east side – Page 37 – Capital City Sidewalks

Posted on November 28, 2020August 10, 2021 by bunnyhugger

Regent St., illegible name [C.D. Chamberlain], 1950

This stamp is on the west side of the 100 block of Regent Street, next to the office building on the corner of Michigan and Regent. Unfortunately, I can’t make out the name, except that it starts with a C and ends with “lain” and is probably two words.

I’ve learned to check for a paired stamp, especially when there are legibility issues. Well, I found it a little way south, but it didn’t help. It’s just as worn and it’s also very muddy at the moment.

The building this is next to currently houses a few unmemorable offices, but I have always been rather fascinated by it because of the fact that the one-story storefront part of the building clearly surrounds and nearly hides a two-story building, likely older and possibly a fairly grand house. According to the city’s records, it was built in 1924.

When I first moved to town, a neighbor told me the building used to be a Chinese restaurant. This made sense to me as the roof on the one-story part of the building has jade tiles, but I never learned any more about it. While researching this post, however, I ran across a couple of old Lansing State Journal advertisements for the Pagoda Restaurant at this address. That, I thought, must have been the restaurant my old neighbor was referring to. Then again, was it? In a stroke of luck for me, someone on eBay is currently selling a menu from Gallagher’s Pagoda Restaurant. Dishes on offer include fried chicken, roast chicken, veal cutlets, steer liver, pork chops, grilled ham, grilled sirloin, and various seafood dishes. There isn’t the slightest hint of anything Chinese about it. Still, I would bet that a vague and understandably confused memory (or secondhand information) led my neighbor to describe the Pagoda as a Chinese restaurant.

This driveway leads to the parking behind the office building, the former Pagoda restaurant. The northern stamp is on the nearest sidewalk block (upside down).

I don’t know what was here when this was stamped in 1950, since the earliest reference I can find to the Pagoda was from 1953. On April 24, 1953, an advertisement in the Lansing State Journal promised a “KIDDIE KARNIVAL – Special Family Dinner Rates – Pogo the Clown in Person.”

I also don’t know for sure when the Pagoda closed. I found an obituary for Charles Gallagher in the December 31, 1996, Lansing State Journal; he had died on December 29 at the age of 91. According to it, “Charles may be best remembered as co-owner, with his mother, Ida, of the Pagoda Restaurant in Lansing until 1969.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Pagoda closed in 1969, but it is suggestive.

Update: I finally managed to read this one! It is C.D. Chamberlain.

Posted on November 26, 2020 by bunnyhugger

N. Fairview Ave., T L Contracting, 2009

This stamp is on North Fairview Avenue just south of the corner of Jerome Street. I can find a T L Contracting that is (or was) on South Lowell in DeWitt, and one (maybe the same one) on Industrial Parkway in Lansing. I can’t find a Web site for the company or any other information.

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by bunnyhugger

Regent St., J. Wilson, 1963

Here’s a very worn one on the west side of Regent Street midway between Kalamazoo and Elizabeth. The date is definitely 1963, in a big, stylish typeface. It’s always a bit strange when the date is bigger than the name.

As for the name, I believe I can make out “J Wilson.” The name is too common for me to learn much by trying to search the Lansing State Journal, so the contractor will have to remain a mystery for the foreseeable future.

Posted on November 21, 2020 by bunnyhugger

E. Michigan Ave., BBRPCI, 1986

This nice, sharp BBRPCI (BBR Progressive Concrete Inc.) stamp is on the south side of East Michigan Avenue just east of Fairview.

This corner has been a vacant lot for so long (that For Lease sign has been there since at least 2011, per Google Street View) that I had to jog my memory about what used to be there. It was two buildings, one of them an old house and the other a low-slung, dismal commercial building which most recently was the home base of Shaggin’ Wagon Taxi. Recently it has been the temporary quarters of the Allen Farmers Market during construction on the Allen Neighborhood Center.

Looking east on East Michigan toward the vacant lot’s neighbor, Hotwater Works.

Searching the Lansing State Journal, I turned up perhaps the most unusual business to have occupied the address. In March 1993, a late-night music venue called The Ibex Sings opened. In May 1993 it closed with a farewell party.

They say if you put your ear to the gravel you can still hear a punk show.

