Within a century’s time, the industry set in motion by Henry Ford produced a skyrocketing population, a diverse mosaic of ethnic groups, and levels of culture and affluence rivaled by few other places.  The literature of Joyce Carol Oates, the architecture of Albert Kahn and the music fostered by Barry Gordy enriched life and created the “Paris of the Midwest.”

But growing pains were inevitable: growing racial instability culminated in the insurrection of 1967, inflicting deep wounds, yet creating new opportunities for harmony and justice, capitalized on by Rev. William Cunningham. Today, work continues to remove the tarnish from this corner of the “Rust Belt.”

Detroit’s historic restaurants, many no longer in existence, were the stage for many of the Motor City’s dramas, but also for myriads of marriage proposals, family celebrations and business deals.  And for decades, locals were fortunate to have a vast array of history infused bistros in which to celebrate.

In 1962 patrons at the Caucus Club were among the first to hear the voice of an 18-year-old Barbara Streisand. The 1933 repeal of the Volstead Act was celebrated in raucous style at Cliff Bell’s, and the Machus Red Fox in Bloomfield Hills will forever be associated with the 1975 disappearance of ex Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa.

Grab a cup of coffee!  We’ve got some stories to share.

The intercession of providence determined that the likes of Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, John and Horace Dodge, and others called the same city home. None of them “invented” the automobile, but their shared imagination, grit, and persistence were responsible for giving birth to an industry arguably responsible for the most profound changes in twentieth century American life.