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Posts Tagged ‘downtown Kalamazoo’

Extra, Extra, Read All About It

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Photography early 20th century, Photography late 19th century, Richard DeKorn, tagged , , , , , , , on March 18, 2013| 12 Comments »

I just discovered an article which explains the Telegraph building in Kalamazoo.  As I’ve mentioned before, it was built by my great-great-grandfather Richard DeKorn.  In my earlier post today I wrote about him building the Pythian building.  From this article, I now find that the two buildings are the same.  The Telegraph building was for the Kalamazoo Telegraph, a rival newspaper to the Kalamazoo Gazette.  This article explains the history.

The building was first called the Telegraph Building and later the Pythian Building. Apparently it is also called the Park Building, according to the website of the Portage District Library.

Be sure to look at the article because it has a couple of great photos of the building, including one from 1881 where the front is festooned with striped awnings and garlands.

The building stood at 132 W. South Street, near the intersection of Rose, across from the Kalamazoo Public Library.

Does it still stand there?  I no longer live in Kalamazoo, so I don’t know.  I looked on a Google satellite map, and this is what I found.  Is this a new building or a remodel of the old building or am I at the wrong address?  Does anyone know?  BREAKING NEWS:  the Miller Canfield building was built on this property.  Great-great-grandfather’s building was probably demolished in 2005 or 2006, according to reader Kathryn Lightcap.

So once again, here are the photos I’ve published on here of the Telegraph building site and then of the finished building, eventually known as the Pythian or Park building.

Telegraph Building

Telegraph Building

Pythian Building

Pythian Building

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More Mighty Kalamazoo Buildings from Richard DeKorn

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Richard DeKorn, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2013| 13 Comments »

Richard DeKorn obituary

This obit confirms that Richard’s (Dirk de Korne)  sister, Jennie Culver, did move to Seattle and raise her family there.  Also, although the genealogy research done by Yvette Hoitink shows Richard was born in Kapelle, this obituary states what I had always been told, that he was from Goes.  Those towns are not far from each other.

I’ve written a couple of other posts about Richard DeKorn, including Richard DeKorn, Brick Mason and General Contractor.  This obituary mentions two other buildings I didn’t realize he had built:  the Pythian Building and the Merchants Publishing Company building.  I also learned that he was a member of the brick masons union.

Pythian Building

Pythian Building

I’ve mentioned before that he built the Telegraph building, the tower at the state hospital, and the Ladies Library Association building (and many others).

You see Park Cafe in the low building to the side of the building?  I remember them from the sixties and seventies when they used to make the best olive burgers anywhere in the world.  The grease would soak right through the waxed paper, and they were absolutely smothered in green olives.  I recall walking past the building to get my burger and thinking what a beautiful old building it was, never dreaming that my great-great grandfather had built it.

NEW INFORMATION ADDED IN THE NEXT POST!!  EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

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Western State Normal School, Kalamazoo, Michigan: A Personal View

Posted in Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Lucille Edna Mulder Zuidweg, Michigan history, Mulder, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 3, 2012| 9 Comments »

Western Michigan University was created in 1903 as the 4th teacher training school in Michigan.  It was known as Western State Normal School and offered a two-year training program.  In 1927, the school’s name was changed to Western State Teachers College.  During that period, my grandmother Lucille Edna Mulder (born 1912) moved from her parents’ farm in Caledonia to Kalamazoo to attend college.  She rented a room from the Schensul family. They owned the most memorable restaurant of my childhood: Schensul’s Cafeteria in downtown Kalamazoo, which served the best fried chicken and orange pop on the planet.

Grandma’s alma mater became Western Michigan College of Education in 1941. During that period, my parents both attended college there.  My father, Rudy Hanson, an army veteran, went to school on the GI bill and, there, he met my mother, Janet Zuidweg.

In 1957, Western became the 4th public university in the state.  In 1960, when I was five, I sat at my Aunt Alice’s knees and watched her color code drawings for science classes she took at Western. Then I attended Western as an undergraduate from 1973-1977, and so did my husband.  During the time I was a student, my mother whose college career had been interrupted by a case of mono and then a case of marriage, completed her education and graduated a year ahead of me.  A few years later, my brother graduated from Western. Then I went back and earned two graduate degrees.

OK, Mom, let me know if I got any facts wrong :).  If you have more info on other relatives who went to Western, I’ll add them here.

The postcard image above was given to my mother’s great aunt’s husband, Louis Leeuwenhoek, by Johnson Paper Supply as a credit slip.  See image below.

 

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Downtown Kalamazoo early 1900s by Joseph DeKorn

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Joseph Peter DeKorn, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Michigan history, Photography early 20th century, Photography late 19th century, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 16, 2012| 15 Comments »

Since this blog is called The Family Kalamazoo, I’d like to introduce you to the Kalamazoo, Michigan, downtown as it was 100 years ago. Here are some photographs taken by my great-grandmother’s brother Joseph DeKorn.

The information I have on the location of these photos was shared by Mark Johnson:

The first downtown photo:  Looking west on East Michigan Ave. from Edwards St… Michigan Ave. jogs to the right at Portage St. The building furthest in the distance is the Kalamazoo Bldg. To it’s right in the foreground is the Haymarket Bldg. and further to the right is what became Shau Powell Sporting Goods.

 

Mark Johnson says:

The second downtown photo:  Looking west on East/West Michigan from Portage St. The tallest building is the Kalamazoo Building (see window detail) and one of the buildings foreground right is what would become Stanwoods [Luggage and Leather].

My favorite thing about these photos are the wires in the sky!

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This post is a combination/revision of the first original post and a later reblog in 2014.

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