History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I, Part 79

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York
Number of Pages: 1094

USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I > Part 79

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THE COURT HOUSE OR CAPITOL.

of providing materials "for putting the Indian Coun- cil House in a proper situation for the accommoda- tion of troops." The house was built of stone, and was originally but one story high. In 1826 or 1827 the Masonic Order was allowed to add another story, made of boards with split lath and plaster on outside, and to use it for their meetings. The lower room would accommodate about two hundred per- sons. It was used for almost every purpose ; courts, fairs, and elections were held in it, and religious and political societies used it in turn. The Indian De- partment occupied a portion as late as 1831. It was burned in 1848.

The history of the third Council House is certainly a moving one. It was originally called Military Hall, and occupied part of the old cantonment

Protestant Society built their brick session room on Woodward Avenue, they had no further use for the building, and on June 5 the Council gave the First M. E. Church permission to move it to the rear of their lot, on northeast corner of Woodward Avenue and Congress Street. In its new location, as on Lar- ned Street, it was occupied by the Common Council, and gained the name of Council House. After tarry- ing on Congress Street for six years, on July 9, 1839, the Council gave the building to the colored M. E. Church, and they moved it to Croghan Street near the northwest corner of Hastings Street. In 1841 it was moved to the north side of Fort Street, between Brush and Beaubien Streets. Here it was used as a Methodist Church, and about 1848, after the society had built a brick church, it was torn down.

474

THE COURT HOUSE OR CAPITOL.

" Far off, in solitary pride, Lonely amid the pastures wide, The Territorial Court House stood In bold relief against the wood. Behind, from bone-strewed plains, arose A noisy crowd of carrion crows, Disturbing by their clamorous caws Those who both made and dealt the laws."

-CAMPBELL.

and he was eventually paid $600 for superintending the erection of the building, Mr. Wait's estimate of the cost was $11,250.99, but on May 31, 1823, D. C. Mckinstry offered to build it for $7,000. There must have been a mistake somewhere, for on July 25, 1823, the Governor and Judges contracted with D. C. Mckinstry, Thomas Palmer, and De Garmo Jones to erect it for $21,000. The bill for

After the fire of 1805, an Act of Congress of April 21,1806, authorized the laying out of a new town of De- troit and of ten thousand acres ad- joining. The Act gave the Governor and Judges power to dispose of the ten thousand acres, and such portion of the town lots as were not needed to satisfy the claims of inhabitants, and to devote the pro- ceeds towards building a Court House and a Jail. On September 13, 1806, the Governor and Judges decided that the Court House should be built in the center e act of Congress of April 2t: 1806 %if the" urer of the Detroit Funds of the Grand Cir- cus, and on No- vember 3 following $20,000 were ap- propriated for its erection. Nine years passed away wir the Treasure without further ac- tion, and then, by Law of November 7, 1815, the Act lo- cating it on the Grand Circus was repealed, and it therowson demand, THREE DOLLARS, with one cent and a ball per monthante Oneof the tens appropriated by the act was decided to lo- SodrHouseand Gaof in the City of Detroit, pay to. cate it at the head of Griswold Street. Nearly nine more years elapsed, and then plans were solicited. Various drawings were submitted; that made by Obed Wait was accepted,

.Byorder of the Governor and Judges of the Territory

detroit May 18 1519.

abertof until paid

extras footed up $3,500 additional. The terms of this singular contract were as follows : The contractors were to have 6,500 and 92-100 acres of the Ten Thou- sand Acre Tract at $2.12 1/2 per acre, and one hundred and forty-four city lots, named in a schedule, at an average price of $50 per lot. In ad- dition to erecting the building they were to pay the creditors of the Detroit Fund, with- "Governor of the Territory in three years, $12,000, and to Secretary have $3,000 of the debts due said fund. The building was to be completed before December 1, 1824. The cor- ner stone was laid in ancient masonic form on Monday, September 22, 1823, by the mem- bers of Zion, De- troit, and Oakland Lodges. The Ma- sons met at their hall at eleven SAUCEITED o'clock, and pro- ceeded in proces- sion to the place; at 12 M. William A. FAC-SIMILE OF SCRIP ISSUED BY THE GOVERNOR AND JUDGES TO AID THE CONTRACTORS IN BUILDING THE COURT HOUSE AND JAIL. Fletcher delivered the address, and at the conclusion a bountiful dinner was provided at the expense of D. C. Mckinstry.

475

THE COURT HOUSE OR CAPITOL .- CITY HALLS.

