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Marcus St., Eastlund Concrete, 2022

Here’s a new(ish) Eastlund Concrete stamp from the house on the corner of southwest corner of South Magnolia Avenue and Marcus Street. The house faces Magnolia, but this particular stamp is on Marcus. It looks like in addition to some sidewalk, Eastlund also redid part of the diagonal front walk. I like the way it heads for the corner instead of aiming straight forward to Magnolia. I’ve admired this house for a while because of the interesting multiple cladding on the front facade.

Checking the Belon Real Estate Collection at the Capital Area District Library’s local history collection, I find that the house was built in 1946. A photo of it in 1958 shows it in what I assume was its original paint scheme, with the second floor painted a much darker shade than the first, which adds even more interest to its face; it’s a shame more recent owners have painted it all the same color. Still, it is an attractive house marred by deferred maintenance, unsurprising since it is landlord-owned.

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S. Magnolia Ave, Eastlund Concrete, 2022

It’s good to know the tendency to ignore the sidewalk marking ordinance hasn’t spread to everyone yet. Good old Eastlund Concrete has copiously stamped the reconstructed curb cuts on every corner of South Magnolia Avenue and Marcus Street. I’d expect no less, since they’re one of only two contractors I’ve seen stamping anything over in Albion, too. I believe that the new sidewalk here is the result of utility work in the area.

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Hall of Shame: New sidewalk on S. Magnolia Ave.

On Wednesday evening I walked past a spot where the bed for a new sidewalk had been prepared. I hoped it would be my chance at last to see a brand spanking new stamp, hours old. Instead, I returned on Thursday evening to the disappointing sight of a completed and unstamped sidewalk. I really need to have a word with the Director of Public Service about the proliferation of scofflaw contractors.

The new sidewalk is in front of a vacant lot on the east side of South Magnolia Avenue between Michigan and Prospect. If I’m judging this correctly, this stretch of walk originally fronted a small 1914 house that was demolished in May 2021. A similar one was also demolished one lot north, in 2015, and the gap is occupied by one of the ubiquitous urban farms that serve as the Ingham County Land Bank’s favorite all-purpose hammer.

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N. Magnolia Ave., driveway marking, undated

This isn’t my usual kind of sidewalk marking, but I got a kick out of it, so here you go. Someone on the east side of North Magnolia Avenue between Fernwood and Saginaw has written their house number quite large on their driveway concrete. You’d think this would be more common, actually, but I haven’t seen it before.

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N. Magnolia Ave., Oren Morse, 1940

This stamp is on the west side of North Magnolia Avenue between Michigan and Vine. I can find references to Mr. and Mrs. Oren Morse, mostly in the society pages, in the (Lansing) State Journal around this time period, but nothing much of interest.

On November 6, 1956, Oren Morse advertised in the classifieds seeking to sell “Purebred Holstein, cows and heifers. Will sell herd or separate.” What is with the overlap between sidewalk contractors and cow breeders?

Facing south on Magnolia. The stamp is at the bottom of the nearest full slab.

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N. Magnolia Ave., Barnhart & Sons, 1988

What do we have here, on the west side of North Magnolia Avenue between Vine and Fernwood? It’s kind of a mess. The date is upside down, and then the name is stamped twice, presumably because the first one didn’t come out as well as they hoped.

Barnhart, I think you need to have a word with your sons.

Looking north on North Magnolia. Fernwood is in view.
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S. Magnolia Ave., [?] Cox, illegible date

This stamp – alas, largely illegible – is on the west side of South Magnolia Avenue between Michigan and Prospect.

The name appears to be [something] Cox, but I don’t have any leads on that contractor. The date looks like 1950, but looks a bit like 1980 too.

Looking south on South Magnolia Avenue. The stamp is on the nearest block, below the Cantu & Sons mark. It’s hard to point a camera at a sidewalk without getting a Cantu & Sons stamp.

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N. Magnolia Ave., Barnhart & Sons, unknown date

This oddity is on the west side of North Magnolia Avenue between Vine and Fernwood. I can’t call it “undated” because I am assuming it originally did have a date, along with the rest of the Barnhart & Sons stamp.

I somehow forgot to take my usual closeup this time. Note “Barnhart” stamp on the edge of the nearest slab, but facing the other way. It appears to be an incomplete Barnhart and Sons stamp.

I am supposing that this indicates the original sidewalk block was cut off, perhaps while the newer-looking walk north of it was laid. Why they would have done this, though, I have no good idea.

Here it is from the other direction (facing south).