Tag Archives: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Freakin’, Tiquen 2023 – Destination Detroit: Part One – The Henry Ford Museum

Vintage postcard of Detroit Michigan.

Vintage postcard of Detroit, Michigan. Image from amazon.com.

This year found us driving for deco to our chosen destination – Detroit. Why Detroit? Why not!  We never explored this area and there are several sights we wanted to see. As well as go antiquing!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Novi, Michigan. And by sheer luck, it was centrally located, being about 30 – 40 minutes from the points of interest we visited. We can recommend it if you are out that way.

 

We settled in and had a good night’s sleep. Our first day took us to The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

The exterior of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

The exterior of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Photo by the authors.

The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, has long been on my list of must see places. I don’t know how high this was on Chris’ list, but somehow I convinced him to go along and trust me on this one.

There are several tours available once you get there: the Museum of Innovation, the Ford Rouge Factory, and Greenfield Village. To do justice to the entire complex would take at least two full days.

The Henry Ford Museum

The Henry Ford Museum complex

With limited time, we chose the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Henry Ford founded the museum based on his efforts to preserve items of the Industrial Revolution as well as common memorabilia that captured life of early America. This huge collection (one of the largest of its kind in the USA), is housed in an equally large building. Architect Robert O. Derrick, designed the 523,000 square foot museum as a facsimile of three Philadelphia buildings, Independence Hall, Old City Hall and Congress Hall.

Construction of the Henry Ford Museum in the summer of 1929.

Construction of the Henry Ford Museum in the summer of 1929. Image from the Collection of the Henry Ford Museum.

Originally named The Edison Institute, Ford chose to open the museum to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb. A number of dignitaries attended the opening ceremony on October 21, 1929 (Light’s Golden Jubilee), that included President Herbert Hoover, Thomas Edison, George Eastman, John D. Rockefeller, Orville Wright and Will Rogers.

The Henry Ford Museum three days before the opening ceremony.

October 18, 1929, three days before the opening of The Edison Institute (Henry Ford Museum). Image from the Henry Ford Museum.

Unfortunately no photographs were taken at the Light’s Golden Jubilee banquet, so Ford commissioned staff artist Irving Bacon to create a panoramic painting of it. Starting in 1935, it took Bacon 10 years to complete the painting.

Light's Golden Jubilee Banquet painting by Irving Bacon.

Irving Bacon’s panoramic painting of Light’s Golden Jubilee banquet. Image from the Henry Ford Museum.

Originally, the Edison Institute was a private collection open only to researchers, but after numerous inquiries it opened to the public on June 22, 1933.

Upon entering, the main gallery of the museum, you get a sense of the building’s size and scale before entering the exhibit hall.

The Henry Ford Museum

The main lobby – there are several entrances to the exhibits

Depending on where you go in will determine your initial experience. We entered near the transport displays.

Trains

Walking in, this behemoth greeted us. And the sheer scale was overwhelming.

The Henry Ford Museum - Trains

The 1941 Allegany Locomotive

And the next was more intriguing.  We never knew stage coaches were used as passenger cars on the railroads!

The Henry Ford Museum - trains

The 1831 DeWitt Clinton – Reproduction built from fragments and exact plan specifications

And the engineer’s glamorous life.

The Henry Ford Museum - trains

The life of an engineer

Refrigerated cars enabled transportation of all kinds of perishables goods throughout the United States and Canada.

And soon, passengers rode in relative luxury.

But don’t worry! If you get stuck in a snow drift, help is on its way,

Automobiles and More

This section of the museum exhibits cars from the very early – and dangerous – days to more current examples. Also included are auto accessories for the family on the go!

I say this falls into the dangerous category.

And on the other end of the spectrum; just as dangerous. But it sure looks pretty!

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

The Goldenrod which held the wheel-driven land speed record from 1965 to 1991

FYI: the following are not presented in the order of production. But rather in the order seen. Also, we cannot possibly show you every exhibit. So, here are some of our favorites.

Almost everyone remembers the ubiquitous school bus. Unless you walked through 3 feet of snow, up-hill going and coming!

