Arab and Chaldean History in Detroit
On Mon., Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. learn about a Detroit historic preservation effort to collect stories of the past 100 years.
Stories From the Sidewalk
Book Features History of Arsenal and Riverbend Neighborhoods
Stories From the Sidewalk, a hefty hardcover book at nearly 380 pages published by the Museum Guild of Dearborn, is on sale now at the Dearborn Historical Museum gift shop or available online at https://thedhm.org/books.
To say the least it is an oversized stocking stuffer for the holiday season that every fan of architecture and devotee of history will treasure.
Three years in the making, it is the work of a passionate group of history buffs and researchers. This coffee table book documents over 360 houses and buildings in Dearborn’s Arsenal and Riverbend neighborhoods. With the belief that every house and building has a story to tell, the editors organized the book by neighborhood and street address along with a full-color photograph and details on the history and architecture of each historic resource.
Subtitled, A Walk Through 137 Years That Shaped Dearborn (1833 – 1970) the book is designed as a walking tour of these two charming and historic west Dearborn neighborhoods. It surveys and preserves for future generations the story of Dearborn’s growth from a village on the Chicago Road (Michigan Avenue) to a bustling and thriving city as the area became the automotive capital of the world and the manufacturing epicenter of the Ford Motor Company.
Co-authors and editors Christopher Merlo and L. Glenn O’Kray undertook this project with a sense of urgency to document and preserve the stories of these historically significant houses and buildings before they are either razed or drastically renovated – a fate that has befallen several houses and buildings in the Arsenal and Riverbend neighborhoods.
All income from the sale of the book will go to the Museum Guild of Dearborn.
Historic Highlight
A Labor Leader's House on South Morrow Circle
Built in 1929, this two-story brick craftsman bungalow on South Morrow Circle has a brick veneer and features a gabled roof, stone pillars and open porch. Vincent Bruno and his wife, Mary, bought the house in 1972 and shared many happy events with their four children: Edwardo, Pasquale, Rosemarie, and Maria.
Vincent was born in Italy on August 28, 1933. His family immigrated to the United States when he was young. He graduated from Fordson High School, Henry Ford Community College, and obtained a master’s degree from Wayne State University. Over the course of his lifetime, he became a very prominent figure in local and state politics and the labor movement.
Early in his career he was an electrician at the Ford Motor Company Rouge Plant. There he became involved with the Skilled Trades Union (Local 600), advancing in leadership roles and promoting the United Auto Workers labor union, locally, and internationally. Vincent championed education and training opportunities for employees and became Co-Chair of the UAW-Ford National Development and Training Center.
Vince was in on the ground floor of the development of the United Auto Workers Black Lake Conference Center located in a 1,000 acre parcel in Onaway, Michigan. He developed the educational program for UAW members to engage in from around the nation.
In addition to belonging to and supporting many Dearborn service organizations and community events he was notably involved with: St Alphonsus Church, Urban Renewal, City Beautiful Commission, Dearborn Democratic Club, Michigan Democratic Party, Community Arts Center Commission, Citizen Advisory Council, Henry Ford Community College Alumni Advisory Council, Detroit Italian Consulate, (recipient of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic), and City of Dearborn Board of Ethics.
True to his calling in life, he died on Labor Day, September 3, 2007, at the age of 74 and is buried in the mausoleum at St. Hedwig Cemetery.
Research by: Mary Bugeia and Glenn O’Kray
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