In those days the erection of so large a building was an extensive enterprise. The finishing con- sumed several years, and no part was occupied until May 5, 1828, when the Legislative Council met for the first time within its walls. In his opening address at that time the president of the Council said, " Permit me, gentlemen, to congratulate you on the honor that is conferred on us in being the first to occupy this splendid hall as a legislative body, and may the laws we here enact be as credit- able to us as this noble edifice is to its projector and its architect."

In order to aid the contractors who built the Jail, as well as those who built the Court House, the Governor and Judges, between the years of 1819 and 1826, issued scrip to the amount of $22,500, in sums of $2.00, $3.00, $5.00, $10.00, and $20.00, receiv- able in payments for lands, or redeemable out of moneys received from sale of lands. The lands were sold at such low prices that, on June 23, 1828, the Council were impelled to pass an Act guarantee- ing the scrip issued by the Governor and Judges, and pledging the faith of the Territory to make good any deficiency arising from sale of the lands; the same act authorized the Governor and Judges to accept the Capitol. The building was sixty by ninety feet in size, and the cupola, one hundred and forty feet high, was a favorite place from which to view the city. In 1847 it was decided to remove the State Capitol to Lansing, and the last session of the Legislature held in the building closed on March 17 of that year. For the subsequent history of the building, see chapter on Board of Education.

CITY HALLS.

The old City Hall, size fifty feet by one hundred feet, was located just east of Woodward Avenue, in the middle of Michigan Grand Avenue ; the history of its erection is as follows : On December 21, 1833, a committee of the Council was appointed to select a site for a Market and City Hall. It was thought that Michigan Avenue would be selected, and on December 27 a meeting of citizens opposed to that location, was held, but on the same day the committee of the Common Council reported in favor of the site named. On January 3, 1834, C. C. Trowbridge and Henry Howard were appointed a committee to procure a design. On March 19, 1834, a plan was presented by Mr. White, and on April 10 following a contract was entered into with John Scott to erect the building for $11,449, one fourth payable in advance. The lime used in its erection was burned on the Campus Martius, and the building was completed and first occupied on November 18, 1835. It cost $14,747, this sum representing the visible proceeds of the lots sold by the city on the Military Reserve. The lower part,

up to the spring of 1856, was occupied by stalls for the sale of meat ; it was then fitted up for city offices, a safety vault being added in 1863. The city clerk and collector had their offices in the second story.1

The council-room in the upper story of the old City Hall was used for various public entertain- ments, and was at one time rented continuously for . weeks as a theatre. Courts held their sessions there, and several religious bodies, at different times, had the use of it. Originally of a brick color, the build- ing was afterwards painted a slate color. After the completion of the new City Hall, it was formally vacated by the Common Council on July 18, 1871. It was afterwards given to the Board of Education, to be fitted up for the public library, but they sur- rendered it on receiving the site in Center Park. It was finally sold for $1,025, and torn down in November, 1872.

The new City Hall has probably no superior among the municipal halls of the country; both the building and its site command universal admir- ation, and are in every way well adapted for the convenience of the people and the officials. The grounds embrace an entire square, bounded east and west by Woodward Avenue and Griswold Street, and north and south by Michigan Avenue and Fort Street.

A portion of the square was purchased by the city in 1854 for $18,000. Five years later, on Sep- tember 30, 1859, a citizens' meeting voted $250,000 towards the erection of the building, and on No- vember 15 a committee on plans was appointed, consisting of C. H. Buhl, mayor ; B. L. Webb, comptroller; J. Shearer, J. S. Farrand, and E. Le Favour. On March 6, 1860, so much of the square as formed part of the Campus Martius was set apart by the city as a portion of the site. On April 23, 1861, the committee on plans reported in favor of designs submitted by James Anderson.

The war with the South delayed the erection of the building, and nothing further was done until August 28, 1866. A contract was then made with Charles Stange to build the basement for $58,625. On April 23, 1867, A. W. Copland, W. H. Langley, and J. W. Waterman were appointed a committee to go East and inspect methods of heating. On May 21, 1867, A. Chapoton was appointed superin- tendent of construction, and on November 26 of the same year the comptroller was directed to advertise for proposals for completing the building.

1 In 1857 the offices of the mayor, sewer commissioners, sur- veyor, and assessor were in the old seminary building on the site of the new City Hall. The growth of the city business required still more office room, and in 1866, and up to the completion of the new City Hall, -the offices of the city surveyor, board of sewer commissioners, and some other city officers, were located in the Williams Block on Monroe Avenue.

476

CITY HALLS.

