"There’s a Museum in your future"

Now that you have learned about the construction of the Detroit Historical Museum, have you wondered what was there prior to our building? Well . . . it was a billboard, but at least it was an interesting billboard. In the mid-1940s, the Pontiac Outdoor Advertising Co. (located at 4900 Cadillac Avenue) installed this Ford Motor Company advertisement on the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and W Kirby Street, where Legends Plaza is today. More complicated than typical signs, this was three dimensional with a “crystal ball” bulging from the palm of an outstretched hand. It is unknown how long the billboard was in place, but it certainly took a lot of effort to construct.

DIA in the background

 

Barlum Apartments in the background