 |
|
Former HoJo's: Lima, OH |
|
| Plans all askew
from my encounter with the Parkway Inn, I nearly missed Lima's former Howard Johnson's. Had I researched better, and discovered
that it was a Super 8, I most certainly would have driven the
additional few miles to have stayed in it rather than the one
in Wapakoneta. While the Restaurant was long ago replaced by
a now defunct Shoney's, the Motor Lodge is in remarkably good
HoJo-like condition. |
|
| The first of several
unexpected finds, Findlay proved to be the most unusual. Only
open for about four years in the middle 1970s, Findlay is unlike any Howard Johnson's I
have ever seen, for it is a small mansard structure set apart
from other roadside restaurants with a 1965 HoJo's type A-frame
capped with a cupola-tower. If not for the owner insisting that
it had been a HoJo's, I might have passed it off as an impostor. |
|
 |
|
Former HoJo's: Findlay, OH |
|
| Just before meeting
up with Dan in Detroit, I was able to make a quick lunch stop
at the former Monroe Howard Johnson's. Complete with its Dairy
Bar, Monroe had changed hands about six months prior to my visit
and was called the International Cafe & Restaurant. Its Motor
Lodge, which had ceased its Days Inn affiliation a couple of
years ago, still had an interior passageway from the Restaurant
into the Gate Lodge. |
|
 |
|
Former HoJo's: Monroe, MI |
|
|
|
Crowne Plaza, Romulus, MI |
|
| Arriving at Detroit's
airport just in time for Dan's arrival, I had hoped to meet him
in the baggage claim area, but instead missed him by moments.
Since a Crowne Plaza was nearby we had agreed to spend the first
night there rather than a former HoJo's. Fortunately I walked
into the hotel's lobby just as Dan was checking in, and so we
could begin our epic journey seeking HoJo's through Michigan,
Indiana, and Ohio! |
|
| Not wanting to
waste any time, we quickly checked out the Crowne Plaza, and
then headed to see what was nearby. Figuring that Wyandotte was
only about fifteen minutes away, we struck out for it to discover
that a fire station occupied its site. Not deterred, we headed
up to the former Dearborn location on Telegraph road which I
had seen back in 2001, and Terry Burns had documented while it
was being renovated. As a 5/3rd bank branch, it's hard to believe
that it was ever a restaurant much less a thriving Orange roofed
HoJo's. Before heading back to the Crowne Plaza, we decided to
check out the former Belleville Restaurant which Terry Burns
likes to call Pagoda Joe's! No sign of its adjacent Motor Lodge
exists. |
 |
|
Former HoJo's: Dearborn, MI |
|
 |
|
Former HoJo's: Belleville, MI |
|
|
|
The Henry Ford: Dearborn, MI |
|
With rain in the
forecast, we decided to spend part of the next day at the
Henry Ford museum. Although the museum has lost some of
its focus and has been distracted with Quilts and Civil
Rights, it houses
a terrific collection of roadside history. One exhibit traces
the evolution of roadside lodging from autocamping to Holiday
Inn, and another features a diner.
Official Site: www.hfmgv.org |
|
|
Hoping to find HoJo's remains around Detroit, it was instead striking
to discover the city's crumbling streets and numerous large buildings
apparently awaiting demolition. Looking like it was in a war
zone, the remains of Michigan's Central Station serve as a symbol
of urban decay and waste at its worst. The station once offered
a complete array of services, all in a very elegant setting.
Louis Van Winkle wrote the following
brief description of the Central Station: "The general waiting
room has 76-foot high ceilings, huge arches, carved plaster decoration
and marble columns. There was a separate waiting room for women
in the northeast corner of the building, a reading room in the
northwest corner, and a smoking room toward the back of the building.
There was a dining room with a vaulted stone ceiling, a lunch
counter, and a cafe. There was a drug store, cigar store, barbershop
and a newsstand. There were baths and changing rooms for those
wishing to freshen-up without going to a hotel. "
Additional information
1, 2, 3
|
|
|
|
Central Station: Detroit, MI |
|
|
|
Remains of Central Station:
Detroit, MI |
|
|
|
Cadillac Hotel: Detroit,
MI |
|
 |
|
Former HJ: Detroit, MI |
|
Of course the rain
did not help Detroit look better, but the abandoned bombed out
buildings gave the city a dismal atmosphere. I wonder how much
of our Federal tax money has been squandered on "renewal"
projects. Interestingly, the former Howard Johnson's-Downtown
in its Holiday Inn Express disguise appeared to be doing a "land-office"
business. Just across the street from the Holiday Inn Express
is the hulk of what was once the Book-Cadillac Hotel. Reportedly
it is undergoing a $160 million rehabilitation, perhaps it will
be a rare success story amidst the ruins of Detroit.
Additional Information
about the Book-Cadillac
1, 2, 3 |
|