnership between the African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County and the Ann Arbor District Library, providing a permanent home for 50+ interviews with Black community members collected over the past decade. The collection continues to grow with interviews added each year.

The There Went The Neighborhood Interview Archive contains 35 interviews that went into the research and making of a documentary film about the closing of Jones School, produced by the Ann Arbor District Library and 7 Cylinders Studio.

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AADL Talks To: Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary, Women's Rights Activists

Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary
Catherine McClary (left) and Jan BenDor, June 2024

Women’s rights activists Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary have been working together for over 50 years. Among their many pioneering contributions to regional and national causes are the Women’s Crisis Center, domestic violence reform, and legislation to combat job, housing, and sexual discrimination. Jan, a member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, is the founder of the Rape Crisis Center movement in Michigan and has pioneered programs for law enforcement training in the treatment of domestic violence and sexual assault. Catherine, retiring Washtenaw County Treasurer, was the youngest person elected to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and has been recognized nationally for her work fighting home foreclosures and championing the rights of women and people of color. Jan and Catherine talk about their pioneering roles in the rape awareness movement, including their writing and distribution of the influential “Freedom From Rape” publication and their involvement in the passage of Michigan’s landmark 1974 Criminal Sexual Conduct Act, which would become a national model. They also talk about their work to establish the first publicly funded domestic violence shelter in the country and offer their perspective on the continuing challenges women face in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs decision.

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50 Years of Celebration: The Dance for Mother Earth Powwow

"In 1972, when many aspects of Native American religions and sacred ceremonies were still prohibited by law, American Indians at the University of Michigan (AIUM) held their first powwow in Ann Arbor. Over the years, the Native American Student Association (NASA), consisting of community members and students, evolved into a group fully dedicated to making the powwow a success. In March of 2024, the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 50 Years of Celebration: The Dance for Mother Earth Powwow, a variety of voices from multiple generations share what the powwow has meant to them." - Filmmaker Jen Howard

Ann Arbor 200

Ann Arbor Signs - Original Prints by Veronica Ortolan

Year
2024

Six prints of old Ann Arbor business signs

"While I work in many artistic mediums ranging from digital to traditional, I have a special love for the very unique and tactile process of blockprinting. Therefore for representing these historical signs, I thought it would only be appropriate to use blockprint, a medium which itself has historical roots going back to older forms of printing like woodcut and letterpress. Each sign was handcarved then handprinted, with each color being printed individually from the same carved block for a layered effect of what is essentially 3 unique prints on the same paper. For the offsetting of the colors, I was also inspired by the slight, flawed offset of colors that was often seen in printing at the time these signs would have been up, resulting in bright colors popping out at the edges of designs unintentionally. This misregistration made it so even commercial pieces which were meant to be identical had slight unique qualities to them, a trait that every blockprint shares as well.

Researching each business and imagining the people who patronized them when they were still open was a delight. From restaurants to bookshops, each sign has a different personality to it, and different challenges involved with carving and printing them. I hope through this series I have been able to bring back a bit of the love these businesses must have had in their lifetime, and possibly remind someone of a good memory they had at them."

-Veronica Ortolan, Printmaker


Steve's Lunch

Steve's Lunch was a classic 1960s lunch counter diner opened at 1313 S University Ave by Greek immigrant Steve Vaniadis. Around 1972 Steve sold the business to an outgoing Korean couple, known to customers as Mr. and Mrs. Lee. They kept the diner’s name and the no frills location grew into a cultural institution with fantastic Korean food. Steve’s Lunch was a hangout for townies and students alike, and one of the first Ann Arbor restaurants to offer standards like Japchae and Bibimbap. In the late 1970s, the Lee family sold the business, much to the dismay of devoted regulars.

The Cracked Crab

Located at 112 W Washington St, The Cracked Crab was a tiny restaurant with a big reputation. Opened in 1971, it became a celebrated local landmark for consuming some of Ann Arbor’s best seafood. Although the restaurant closed in 1991, many townies still fondly remember the exceptional Dungeness crab and the funky nautical decor.

Del Rio

Opened in 1970, Del Rio was a cooperatively run Ann Arbor bar, featuring management by consensus, with owners and employees having equal say. Some would call it a bohemian sanctuary, others simply a hippie bar. On the corner of West Washington and Ashley Streets, at 122 W Washington, this dimly lit space served up the legendary Det Burger (a cheeseburger soaked in beer then topped with mushrooms and black olives), an eclectic music selection from a collection of over 1,000 cassette tapes, indifferent customer service, and the best bathroom graffiti in the city. Following a last-night celebration, it closed in the early morning hours of January 1, 2004.

Bimbo's

Perfect thin-crust pizza cut into squares, peanut shells on the floor, singing along with the band, and pitchers of beer and red pop were all staples of the legendary Bimbo's at 114 E Washington St in Ann Arbor. Matt "Bimbo" Chutich opened this mecca for families in 1962, where parents and children could both enjoy themselves. The fun lasted until the restaurant closed in 1983. Chutich owned/operated a chain of Bimbo’s restaurants all across the country, with locations in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Minnesota, as well as many other Michigan locations, including another in Ann Arbor known as Bimbo's on the Hill.

Blue Frogge

The basement space at 611 Church St, near South University Ave, once housed a restaurant, bar, and disco known as Blue Frogge. Opened in July 1976, it offered "DISCO Dancing 7 Nights A Week" during the height of disco mania. It lasted two years until it was remodeled as Don Cisco’s Mexican Restaurant & Disco in July 1978. Despite its brief existence, Madonna once mentioned frequenting Blue Frogge to a Rolling Stone interviewer, sealing its status as an iconic Ann Arbor nightclub hangout. In July 1979 it transformed into Rick’s American Cafe, which university students still frequent today.

Shaman Drum Bookshop

Shaman Drum Bookshop was an independent Ann Arbor bookstore originally located at 313 S State St. Opened in 1980 by Karl Pohrt, it took over the upstairs space occupied by Paideia Books. In 1994 the beloved store expanded down into two, large, street level storefronts and was frequented by fiercely loyal customers until it closed in June 2009.

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AADL Talks To: Andy Sacks, Photographer and Documentarian

photo of Andy Sacks
Andy Sacks

Andrew Sacks is an award-winning photographer and documentarian in the Ann Arbor area. He came to the University of Michigan in the late 1960s to study art and immediately joined the Michigan Daily newspaper, covering a variety of assignments, from sit-ins and student demonstrations to regional and national political campaigns. During this period, he also played jazz piano with various Ann Arbor musicians. Andy recalls the people and some of the many memorable events that shaped his life and work over the years. Andy’s vast photo negative collection is available at the Bentley Historical Library.