By the 1950s Ann Arbor had outgrown its old, ornate courthouse. The 1877 structure was falling into disrepair, but stipulations limited its relocation. So our county’s leaders embarked upon a novel solution: constructing a new building right around the old!

LEGO builder extraordinaire David Lorch recreated our courthouse’s unique construction with hands-on help. Attendees at our December 7, 2024 event assembled sections of the large-scale LEGO model of the newer courthouse surrounding the older courthouse's LEGO replica. 

Below you will find the history of Washtenaw County's three courthouses, a time lapse of the event, photos of the completed model, and a 360° video of the two courthouses. The LEGO models will be on exhibit through January 10, 2025 on the third floor of the Downtown Library.

360° view of the completed courthouses

"Ann Arbor is Tree Town. But which trees are the towniest?

In honor of Ann Arbor’s bicentennial and the Ann Arbor 200 celebration coordinated by the Ann Arbor District Library, we decided to ask residents if they have a favorite individual tree within city limits – and why it was meaningful to them. We made a survey. We shared it widely. Happily, we received a lot of thoughtful responses and selected 20 for this catalog.

We followed respondents’ directions—sometimes exact GPS coordinates, sometimes vague hand waves toward a general wooded area—and found their trees. Some were exceptionally big, or colorful, or otherwise stand-out spectacular. Many of the trees our respondents identified may have seemed ordinary at first glance, yet they held deep, personal significance in their lives. To our surprise, the experience of seeing Ann Arbor through our neighbors’ eyes turned out to be profoundly rewarding. It renewed our appreciation for the iconic trees we already knew and loved and it allowed us to marvel at trees we might not have otherwise noticed—but whose acquaintance makes our lives in this city richer, more personal, and more beautiful.

Beauty, as it were, is in the eye of the tree-holder.

This catalog contains a subset of Ann Arborites’ favorite trees, in their own words, paired with custom oil pastel portraits by Jenny. We included a map so readers can behold these special trees and render their lives richer, too. We highly recommend it."

–Jenny Kalejs & Sam Ankenbauer

(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.

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 1947, Ann Arbor News

Ice Cream For Everyone, June 1957, Ann 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 1947, Ann 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 1940, Ann 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, 1938, Ann Arbor News

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

Washtenaw County Court House, September 1948, Ann 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 1941, Ann Arbor News

Rubber Salvage, Dixboro, July 1942, Ann Arbor News

Pete Brown At Model Airplane Meet, July 1948, Ann 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, 1951, Ann Arbor News

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

Starting in the late 1940s, the editors of the Ann Arbor News realized that one of the best ways to illustrate how the city was growing and changing was via aerial photography.  Images were often taken to illustrate specific projects: the building of the new Washtenaw County Courthouse around the old, a view of University of Michigan graduation ceremonies, a newly-completed major construction project.  Some of them may have had a specific purpose that is lost to us now, or perhaps were just additional photos taken while the photographer was a few thousand feet in the air.  The AADL Archives has digitized hundreds of these photos from the Ann Arbor News photographic negative collection.  Regardless of the reasons they were taken, today they offer a glimpse of Ann Arbor's past very different from others, taking in both the fascinating and the mundane.  

Some of AADL Archives's favorite aerials are presented here along with matching aerials we had taken over the past year.  Some pairs represent little change, others a large enough shift that only the street layouts or a few key buildings signify to us that what we are viewing are the same locations.

Aerial View Of North Central Ann Arbor, March 1956, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of North Central Ann Arbor, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - This view looking northwest has Detroit Street cutting across the street grid up to Broadway Bridge with the Ann Arbor Railroad bridge near Argo Dam in the background.

Aerial View Of Stadium Boulevard Between Liberty Street & Jackson Avenue, March 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Stadium Boulevard Between Liberty Street & Jackson Avenue, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - In the lower righthand corner of each photo is the intersection of Stadium & Liberty.  The 1951 photo shows Sportsman's Park, now long-gone, and the 2023 photo has Westgate and Maple Village Plazas where there used to be fields.

Aerial View Of New Courthouse Surrounding Old Courthouse, January 1955, Photographer Dale Fisher, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Washtenaw County Courthouse, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - The Washtenaw County Courthouse under construction and a view of the completed building today.

Aerial View Of Intersection Of Washtenaw Ave, Carpenter Rd, And Hogback Rd, May 1975, Photographer Cecil Lockard, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Intersection Of Washtenaw Ave, Carpenter Rd, And Hogback Rd, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - The cloverleaf of US-23 and Washtenaw Ave dominates this view, but the upper righthand corner shows Arborland as was and as is.

