Cityscape

A Day In The Life Of Detroit: Gratiot Avenue Photo Gallery

August 21, 2013, 6:37 PM

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4200_street_7681

As with Woodward Avenue last month, we spent the day exploring Gratiot Avenue, shooting scenes of people and places in hopes of showing a more nuanced, if still incomplete, look at life in Detroit.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4193_tacobell_7683

This check-cashing/buy-gold joint obviously was once a Taco Bell. Do they get points for adaptive reuse or does check-cashing and gold-buying disqualify them completely?

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4039_appliances_7658

Disappointingly, Gratiot has several cool, old storefronts that appeared to be well-maintained but were no longer in business.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4055_lemonade_7655

That's not to say we were unable to find any commerce. On a lovely block of Eastburn, strawberry lemonade is available. And not just any strawberry lemonade, but the original strawberry lemonade.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4066_carwash_7652

And this woman was flagging down customers for a hand car wash. A drink in a paper bag is not included.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4187_dogs_7684

Puppy says hello.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4118_emptystreet_7671

This back-to-nature block was just around the corner.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4033_mural_7648

On Gratiot and Iroquois, New Zeland artist Askew One paints a mural commemorating a friend who passed away. He's in town for an art exhibition at the Inner State Gallery in Eastern Market Friday, was driving around, liked this wall at Monique's One Stop Shop and wandered into the store to ask if he could paint it. (They said yes.)

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4060_floor_7654

That's one way to cover a floor.... A passerby tells us demolition work began on this building at Gratiot and Eastwood last week. Then it stopped and the demo equipment left the site, leaving this half-gone hulk. Fortunately, the orange posts and yellow tape will keep people safe.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4064_osburn_7653

The same street corner, from a slightly prettier angle.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4112_library_7673

The Franklin Branch of the Detroit Public Library.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4082_cemetary_7651

Assumption Grotto, a Roman Catholic church and cemetery.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4225_bettermade_7678

Better Made potato chips on the production line, which is visible from big windows along the sidewalk. The building has a factory outlet store adjacent to this window, which is lucky because you can definitely smell the chips cooking from the sidewalk.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4235_faygo_7677

We couldn't see much at the Faygo plant, but we assume this sign in the parking lot means Red Pop isn't considered "intoxicating."

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4152_gold_7663

This gold covered and gold filled building on Mt. Elliot and Gratiot is featured in the opening credits for Low Winter Sun.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4169_gratiotmarket_7689

That's some good-looking meat right there.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4170_gratiotmarket_7690

No wonder people are waiting in line at Gratiot Central Market for it.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4172_failjail_7687

In extreme close-up, the never to be completed jail to nowhere possesses a kind of beauty. If you can only forget it's intended purpose, the money wasted, and all the political incompetence that went into this hot mess.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4175_zlot_7688

Downtown's newest parking garage rises. Because Michigan Needs More Parking.

Featured_photo-day_gratiot_aug212013_4237_street_7676

We started with a photo looking down Gratiot, toward downtown. From atop the Compuware Garage, here's Gratiot from downtown, looking east-ish.


Read more: 


Leave a Comment:

Photo Of The Day