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

An early school bus

One of Anthony’s favorites.

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

1927 LaSalle Roadster

Front end detail of the 1927 LaSalle roadster.

Front end detail of the LaSalle roadster. Photo by the authors

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

1914 Electric Model 47

Look at this cutie.

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

A car or a Muppet?

The hottest new trend of 1936? Streamlining!

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

1936 Lincoln Zephyr Sedan

I promise, this section is almost done!

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

1937 Cord 812 Convertible

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

1931 Duesenberg J – luxury in steel

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

Tucker – what could have been…

The Tucker was unique in that the center light turned with the front wheels. Therefore, making visibility better.  And common today, tail lights were visible from the side for safety. Reconfigured doors made entry and exit easier. Also, grills on the rear fenders facilitated airflow in to cool the rear-mounted engine.

Tucker rear fender detail.

Rear fender detail of the 1948 Tucker, showing the vent grill.

Unfortunately, poor financial planning and pre-selling car features that didn’t exist as yet doomed the Tucker Corporation company.

And finally, an icon of American culture.

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

The Wienermobile

On the Go!

The Henry Ford Museum - on the go

Freedom, nature, and family togetherness

With new, comfortable cars came new roads. And these roads allowed travelers the freedom to explore the country. If you could afford it, bringing your own home with you was the way to go.

The Henry Ford Museum - cars

The Airstream – American home on wheels

The Henry Ford Museum - on the go

The 1959 VW Westfalia camper

Newly mobile but not into camping? Because of this, there came a demand for somewhere to stay. And so, enter simple, and affordable, over-night lodging.

The Henry Ford Museum - on the go

Roadside lodging

The Henry Ford Museum - on the go

Simple accommodations – perfect for the night

The Henry Ford Museum - on the go

Necessity – the mother of invention

With sightseeing on the rise, better accommodations came into demand.

The Henry Ford Museum - lodgings

Welcome to your home away from home

Of course all this freedom creates a need for gas, repairs, and “comfort” breaks. Therefore, service stations became a necessity.

The Henry Ford Museum - roadside convenience

A typical station

A by-product of this new mobility was a rise in traffic deaths; 35,000 by the 50s, Safety came to the forefront.  And various, if not dubious, methods were proposed.

The Henry Ford Museum - car safety

The Cornell-Liberty Safety car was…unique

And let us not forget child safety! No more sitting on Mom’s lap while Dad drove!

The Henry Ford Museum - car safety

Evolution of the car seat

Now we have a nice over-night room, and a safe, well gassed and tuned car.  Its time to take care of our other physical need. Food!

Our one disappointment at the Henry Ford Museum was not being able to eat at Lamy’s.  Lamy’s is a fully functioning period diner.  Unfortunately, it was closed the day we went.

The Henry Ford Museum - food

Lamy’s – a period experience

Don’t despair, we had a delicious lunch in the Plum Market Kitchen.

The Henry Ford Museum - food

Pork cassoulet, green beans, mac & cheese

Bellies full, we headed over to the next exhibit. And briefly, some of the presidential cars.

Henry Ford Museum - Presidential Cars

F.D.R.’s custom Sunshine Special

Henry Ford Museum - Presidential Cars

John Kennedy’s 1961 Lincoln

Henry Ford Museum - Presidential Cars

Nixon was the last president to use the car

Innovations

It wasn’t just cars that evolved. Homes did as well!

And a really interesting exhibit celebrating Julia Child.

The Henry Ford Museum - Innovations

An interactive exhibit allows for you to host your own cooking show

The Dymaxion House

Touted as the affordable house of the future. It used the most cutting edge material of the time.

The Dymaxion House

Cozy by today’s standards

It didn’t catch on, and very few were manufactured. However, one family lived in one for twenty years. But, they found it to be space limited. Also, the natural air circulation under performed. Their solution was to built a brick house directly to it. The result looked like a traditional house giving birth to an alien.

The Dymaxion House

The Dymaxion House of the future

The Dymaxion House

View of the living areas. Can you spot the Chase and Kensington items?

And another view.