Aerial View Of Arborview Subdivision Near Mack School, Winter 1952, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Arborview Subdivision Near Mack School, Spring 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Miller Ave cuts diagonally across these images and Arborview Blvd heads straight away from the camera.

Aerial View Of South Quadrangle Dormitory, Looking Northwest, March 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View of South Quadrangle Dormitory, Looking Northwest, Spring 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Two images showing the steady westward march of the U-M campus.

Aerial View Of University Hospital Outpatient Construction, April 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of University Of Michigan Medical Center, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - It's a surprise to see actual landform in the 1951 image here where today there are just the many buildings of the gigantic Michigan Medicine campus.

Aerial View With Parking Structure On Washington St & 1st St, April 1950, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Washington St From 5th Ave To 3rd St, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - The anchors of these two images are carparks: Ann Arbor's first parking structure in 1950 and Ann Arbor's entire block of a parking lot today.  It is just as notable that apart from these blocks, much of this area is little changed.

Aerial View Of Stadium Blvd And Washtenaw Ave Intersection, 1950, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Stadium Blvd And Washtenaw Ave Intersection, April 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Stadium Blvd heads left and Washtenaw Ave heads right through what once was fields and now is businesses, churches, and housing.

Aerial View Of University Of Michigan Graduation At Ferry Field, June 1949, Photographer Maiteland Robert La Motte, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of University Of Michigan Athletic Buildings, Summer 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Both mostly images of fields, though what in 1949 was farmland is today the U-M sports-industrial complex.

Aerial View Of University Of Michigan Graduation At Michigan Stadium, June 1950, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of University Of Michigan Stadium, Summer 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - The Big House separated by 73 years and a few renovations.

Aerial View Of The University Of Michigan Campus At 5,000 ft., June 1949, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of The University Of Michigan Campus And Downtown Ann Arbor, Summer 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Most of downtown and the U-M campus is visible in these photos, with the growth of the hospital campus quite noticeable in the lower lefthand corner.

Aerial View Of Ann Arbor Art Fair, July 1989, Photographer Robert Chase, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Ann Arbor Art Fair, July 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Art Fair and West Engineering Hall along South University Ave, though significantly easier to see in 1989 before the explosion in South University high-rises.

Aerial View Of The Widening Of West Stadium Blvd, July 1957, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Pioneer High School On West Stadium Blvd, Summer 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - A few building additions, more sports fields, and more parking, but Pioneer High School is still largely recognizable across 66 years.

Aerial View Of Ann Arbor Looking Northeast Toward New Veterans Hospital, September 1952, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Ann Arbor Looking Northeast Toward Veterans Hospital, October 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Both photos show some of central campus along with the U-M hospitals (with many more medical buildings in 2023).

Aerial View Of Barton Pond And Dam, September 1963, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Barton Pond And Dam, October 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Barton Pond and Dam, one of the few largely-unchanged areas (though city growth is definitely visible along the top of the image).

Aerial View Of Geddes Pond & Concordia College, September 1963, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Geddes Pond & Concordia College, Fall 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Visible in 2023 is a much-busier US-23 and what is now called Old Dixboro Road replaced by its contemporary version.

Aerial View Of Angell Hall Addition Construction, October 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Angell Hall & Central Campus, Fall 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - We see the same buildings in most of central campus, though notable additions include the Rackham Building, the Biological Sciences Building, and towering Weiser Hall.

Aerial View Of Tappan Junior High School & St. Francis Catholic School Construction, October 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of Tappan Middle School & St. Francis Catholic School, Fall 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - The field in the foreground of the 1951 image has given way to the St. Francis of Assisi Church & School by 2023.

Aerial View Of Newly Completed North Main Street, October 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of North Main Street, Fall 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - Far away housing developments are harder to see in 2023 as their tree canopies have grown in, but a new development site is visible along the Huron River in 2023.

Aerial View Of South Ann Arbor, October 1951, Ann Arbor News / Aerial View Of South Ann Arbor, Fall 2023, Aerial Associates Photography - The southern edge of town--visible about halfway up in the 1951 photo--is no longer discernible from this vantage point by 2023.

A corresponding physical exhibit is on display in the second-floor exhibit space at the Downtown Library from March 16 - June 14, 2024.

Rick Cocco's then-and-now compositions offer a unique look at our city's ever-changing landscape over the past one hundred years. Between 2018 and 2021, Cocco carefully composed his "now" photographs to match their historical counterparts, largely drawn from AADL's online collection of Ann Arbor News negatives.