7 replies to this topic

[ZachariahDaMan]

Flint use to be the Carriage Capitol of the United States.  This neighborhood was named Carriage Town in 1982 by residents of the neighborhood who were organizing for community action against neglect and decay.

















































More photos coming

[VeeFan]

A lot of these homes have so much potential if only someone could come in and fix them up.  It's my dream to buy one of these houses someday and do exactly that.

[ZachariahDaMan]

That would be pretty awesome, VeeFan.  I'm studying Historic Preservation and plan on doing a lot of that also.

Here are the rest of the photos

[dnast]

Nice pics, Zach! A revitalized Carriage Town would do wonders for the city.

[LA Dave]

Nice pics, Zach, as always.  Interesting to see the Durant-Dort Building -- VERRYY important for Michigan history, and I hope that it can be saved.  

Unfortunately, the houses don't seem to have the size or variety of the homes in Heritage Hill in GR or on the Old West Side of Ann Arbor.   Was that because Flint wasn't a major commercial city until the auto boom?  Carriages weren't as profitable as furniture, I guess, until you put a gasoline engine on them.  

Is there an equivalent area in Flint to Heritage Hill (1880-1920) or East Grand Rapids (1915-1930s) where the hoi polloi lived?  Or were they all out in Grand Blanc?

[jas49503]

LA Dave, on Feb 25 2008, 10:58 PM, said:

Nice pics, Zach, as always.  Interesting to see the Durant-Dort Building -- VERRYY important for Michigan history, and I hope that it can be saved.  

Unfortunately, the houses don't seem to have the size or variety of the homes in Heritage Hill in GR or on the Old West Side of Ann Arbor.   Was that because Flint wasn't a major commercial city until the auto boom?  Carriages weren't as profitable as furniture, I guess, until you put a gasoline engine on them.  

Is there an equivalent area in Flint to Heritage Hill (1880-1920) or East Grand Rapids (1915-1930s) where the hoi polloi lived?  Or were they all out in Grand Blanc?

there is a neighborhood south of court st. called woodlawn? it has some very nice homes similar to what you'd see in EGR with stone and brick construction/tudors from the 20's.  woodcroft estates is also very nice with some well maintained, large historic looking homes.

[jas49503]

ZachariahDaMan, on Feb 6 2008, 11:07 PM, said:

did you see the house with the sign that requested human sacrifices. it was just down the street from this abandoned nursing home.

I'll try and post a photo, it's quite a site and probably only possible in flint.

[EastCourtStreet]

jasonsquiresdo, on Mar 2 2008, 07:33 PM, said:

did you see the house with the sign that requested human sacrifices. it was just down the street from this abandoned nursing home.

I'll try and post a photo, it's quite a site and probably only possible in flint.

The human sacrifices house is at the corner of Stone and 4th.  The way I understand it is that the guy that lives in the house just south of that one painted it because he is sick of people messing with him around his house.  They did an article on him in the Journal a few years ago.  He has made a wreath ou of the spent shotgun shells he has found outside of his house.  The article makes him out to be an interesting guy.  He pulls the rickshaw at the Ren Fest.