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E. Kalamazoo St., BBRPCI, 2003

BBRPCI (B.B.R. Progressive Concrete, Inc.) stamps are a dime a dozen in the neighborhood, but most are from the 1980s. This one, and a few others on the same block, are notable for being the newest BBRPCI stamps I have yet found. I don’t exactly know when the company ceased to exist, but OpenCorporates shows them incorporating in 1979 and dissolving in 2016.

This one is right in front of the entrance to the former Allen Street School on the south side of East Kalamazoo Street between Shephard and Allen. The school was built in 1913 and expanded in 1926. It closed in 2005 and the building was purchased by the dystopian-sounding biotechnology company Neogen. This was hailed as a victory for preservation.

In writing this, I suddenly realized something I had been rather oblivious to. In my early years in Lansing, I often walked to the bus stop at Michigan and Clemens to get to work in the morning, and on the way would cross with help from the light at Kalamazoo and Clemens. There would be a crossing guard there helping children cross safely, just like when I was a kid walking to and from elementary school. (Do they even let children walk to school anymore?)

One day years later, well after I had quit riding the bus regularly, I suddenly thought: hey, what happened to the crossing guard? When is the last time I saw one there? I realize now what it was. Those children were going to Allen Street School, and the crossing guard disappeared with the school, around the same time I started working a job I had to drive to anyway. I missed the moment when that changed because my own life changed at the same time.

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E. Kalamazoo St., McNeilly, 1971

I can’t seem to find very much out about McNeilly Construction, the contractor that (as far as my eyes can tell) was responsible for this 1971 mark on the south side of East Kalamazoo Street between Regent and Leslie.

I notice an unusual placement of the stamp near the top rather than bottom of the slab (as seems more common).

I can find that McNeilly were located at 421 E. Maple St. The Lansing State Journal of June 15, 2004, reported that the former owner, Rolland “Barney”/”Ray” McNeilly, would be celebrating his 90th birthday on June 18. He was then living in Grand Ledge and had retired in 1986. He had moved to Lansing in 1960 and worked for Reniger Construction for a while before starting his own company. (I previously wrote about B.F. Churchill, who had also worked for Reniger, but in the 1920s.) The LSJ death notices of August 2 of the same year report that McNeilly died on July 30. I am unsure when McNeilly Construction dissolved, but it does not seem to be in business now.

Though I can’t tell you much else about McNeilly, I can tell you a bit about the address this slab is in front of, 1820 East Kalamazoo. It is currently home to the Auto Surgeon. Although they’re not my regular mechanic (I have gotten into the habit of going to the dealer for all my repairs since money got less tight for me), they are nice folks and have done some work for me before, including doing some small fixes for free.

The building was constructed in 1963, but unfortunately I’m not able to tell you who was there in 1971. My Lansing State Journal online access through my employer gives me only 1980 through 2011. The first reference to the building I can find is from 1983 when a real estate agent was advertising it for sale. On December 24, 1988, a new business notice appears for that address. To my surprise, the new business was Greg’s Bowling Supply. I was not expecting that. Sadly, Greg’s must not have lasted long. On July 28, 1990, a classified advertisement appears inviting experienced mechanics with their own tools to send resumes to 1820 E. Kalamazoo, no business name given. Afterward, classified ads for used cars at that address pop up regularly, but the name of any business located there is a mystery to me.

In 1994, the property shows up in real estate listings again, advertised as “Four bay garage, DNR approved.” Then on November 6, 1995, a new business listing appears for Dealer’s Automotive.

Meanwhile, however, the first advertisement for Auto Surgeon, Inc., shows up on October 4, 1991, but located at 615 E. Kalamazoo, the current location of another mechanic, Professional Fleet Services. Finally, the first reference I can find to the Auto Surgeon being located at 1820 East Kalamazoo is an advertisement on August 11, 1998. I moved to Lansing in June 1999, so I have only ever known them there.

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E. Kalamazoo St., McNamara Const., 1971

For those keeping track, this is the first 1970s stamp I’ve posted, and completes my ambition of having one from every decade of the 20th century. For some reason 1970s stamps seem uncommon. 50s and 60s are very common, 80s and 90s even more so, but not 1970s. I wonder why?

There are three of these, all the same year, clustered on the north side of East Kalamazoo Street between Regent and Clemens. They aren’t all pointed in the same direction; I guess this way they can advertise to pedestrians no matter which way they’re walking.

Searching to find out more about McNamara Construction, I had a lot of hits on newspapers.com’s archive of the Lansing State Journal. I assumed it would be advertisements, as I found with Joe White yesterday. Instead these were recaps of baseball games. It turns out that the McNamara Construction team was a big deal in the Lansing City Baseball League. On August 10, 1971 – the same year this pavement was laid – the Lansing State Journal reported that McNamara needed just one more victory for a “nearly unprecedented” perfect season. I can’t say whether they succeeded, though the fact that I didn’t find an article about it suggests not. Then on August 10, 1976, the LSJ reported that “McNamara Construction crushed Petroff Realty, 13-3. in the [championship] opener, which was ended by the ‘mercy rule’ in the fifth inning.” (Meanwhile, “Regular season champion Art’s Bar” – my late, lamented hangout – “whipped Woolco Sporting Goods of Okemos, 7-2, in the nightcap.”)

According to incorporation records, McNamara was incorporated on November 13, 1956, and dissolved November 13, 1986, on their 30th anniversary. They were located at 622 South Waverly Road, which today is a Valvoline Instant Oil Change. Delta Township records indicate that McNamara sold the property to Valvoline in early 1988. The current oil change building was constructed in 1992.

Here’s an update including news about their baseball team’s 1971 season.

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E. Kalamazoo St., L & L, 1984

It’s a little hard to read but this is L & L Construction, Holt. I like the oval. I believe it says 1984; it looks like they decided to just have a stamp for the decade and write in the last number. Maybe Cantu and Sons should have considered that approach. L & L seems to still be in business, but as they don’t have a Web site I can’t say much more about them.

This slab is actually a curb cut on the southeast corner of Shepard and Kalamazoo. It’s in front of this building, which used to be a halal market.

The storefront has been unoccupied for years and the building is a deteriorating eyesore. I was surprised to notice a light on, meaning someone still lives in the upstairs apartment. I wouldn’t want to walk out on that suspiciously saggy-looking balcony.

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Kalamazoo St., Minnis & Ewer, undated

This Minnis & Ewer stamp is on East Kalamazoo Street between Jones and Holmes. There are several of these in the area and I’ve always admired them. The border and curved lettering add a touch of eye appeal. They’re a good size and have deep and clear impressions.

Unfortunately it is undated, as are all of the Minnis & Ewer stamps I have found. I find a listing for Minnis & Ewer in a 1908 Lansing city directory which identifies the proprietors as Verner D. Minnis and Edward C. Ewer. They also have a sideline ad in the directory which reads, “MINNIS & EWER | Contractors and Builders of CEMENT SIDEWALKS AND FLOORS / Bell 1113-L. Citizens 1188 / 725 PINE STREET NORTH.” Oddly, 725 N. Pine St. is a residence built in 1891, implying that Minnis & Ewer operated out of a home, which doesn’t quite make sense to me.

One of my goals is to find the oldest stamp I can. Since Minnis & Ewer were active in 1908 it’s possible this is older than the oldest date I’ve found so far (1929, and more on that in a later post no doubt). There’s no way to know short of doing a bit more research than I’m prepared to right now, but if I get invested enough in this blog, maybe someday I will.