The Dymaxion House

A space for everyone in the family

More work and living spaces.

The Dymaxion House

The modern kitchen

We stopped next at the American gallery. And for those who like Art Deco…

Henry Ford Museum - Deco Display

Look what I found. A Viktor Schreckengost Jazz Bowl.

Also on display are examples of classic furniture. Some are still being produced today!

Planes

And finally, the aviation area.  It is hard to believe that flight as we know it – including space travel – started like this.

Henry Ford Museum - aviation

It started with the Wright Brothers

You can even take a short (simulated) flight right in the museum!

In case you are wondering, yes those are essentially wicker chairs barely bolted to the floor in the Ford Trimotor Airplane.

Henry Ford Museum - aviation

Nothing like a sturdy place to sit during your flight

Anthony found the Douglas DC-3 accommodations more to his liking.

Henry Ford Museum - aviation

A bit more contemporary and comfortable.

Henry Ford Museum - aviation

Douglas DC-3

It was a favored plane for travel.  Fast for the time, it had good flying range, and reliability. Also, it was comfortable for passengers. But its popularity waned after the war. It couldn’t compete with the new larger, and faster planes being built.

Charles Lindbergh became a hero for the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Here is a replica of his airship, the Spirit of St. Louis.  It is a highly modified version of a Ryan M-2 strut-braced monoplane. The original is in the collection at the Smithsonian Museum.

If your heading out to explore Antarctica, go in style!

Explorer Richard Byrd with pilot Floyd Bennett are generally credited with reaching the pole, However, controversy remains. And this display highlights certain incongruities in the flight records.

What is it? It is a 1931 Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro. Unlike the helicopter, it could not take off vertically. Though, It had the ability to land vertically. The Detroit News purchased and used this example as an eye-in-the-sky to gather news.

Henry Ford Museum - aviation

The Detroit News Autogiro

It may be hard to believe, but this only is a small sampling of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. If you are out near Detroit, it is well worth you time.

We hope you enjoyed going along with us on our outing. Look out for Part 2: Tabernacle, Tables and Trays. (Oh, my!)

Henry Ford Museum - aviation

That’s all, folks!

Chris and Anthony                                                                                                                                    The Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys

On the Road – 2022: Part Two – That (Hoover) Dam Deco

Art Deco

Welcome to Las Vegas! (photo by author)

We’re on the road again and sorry, the Hoover Dam deco jokes can flow like Lake Mead use to.  As Anthony noted in our prior article, we recently were on the road seeking deco. Just not together.

….

While he attended the Modernism Show in Virginia, I flew to Las Vegas for a family reunion. Thankfully, my niece is super at organization and handled most of the details. This included a tour of the Hoover Dam.

If you are lucky enough to go, the Hoover Dam Comedy Tour is the way to go. With  about an hour drive from downtown Vegas, our guide entertained us with facts and, yes, a whole lot of (Hoover) Dam jokes – all family appropriate in case you wonder.

A Brief History

Hover Dam Deco

The dam was not without its detractors (photo by authors)

In 1900, a dam was proposed by Congress to provide water to seven states. California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming rely on this natural but hard gotten resource. And, a dam would free the courts of seemingly endless cases about which state had the right to what amount of water.

The Boulder Canyon was the first proposed site. But after testing the sub straight they found that the land straddled a fault line. Therefore, not ideal for a dam! Also, the available land was not sufficient for needed spillways.

The Black Canyon farther south and straddling the border of Nevada and Arizona, provided the ideal location for the new structure.

Art Deco Hoover Dam

The first view of the dam. Note the white waterline behind the dam. The top of the line is where the water level should be! (photo by author)

In 1928  congress authorized the project and funding. There was just one problem, the job was much too big for any one company.  This was at the beginning of the depression and companies were scrambling to secure work to stay open. In order to submit a competitive bid, six smaller companies merged to create the Six Companies, Inc. They won the contract with a $49 million dollar price tag.

One stipulation from the government:  the job had a finite timeline and the winning company would be penalized for each day they went over that deadline.  Six Companies, Inc. brought the job in under budget and ahead of the deadline.