Posted on November 18, 2020March 21, 2021 by bunnyhugger

S. Hayford Ave., O.M. Smith(?) [actually O.V.], 1962

This corner-placed stamp is on the west side of South Hayford Avenue midway between Prospect and Michigan. The contractor is definitely Smith, probably O.M. [something] Smith, and tentatively O.M. Smith. It does look like an M to me. There is another similar stamp on this block but unfortunately the second letter on that one is at least as worn. Although at first glance this looks like 1982, closer inspection shows it is 1962. (I find that is often a hazard of the fonts they like to use for numbers; they tend to have a highly curved 6.)

I haven’t been able to find anything out about the contractor. I can find from the Lansing State Journal that an O.M. Smith was living in Lansing in the 1940s, but nothing about a cement business. Perhaps I’m wrong about it being O.M. Or perhaps I just haven’t done enough research yet. (I can’t help thinking of the character One Million, who goes by “O.M.,” from the Rankin-Bass special Rudolph’s Shiny New Year.)

A tween-aged kid was practicing basketball solo in his driveway, making a go at doing flashy moves like spinning around as he approached the basket. I glanced away as I passed in order to avoid embarrassing him but honestly it was pretty endearing. It reminded me of my brother messing around on his skateboard when we were that age. You can make out just his legs in my photo above.

Update 3/21/21: I now know that it is O.V. Smith, as I happened across his name in the classifieds while research a different contractor!

Posted on November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 by bunnyhugger

S. Magnolia Ave., Able, 1986

This Able variation is on the west side of South Magnolia Avenue just south of Prospect. Their name at the time had a more generalist sound to it, versus the current moniker of “Able Concrete.”

The southern stamp, which is the one I found first.

I know now to look for a paired stamp and I found one a little way north, but both were facing in the same direction. Usually the paired stamp is facing the opposite way.

This got me wondering. Cantu & Sons has the greatest representation on the east side, hands down. But who covers the greatest span of time? I have found an Able stamp as recent as 2004 and now as early as 1986.

Looking south on Magnolia. The southern of the two stamps is visible.

Posted on November 16, 2020 by bunnyhugger

S. Magnolia Ave., BdWL, undated

Here is another one of those mysterious “BdWL” marks. There are a couple of them along this block. This one is on the west side of South Magnolia Avenue, just north of Prospect Street.

Looking south on South Magnolia toward Prospect.

Posted on November 15, 2020 by bunnyhugger

Prospect St., Cantu & Sons, 1993

Yes, yes, I know, another Cantu & Son(s). But this one is notable for being the most recent one I have found. It’s actually a pair of them, on the north side of Prospect Street just west of Fairview.

The style is the same as the ubiquitous 1987-88 stamps except for the handwritten date.

Looking east on Prospect toward Fairview.

Posted on November 14, 2020 by bunnyhugger

S. Magnolia Ave., DPW, 1986

This DPW variation can be found on the west side of South Magnolia Avenue a short distance south of Michigan Avenue. It is alongside the Hot Water Works hot tub dealer.

No “Lansing” this time, just DPW. I like the design. I always think outlined stamps look smart. I still hope to narrow down when they quit using DPW (or DPS?) and switched to the undated O&M stamps.

Posted on November 13, 2020 by bunnyhugger

Prospect St., Cantu & Sons, undated

This is an unusual Cantu & Sons variation on the south side of Prospect Street just east of the intersection of South Clemens. While I was taking the photo, a car pulled up at the stop sign. I tried to act nonchalant, like I was just checking my texts or something, since I’m always worried someone is going to start asking me what I think I’m doing taking photos of neighborhood streets. But alas, I could hear over my earbuds that the driver, an older man with white hair, was talking to me. I pulled my earbuds out and he was asking me, “Is it an old one?”

I was surprised, but I suppose it was bound to happen eventually that someone would actually know what it was I was after. I explained that it was undated but a variation I hadn’t seen before, and he told me there was a very old one “up that way,” meaning north on Clemens. From the 1920s, he thought. “Oh yeah,” I said, “I think I know the one you mean. It’s 1922 Department of Public Works.” He declared that he thought I was right. I shared with him that the oldest one I’d ever seen was from 1907. After he left I walked away amused with myself for having come across as a human gazetteer of east side sidewalk stamps. A few minutes later I realized that it would have been even more impressive if I had remembered the date right.