On February 13, 1868, the bid of N. Osborne & Son, of Rochester, N. Y., for $339,578, was accepted. Five days later they reported to the Council that, by an error in the footings, $60,000 was omitted from the total of their bid, and that, although the next lowest bid was $469,500, they would do the work for $379,578, or $20,000 less than the sum they originally intended for their bid. In accordance

Auditors, subject to approval of the Common Council and Board of Supervisors, under which the county was to pay $12,000 a year, quarterly, in advance, for fifteen years, the county to fit up its own rooms, except that the city was to pay part of the expense of fitting up the Circuit Court room. The agree- ment was accepted, and city and county officers occupy the building. In 1883 the county obtained

CLOTHING HATS & CAPS

OLD CITY HALL AND SURROUNDINGS IN 1862.

with their proposition, a contract was made the fol- lowing day.

On August 6, 1868, the corner-stone was laid with imposing ceremonies ; an address was made by C. I. Walker.

The original contract called for a plain flat roof, but the Council decided in May to have a mansard roof, at an additional cost of $3,500.

It was expected that the county offices would be located in the building, and a special committee of the Common Council was appointed to decide upon the rooms to be occupied by them and the price to be paid by the county. On March 1, 1870, the committee reported an agreement with the Board of

a new lease and considerable more room than they had previously occupied.

On June 20, 1871, the last payment was made to the contractors, and the city took formal possession. On July 4 the building was formally opened, the occasion being celebrated by a procession, speeches, etc., and on July 18 the City Council held its first session in the new council chamber.

The building is on the western half of the square. It has four fronts, but the principal entrance is on Woodward Avenue. It is two hundred and four feet long from north to south and ninety feet wide. The first story is thirteen feet high, the second eighteen, and the third twenty-one; the height of

477

OPERA HOUSES AND PUBLIC HALLS.

the building to the cornice is sixty-six feet, and to top of flag-staff two hundred feet. The style is Italian, with a mansard roof. The walls are of Amherst sandstone, from near Cleveland. The building is intended to be fire-proof. The halls have marble floors, and the main floors rest on brick arches, supported by iron beams. The total cost of the building was $600,000, and the square of land on which it stands is worth as much more. On the several cornices of the first section of the tower are stone figures, each fourteen feet high, representing Justice, Industry, Art, and Commerce. The number of steps to the top is: from sidewalk to entrance door, 13; to stairway, 67; to the clock, 143; to the top

of the tower, 213. . From the tower, which is reached by iron stairways, a mag- nificent view is af- forded. The usual- ly clean streets look cleaner still in the distance; the groves of shade - trees, the elegant residences, the river and its shipping, the Can- adian shore and Belle Isle, all unite to form a panorama not often excelled. The weight of the bell in the tower is 7,670 pounds, and it cost $2,782. The clock is the largest in the United States, and there is but one larger in the world; it cost $2,850, and was set running on July 4, 1871. The pendulum weighs one hundred and twenty-five pounds. The striking part is wound once in eight days, and the running part every thirty days. The weights have a fall of one hundred and twenty feet. The clock has four dials, each eight feet three inches in diameter. In the evening the dials are illumi- nated, and the figures can be plainly seen. The contract for keeping it in order is awarded yearly.

On either side of the eastern portico is an old cannon. These cannon originally belonged to the fleet of Commodore Barclay, and were captured at the battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. After the battle the fleet was taken to Erie, Penn. When that station was abandoned as a naval dépôt

THE CITY HALL.

by the Government, the guns were ordered removed to Detroit. Here they were placed on the Govern- ment Wharf, between Wayne and Cass Streets. Several years later the wharf and these guns were purchased by Oliver Newberry. The guns were set in the ground, and for a long time, as occasion required, vessels were fastened to them. One of the cannon eventually came into possession of a foundry, and was about to be broken up, when a subscription of one hundred dollars was raised for its purchase, and on April 12, 1872, it was presented to the city. On May 17 following, its mate was presented by Messrs. Moore, Foote, & Co., and on July 4, 1874, both guns were mounted in their present position, and addresses appropriate to the occasion deliv- ered.

A presentation of still greater his- toric interest was made in August, 1884. One of our oldest citizens, Bela Hubbard, having caused statues of Cadillac, La Salle, and Fathers Mar- quette and Richard to be prepared by Julius Melchers, presented them to the city, and had them placed in the niches pro- vided for statues on the east and

west fronts of the building. The statues cost several thousand dollars, and are worthy of the building and the donor.

OPERA HOUSES AND PUBLIC HALLS.

In olden times the Indian Council House, near the river and east of Griswold Street, was in requi- sition for balls and other entertainments. After the fire of 1805 the Council House, on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Randolph Street, became the place where public meetings of every sort were held. Woodworth's Hotel was also a favorite meet- ing place.

