Media
Condemned to a Soulless Wealth: An Original Composition based on Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" Speech by Garrett Schumann
Condemned to a Soulless Wealth contemplates President Lyndon Baines Johnson's 'Great Society' speech, which he delivered as the commencement address at the University of Michigan in 1964, from a contemporary perspective. Johnson's words are confident and optimistic, but, from the vantage of six decades in the future, they can come across as achingly idealistic. Composing this work in 2024, I have the unfortunate privilege of knowing that the aspirational America Johnson proposed has not exactly come to fruition; that the students, politicians, and leaders he spoke to were unable, or unwilling, to manifest his calls to action. But, Johnson does not ignore the possibility of failure. The piece's title comes from the address's final minutes when he confronts this potential outcome with a characteristically determined attitude. "There are those timid souls that say this battle cannot be won, that we are condemned to a soulless wealth. I do not agree."
One of my favorite aspects of this composition is that it features so many instruments from the Ann Arbor District Library's music tools collection. Throughout the piece, you will be able to hear at least four different synthesizers that I checked out from the library. They are particularly apparent in the first few minutes, which portray a brooding and swirling cloud of sound that possibly represents the mists of history. It is from this initial declaration that recorded excerpts of Johnson's speech emerge.
At first, I use an array of effects and interwoven layers of sound to emphasize the historical recording's atmosphere more than intelligible language. As I began working on this project, I found myself particularly interested in the literal echoes of the President's voice over the sound system in Michigan Stadium sixty years ago. So, I carefully excised and arranged these moments from the recording in an intricate, mercurial texture that leads into more straightforward presentations of the archival audio. Other than the titular line from the speech's text, the statements I present with the most clarity are three fateful questions Johnson uses to challenge his audience and, hopefully, inspire them to do the work required to make The Great Society a reality. - Composer Garrett Schumann
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Setting the Pace: Ann Arbor's Running History
"Running sounds like a tedious activity that is common in any place, but the running scene in Ann Arbor has been special for a long time. Jesse Owens set four world records in one day at the University of Michigan’s Ferry Field, the year before his famed appearance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Ann Arbor Track Club started 50+ years ago as an elite club that quickly morphed into a popular community club. That club then started the Dexter to Ann Arbor race in 1974, on the cusp of the national craze for “jogging.” Two decades before the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984, before UM’s first varsity women’s track and field team in 1978, and even before Title IX was signed into law in 1972 granting equality for female athletes, Ann Arbor’s Michigammes defied gender expectations and ran, competing nationally and even globally in the Olympics.
In part because of this history, Ann Arbor has produced a vibrant running community that surprises and delights newcomers who share an interest in running. It offers 12+ clubs they can join, each catering to a specific distance, age and vibe. Despite residing in pancake flat and car-obsessed Southeast Michigan, Ann Arbor features hills, beautiful views of the Huron River and accessible paths, roads and trails. With the affluence of the University, it regularly produces world elite track and field athletes, runners whom any Ann Arborite can share the track or road with.
As such a newcomer myself in 2007, I eventually found my running club of choice. I have traversed trails, distant dirt roads, and every neighborhood park that offers a drinking fountain. I have participated in Dexter to Ann Arbor, as well as numerous other locally organized races and themed runs. Through running in Ann Arbor, I met my husband, improved my racing times and have made a diverse community of supportive friends. And over the past 17 years, I have heard over and over again from visitors and transplants, “We don’t have anything like this where I came from.”
The topic of “running” was not on Ann Arbor District Library’s list of highlights for the Bicentennial project, Ann Arbor 200, but I pitched the idea to them because I thought the running community in Ann Arbor was exceptional. I am glad that through this documentary process, not only have I found history that backs up this sentiment, but have also found that many agree." - Filmmaker Shannon Kohlitz
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AADL Talks To: Chris Reising, Former Costume/Set Designer & Artist
In this episode AADL Talks To Christine Reising. Chris talks to us about designing Avant-garde costumes and sets for multiple local theaters, her involvement in the Bookfest from its iteration, and her work as an artist in a range of mediums.
Advertising Ephemera from Ann Arbor's Past
Most of the materials in the AADL Archives fit neatly into boxes (both literally and figuratively): bound volumes of newspapers, photographic slides, years of magazine issues. But there are also things in our collection that are a bit harder to categorize and are a bit harder to handle--but that are an awful lot of fun. Some of these things fall under the heading of "advertising ephemera". You've all seen this type of thing before, especially from mid-twentieth century businesses: things a business might giveaway to promote themselves. Postcards with images of dining booths. A calendar that would keep their company name on your desk year-round. And of course, that most ubiquitous bit of advertising ephemera, the matchbook.
We've digitized and presented a small part of our advertising ephemera collection here to (hopefully) amuse you. Sometimes these pieces were related to the business being promoted, sometimes one scratches one's head at the connection. Ponder over what that elegantly begowned parrot-owner has to do with an exterminator. Picture yourself owning your very own Markwell Punchmaster (available at George Wahr). And just appreciate the design and illustrations from another era.