Construction started in late 1931 under President Herbert Hoover. And, the government took possession on March 1, 1936. Not only does the dam provide a source of water for Nevada, Arizona and California, it provides hydroelectricity as well.

Hoover Dam Deco

Hoover Dam memorial plaque (photo by author)

Originally called the Hoover Dam,  President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Boulder Dam on September 30, 1935. However, the structure was always intended to be called the Hoover Dam. But Roosevelt was not a fan of the former President. And as a not-so-subtle dig, dedicated it as The Boulder Dam.  It wasn’t until the Republican controlled Congress officially changed the name to the Hoover Dam in 1948.

Casualties

Working on the dam was grueling work. And with little in the way of heavy equipment, all the work was done with blasting, pickaxes and shovels. Officially, 112 people lost their lives over the course of construction.  In reality, Six Companies, Inc. only reported deaths that occurred on the job site.  Many of the seriously injured were quickly transported to a local hospital to die. And therefore not be counted.

Also, an unusual number of workers died from “pneumonia”. In fact, the lack of safely equipment meant that the men were breathing in noxious dust. This irritated the lining of the lungs and caused pneumonia-like symptoms. And ultimately their death. But, they didn’t die on the jobsite. And therefore, not counted as casualties of the dam.

One of the most heartfelt loss was of the dam’s mascot.

Hoover Dam Mascot

The Hoover Dam Mascot (photo by author)

 

Hoover Dam Mascot

So beloved, when he was accidently killed, the truck driver was immediately fired and the workers honored their friend with his own memorial (photo by author)

An interesting tidbit. One worker, frustrated with bits or rock falling on his head dipped a hat into some tar. He place another hat inside and let it dry. Soon, the other men started to do the same. The unknown worker had inadvertently invented one of the first hardhats!

Design

Less concerned with decoration as with functionality, the original design was full of Gothic balustrades and eagles. Fortunately, this was nixed as too underwhelming and unremarkable for the ambition project.

Hoover Dam Deco

Streamline towers seamlessly sweep up and skyward (photo by the author)

Gordon B. Kaufmann redesigned the external spaces. Kaufmann was a fan of the new streamline look. Elegant turrets rise seamlessly from the dam. Art Deco clocks show the time of both Nevada and Arizona. As Arizona does not observe day-light savings, one clock only has the correct time 6 months out of the year!

Deco Dam

Is that the correct time? (photo by the author)

Kaufmann requested and was granted permission to hire Denver artist Allen Tupper True to design the decorative element.  True cleverly, and with some resistance, incorporated elements of the Navajo and Pueblo tribes in the designs. Some of the best examples are see in the terrazzo floors.

Dam Deco

Terrazzo design with Native American influence (photo by the author)

 

Complimenting Kaufmann’s and True’s work, sculptor Oskar J.W. Hansen designed the statuary. A bas-relief panels over one of the original elevator towers memorialize the workers killed in the building of the dam. And the other celebrates what the dam means to area it serves.

Most famously, he designed the large bronze statues known as “Winged Figures of the Republic”. And being so large and heavy, they were placed on ice blocks and guided into place as the ice melted. Once highly polished, the statues have gained a beautiful green patina over the years.

Hoover Dam Deco

Hansen’s “Winged Figures of the Republic” (photo by the author)

A current restoration is underway to restore them to their original highly polished bronze. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

No detail was too small to receive a deco touch.

Dam Deco

The men’s facilities (photo by the author)

And for the ladies.

And before you ask, no, I did not go into the ladies restroom for these pictures.

I was fortunate enough that a woman on our tour was going in to use to facilities.  Other than the photos of the entrance vestibule, she was kind enough to snap these pictures for me.

Relatively new, the visitor’s center was sensitive to the prevailing architecture.

If you do visit, and I hope you do, enjoy that (Hoover) Dam deco!

But, be aware they take security extremely seriously. You will go through the same process you would at any airport checkpoint. But it is well worth it.

Thanks for joining me on my DrivingForDeco adventure!

Chris (one half of the Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)