In the spring of 1833 the Presbyterian Session Room was completed. It was a small brick build- ing on the east side of Woodward Avenue, in the

478

OPERA HOUSES AND PUBLIC HALLS.

center of the block between Congress and Larned Streets. It was a favorite lecture and debating hall ; and, up to 1850, all the public exercises of the then

ARBEITER HALL.

very popular Young Men's Society took place within its walls.

The State Capitol was also used for lectures and exhibitions of various kinds.

Young Men's Hall, on the north side of Jefferson Avenue, between Bates and Randolph Streets, was dedicated Novem- ber 27, 1850. It seated about 500 people, and was the wonder and pride of the city for many years.

Firemen's Hall, located on the south- west corner of Jefferson Avenue and Randolph Street, was opened October 23, 1851. It seated nearly 1,000, and was deemed exceedingly desirable for concerts.

Merrill Hall, in the Merrill Block, on northeast corner of Jefferson and Wood- ward Avenues, was the next hall used for public entertainments. It was opened November 1, 1859, and, with the gallery, will seat 1,000 persons.

Young Men's Hall, in the Biddle House Block, was first used November 21, 1861. It seated 1,500, and for many years was a popular place of resort. Since 1875 it has been but little used for lectures.

Arbeiter Hall, owned by the German Workingmen's Aid Society, located on the northwest corner of Catherine and Russell Streets, seats 1,300; it is chiefly used by German citizens. It was opened May 17,

I868.

St. Andrew's Hall, formerly the Woodward Ave-

nue M. E. Church, was fitted up as a public hall, and first used as such by the St. Andrew's Society in 1867. The building was torn down in April, 1883.

The Detroit Opera House, facing the Campus Martius was opened March 29, 1869, and seated 1,800. In 1887 the interior was almost entirely re- built, and all the floors were utilized for the audi- torium, the seating capacity being increased to 2, 100.

Whitney's Grand Opera House, on northwest corner of Shelby and Fort Streets, seated 1,400, and was first used in 1875, and was torn down in 1887.

The building of the Harmonie Society is on the southwest corner of Lafayette and Beaubien Streets ; it seats 1,300, and was dedicated November 11, 1875.

The Gymnasium, Hall and Rooms of the Detroit Young Men's Christian Association were formerly located on west side of Farmer Street, between Monroe and Gratiot Avenues. The building was dedicated February 14, 1876, and the hall, with the rooms opening into it, would seat 800 persons. It is now used as a storage and provision store.

Coyl's Hall, facing the Campus Martius and ad- joining the Detroit Opera House, was built in 1860,

DETROIT

ERA HOUSE

il.U.

J. L.HUDSON, CLOTHIER. HATS & FURNISHINGS

USC

FURNISHINGS

ORIGINAL APPEARANCE OF DETROIT OPERA HOUSE. REMODELED IN 1887.

and could accommodate 600 persons. It is chiefly used for business purposes.

Masonic Hall, on north side of Jefferson Avenue,

OPERA HOUSES AND PUBLIC HALLS.

479

between Griswold and Shelby Streets, was dedicated June 24, 1857.

Good Templars' Hall was on north-

east corner of Woodward Avenue and Grand River Street. Kittelber- ger's Hall is on Randolph Street near Monroe Avenue. Funke's Hall was on south side of Ma- comb near Beaubien Street. It has been used as a dwelling for many years. Barns' Hall, in the Barns Block, corner of Woodward and Grand River Ave- nues, was first fitted up as a hall by the Red Ribbon Club, and dedicated on June 10, 1879, as Reform Hall. After the disbanding of the club it took its name from the block in which it is located.

White's Grand Theatre, formerly Music Hall, facing Randolph Street, and between Cro- ghan and Lafay- ette Streets, was erected in 1880, and opened as Music Hall on August 31 of that year; it seated 3,000, and was much the largest hall in the city. In the summer of 1883 it was ar- ranged for a theatre, and on January 1, 1886, was entirely destroyed by fire.

A new theatre on the same site, seating 2,500 per-

sons, and costing $100,000, was opened on Septem- ber 13, 1886.

WHITNEY'S ORIGINAL OPERA HOUSE.

FORMER MUSIC HALL, AND WHITE'S GRAND THEATRE.