If you have some of these sorts of delightful items in your collection and you would like to share them with the world, let us know by emailing oldnews@aadl.org. We are happy to add to our collections or simply borrow materials to be scanned and put online so the entire community can enjoy these artifacts of Ann Arbor's bygone businesses.
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This local financial institution was originally founded as the Huron Valley Savings and Loan Association in 1890. In 1939 it converted to a federal savings and loan association known as Ann Arbor Federal Savings and Loan Association. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers it was known as Great Lakes Federal Savings and Loan, Great Lakes Bancorp, Great Lakes National Bank, and TCF. The most recent change took place in 2021, when TCF merged with Huntington Bank. |
| Fred W. Gross operated a clothing store for 25 years, first at 115 E Liberty St and then at 309 S Main St. The store specialized in clothing for boys and men. After the store’s closure in 1930, Fred was a traveling salesman trading in clothing and gloves, and continued to provide tailoring services to the community. |  |
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Goodyear's was an Ann Arbor institution for 95 years. Founded in 1888, it evolved from a dry goods store into a department store 4 times its original size. Despite the store’s growth, it maintained a philosophy of personalized service including free gift wrapping and deliveries. A second store operated at 213 S State St from 1950 until 1958. The Main Street staple, located at 122 S Main, met its demise in 1983 when the state closed it for a failure to pay taxes. It had been unable to withstand migration of retail to Briarwood Mall and the recent recession. |
| Harold C. Eastman, a real estate dealer and community leader, founded the Eastman Realtors and Insurance Company in the early 1950s. A resident of Ann Arbor for almost 40 years, he held numerous local, state, and national Optimist Club positions. After his death in 1981, the Ann Arbor Breakfast Optimist Club created the annual “Harold C. Eastman Outstanding Youth Award” in his memory. |  |
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J. Frederick Wuerth became known for his ownership of the Wuerth and Orpheum theaters in Ann Arbor, but got his start in business in 1900 when he established Staebler and Wuerth, selling boys and mens clothing. The store eventually became J. F. Wuerth Company and was located next to his Wuerth Theater. In 1923 Albert Fiegel purchased an interest in the store and four years later he became the sole owner, subsequently changing its name to Fiegels. |
| Kurtis Exterminating was a pest control company that operated in the Ann Arbor area for most of the twentieth century. Stephen Kurtis emigrated to the US from his birthplace in Karatoula, Greece and started his business in 1930, two years after his arrival in Ann Arbor. In the 1960s, he passed the business along to his daughter, Constance Opal, who ran it until its closure in 2001. Kurtis Exterminating was a long-time supporter of local ball clubs, participating in the business softball league and sponsoring boys’ baseball teams. |  |
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Master Furrier was a shop that provided sales and services such as fur repair, cleaning, and cold storage. Opened in 1947 by Max and Ella Deess, the business thrived at 215 S Main enough to move in 1950 to the larger space at 221 E Liberty that was once home to Osias Zwerdling’s famed fur shop. It remained on E Liberty for over 25 years when it was sold to David and Marion Rumford, who moved it to the Lamp Post Plaza then later to the Courtyard Shops, where it operated until the early 1990s. |
| In 1908, Oscar David Morrill organized the O. D. Morrill Co. in Ann Arbor, selling stationery and office supplies. His brother Ralph became manager of the store in 1925, and owner when Oscar died in 1949. The business evolved by focusing on mechanical implements including typewriters, adding machines, dictation machines, and wire recorders. Customers could also buy or rent office furniture from the outlet. In 1972 it briefly became Morr’s On State before closing for good a few years later. |  |
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Mundus Insurance Agency, an independent insurance brokerage, was founded in Ann Arbor in the early 1930s by Joseph W. Mundus. The firm became Mundus & Mundus in 1949 when his son William joined the family business. William J. Mundus managed the firm until his retirement in 1983. In 2004, Mundus & Mundus was acquired by ALCOS, Inc., one of Michigan's largest privately held insurance and benefits agencies. |
| When the Sugar Bowl opened in 1910, it was a penny candy store featuring homemade ice cream and hand dipped chocolates made in the Preketes family apartment upstairs. Greek brothers Paul and Charles Preketes ran the original business, soon joined by two more brothers, Frank and Tony. Over the years the store grew into a beloved restaurant, cocktail lounge, and mainstay of downtown Ann Arbor--though members of the Black community tell a different side of things, remembering it as a place they were not welcome. In 1965, after 55 years of business and the death of Charles Preketes, the remaining brothers sold the Sugar Bowl and retired. |  |
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George Wahr, publisher and bookseller, operated for over 80 years in Ann Arbor. The first store was located on Main Street, followed by a second location on State Street. Founded in 1887 after Wahr bought out his business partners George Osius and Charles H. Ludlow, the store stocked books for students and residents, wallpaper, pens, stationery, and even sporting goods for a time. The firm’s publishing output included textbooks, novels, children’s books, and calendars. Ownership passed from George to his daughter, Nathalie Wahr Sallade, who handed it on to her son, George Wahr Sallade. The bookstore’s stock was sold to Tom and Louis Borders in the 1970s, but the publishing business continued under the younger George's leadership. |
| George Wedemeyer started out as a teenager operating the “wireless” on board a ship. After earning his electrical engineering degree (and helping with Ann Arbor’s first commercial radio station, WQAJ), he became a radio designer and repairman. His shop, first opened in 1927, was located in a succession of buildings from 110 E Washington to 221 E Liberty to 215 N Fourth (the “Wedemeyer Block”, now a parking lot) and finally to 2280 S Industrial. The business grew to include all types of electronics and had additional locations in Ypsilanti, Adrian, and Lansing. The company was purchased by Wichita-based RSC Electronics in 1994 after Wedemeyer’s death and the local location had closed within a decade. |  |
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Rev. Willard Jess Landers & his wife Crelia, opened their family business, Landers Contracting Company, in 1945. They operated it together in Washtenaw County until Willard’s retirement in 1971. Their son Doyle Landers took over management until the business was sold in 1978. While overseeing the contracting business, Rev. Landers also served as a minister in the Pentecostal Church of God. |
Matchbooks from Ann Arbor's Past
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The Real Seafood Company Matchbook
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AADL Talks To: Judith DeWoskin, Longtime Community High School Teacher
Judith DeWoskin is an award-winning teacher of English literature and creative writing from Ann Arbor's Community High School, where she taught for most of her career before retiring in 2021. Judith talks with us about her teaching style, including some of the unique assignments and classes she created, and she reminisces about her favorite books and authors. She also recalls some memorable moments over the course of her career, from the meaningful interactions -- mostly joyful, sometimes painful -- with students to playing Prospera in The Tempest during COVID.
200 Years of A2Votes
This project was created to highlight the history and progress related to voting and voter rights in Ann Arbor throughout the last 200 years. In preparing these posters, City Clerk's Office staff researched the history of voter registration, student voting, polling places, voting technology, and the ever-increasing ways Ann Arbor residents can access the ballot box. We hope you enjoy!
Images from the Ann Arbor News:
Voter Registration
Darwin L. Wood Registers To Vote With Carport "Curb Service", June 1952
Last Day of Voting Registration, July 1952
Voting Technology
Ann Arbor Voting Machine, April 1963
Mrs. Edward Moore Exits A Voting Machine In Ann Arbor's Fifth Ward Polling Place, November 1946
Sharon & Linda Seyfried Learn About Voting Machines During The Primary Election At The Burns Park Voting Place, August 1952
Polling Places
Busy Election Year Begins, April 1956
Mrs. John McClendon Arrives At Jones School To Vote In The City Election, April 1968
Voters Wait To Cast Their Election Ballots In Ann Arbor's Fifth Ward Polling Place, November 1946
Student Voting
University of Michigan Dames Model "Let's Vote For Fashion" Ensembles, November 1964
Boy Scouts Re-Enact Poster Urging Residents To Vote, October 1956
Members Of Ann Arbor High's Homecoming Court In The Get-Out-The-Vote Rally Parade, October 1956
Voting In the First Ward, Fourth Precinct, April 1973
'Should 18-Year-Olds Be Allowed To Vote?', July 1966
Ward Maps
Ann Arbor's Ward Boundaries To Be Redrawn, September 1964
Access to the Ballot Box
Ann Arbor Second Ward Voters Lined Up Before Polls Open For The 1952 Presidential Election, November 1952
Ann Arbor Voters Wait To Cast Their Ballots For The 1952 Presidential Election, November 1952
Phillis Engelbert & Son Submit Their Election Ballot At Northside School, November 1997
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AADL Talks To: John Gutoskey, Artist, Designer, Printmaker & Collector
In this episode, AADL talks to John Gutoskey. John talks to us about his career as a visual artist from his early years in costume design to his work in massage therapy and eventually owning a printmaking studio. John recalls the galleries he has shown at, the theatrical and dance companies he collaborated with, how his career path has followed his varied interests, and reflects on the changes in Ann Arbor's art scene.
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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
The Observer Observed: Online Exhibit and Interview Collection
(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.
Bicentennial Blocks Papercraft
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!
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Burton Memorial Tower, 1936
881 N University Ave 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. |
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YMCA Building, 1904
110 N Fourth Ave 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. |
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First National Building, 1929
201 S Main St 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. |
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Hill Auditorium, 1913
825 N University Ave 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. |
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First National Bank Block / Goodyear's, 1867
120-124 S Main St 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. |
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Michigan Central Railroad Depot, 1886
401 Depot St 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. |
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Glazier Building, 1906
100 S Main St 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. |
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