Under the provi- sions of State Laws, approved May 24, 1879, and March 18, 1881, requiring the mayor to appoint three building in- spectors, the Council, by ordinance of Au- gust 18, 1882, provid- ed for their appoint- ment, with power to inspect all build- ings or platforms erected, or to be used for public gath- erings, and to decide on the safety of all CRAND such structures. In- RA HOUS! spections are made at the request of owners, agents, or lessees, or of any member of the Me- tropolitan Police, and are certified to if sat- isfactory. For such services the com- missioners are paid at the rate of $3.00 per day by owners or agents. The commissioners have been : 1882, Patrick H. Mc- Williams, George D. Mason, and Henry Spitzley. 1883-1885, Pat - rick H. McWill- iams, Edward W. Simpson, Henry Spitzley. 1885- 1887, Patrick H. McWilliams, Edward W. Simpson, Charles W. Hathaway. 1887- , Patrick H. Mc Williams, Edward W. Simpson, Edward R. Harris.

CHAPTER LIII.

OLD TAVERNS AND NEW HOTELS.

IT is not proposed in this article to include the minor establishments, but only the older or more important public houses, and in these the changes have been numerous, making it evident that few persons "know enough to keep a hotel."

After the city came under American control, and as early as 1805, the Dodemead House, near the southeast corner of Jefferson Avenue and Shelby Street, was one of the best-known taverns. At the same time, and until 1827 or later, Colonel Richard

known characters of that time. He came to Detroit in 1806, and as early as May, 1812, was keeping a hotel on the northwest corner of Woodbridge and Randolph Streets. In 1818 he built a new house on the same site, and opened it in March, 1819. This house was the chief headquarters for passen- gers by vessel and steamboat, and in it the various stage lines had their offices. The "long room" was in almost constant requisition for fairs and public meetings, and for many years no public dinner was

WOODWORTH'S STEAMBOAT HOTEL.

Smyth was keeping Smyth's Hotel, called, in 1823, the Sagina Hotel, and subsequently the Michigan Hotel. It was on the west side of Woodward Ave- nue, between Jefferson Avenue and Woodbridge Street. From 1830 to 1834 it was kept by John Brunson.

The most noted caravansary was Woodworth's Steamboat Hotel. The landlord, familiarly known as "Uncle Ben," was a brother of the author of "The Old Oaken Bucket," and one of the best-

all that it should be unless given at this noted resort. In the spring of 1844 the house was purchased by Milton Barney, and on May 9, 1848, it was burned.

The same fire destroyed the Wales Hotel in the adjacent block, on the south side of Jefferson Ave- nue, just east of Randolph Street. The building which formed the nucleus of that hotel was erected by Governor Hull in 1807. In February, 1835, it was fitted up for a hotel, and in May following was opened by John Griswold as "The American." He

[480]

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OLD TAVERNS AND NEW HOTELS.

was succeeded by Mr. Pratt, and as early as June, IS 37. Petty & Hawley were proprietors. They were suc- ceeded by Colonel Dibble, and he by Austin Wales. During 1840 Simon Burk and S. K. Harring offi- ciated as landlords. In May, 1841, they were suc- ceeded by H. A. Chase and Joshua Van Anden, from Rochester, N. Y. In September, 1841, or earlier, Mr. Chase retired. Mr. Van Anden con- tinued until August, 1845, when the house was ex- tensively refitted, and opened on January 1, 1846, as Wales' Hotel, by Austin Wales and his two sons. They were proprietors of the house when it was burned. Harriet Martineau, who visited Detroit in June, 1836, in her "Society in America," gives this account of her stay at this house :

We reached the American just in time for breakfast At that long table I had the pleasure of seeing the healthiest set of faces I had be- held since I left England. The breakfast was excellent, and we were served with much consideration ; but the place was so full, and the accom- modations of Detroit are so insuffi- cient for the influx of people who are betaking themselves thither, that strangers must patiently put up with much delay and inconvenience, till new houses of entertainment are opened. We had to wait till near one o'clock before any of us could have a room in which to dress.

Another noted hostelry of the past, known as the Man- sion House, was located near what is now the northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Cass Street. The build- ing had a varied history. Erected by James May after the fire of 1805, from the remains of the old stone chimneys, it was successively a residence, jail, court-house, the British quarters, again a residence, and finally a hotel. Originally it was a story and a half high. From 1815 to 1824 it was kept by Major Whipple, an old captain in General Wayne's army. He was succeeded by John Brunson, who kept it until 1827, when it was pur- chased by John E. Schwartz, who raised it, greatly enlarged it on both sides, and built a verandah in front and on the western side. He opened it as a hotel on Thursday, May 3, 1827. In July, 1829, Isaac J. Ullman was proprietor. In 1830 the house was sold to Colonel Andrew Mack, and on May 24 formally opened by him. Three years after it was closed as a hotel. As seen from the river, the house and its surroundings presented a homelike and at-

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History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I, Part 79

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Detroit, Pub. by S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., New York
Number of Pages: 1094