Full Transcript: Frank Zacharias on Hamtramck Changes
Frank: At one time there was like 50,000 people in Hamtramck at one time and now there’s like maybe 20, 22,000. But that’s the way it was in those days. I, I, I’m just— I don’t know I just, just like it here. I get along with everybody. I live close to Joseph Campau. 40 minutes, you know, just so close to everything, expressway, you can go anyplace on expressway and I don’t know. Well one thing that kept me here was the idea of the property in Hamtramck. There was— my lot that I live on here is one of the longest lots in the city. Most lots are like 30 by 110 well mine is 30 by 178 feet so I got almost a lot and a half thick so, so I liked the idea I had a lot more space than a lot of other people and living close to Joseph Campau. Take the— at one time you could take the Baker Streetcar downtown Rouge, you know, Rouge Plant so that was good for transportation so I just had no urge to move. And my wife when we got married, she liked it so if she liked it why, you know why go?
Yeah there used to be a street car that ran right down Joseph Campau and it went all the way to Rouge Plant in River Rouge— all the way to Ford, Ford Plant in River Rouge. And years ago when this Dodge Main was— Dodge brothers had a— called a Dodge Main— they used to have a street car that went from Joseph Campau and Caniff, right up here. They would go all the way to Dodge Main, come back and make a, a, make a turnabout on, on Caniff. Then they would go back down to, back down to the plant because there was so many people from Hamtramck working at Dodge’s that they just stayed here and went back like a shuttle back and forth, so.
We had— all our stores were here, you know? We had different stores, grocery stores, clothing stores, dime— what do you call them? Dime stores? Like Neisner’s, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Federal’s. You had your own shopping area here, you wouldn’t even have to go to Detroit, you know. And all your supermar— not, yeah supermarkets, we had a couple of A&Ps. Then you have small grocery stores that people would— or butcher stores, we used to call them. So we, we didn’t have to go, you know? So that’s why people stayed around here.
Frank: And Hamtramck had a lot of auto dealers where they sold cars and what you call it? They had, they had Krizanke, Krizanke, then he moved to, then he moved to north of Carpenter. Then you had Johnny Motors, Central Olds, Woody Pontiac where that welfare office is where it says Woody Plaza, well that used to be a big— Woody Pontiac, used to be a Pontiac dealer. Woody Pontiac and he was very, very— loved Hamtramck. He was…
Marge: Yeah, big supporter of Hamtramck.
Frank: Yeah he, he loved Hamtramck, Woody. He was— I can’t think of— he was a different nationality but he, he— people liked him. And then we used to have two bowling alleys in Hamtramck. There used to be one where, well where Woody’s is too now used to be a, a— north end?
Marge: Mhm. That way.
Frank: Yeah it was north end. And then where that chicken, not chicken, hamburger place is. That used to be Palladium, used to be a Palladium.
Marge: Checkers.
Frank: Checkers or Ally’s, yeah, used to be a bowling alley there. Two— up and down stairs, up two floors. Ten lanes downstairs, ten lanes upstairs.
Frank: I don’t care what, what— change is— you’ll never be the same what you used to. You’re talking years difference you know, and, and we lost a lot of friends, we lost a lot of neighbors. Like I said, I used to know the whole block now I’m lucky if I know three people. I know the kids next door, next door that’s it. Before we used to know the whole area. Now everybody is new. I’m about the oldest one on the block.
Yeah there used to be a street car that ran right down Joseph Campau and it went all the way to Rouge Plant in River Rouge— all the way to Ford, Ford Plant in River Rouge. And years ago when this Dodge Main was— Dodge brothers had a— called a Dodge Main— they used to have a street car that went from Joseph Campau and Caniff, right up here. They would go all the way to Dodge Main, come back and make a, a, make a turnabout on, on Caniff. Then they would go back down to, back down to the plant because there was so many people from Hamtramck working at Dodge’s that they just stayed here and went back like a shuttle back and forth, so.
We had— all our stores were here, you know? We had different stores, grocery stores, clothing stores, dime— what do you call them? Dime stores? Like Neisner’s, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Federal’s. You had your own shopping area here, you wouldn’t even have to go to Detroit, you know. And all your supermar— not, yeah supermarkets, we had a couple of A&Ps. Then you have small grocery stores that people would— or butcher stores, we used to call them. So we, we didn’t have to go, you know? So that’s why people stayed around here.
Frank: And Hamtramck had a lot of auto dealers where they sold cars and what you call it? They had, they had Krizanke, Krizanke, then he moved to, then he moved to north of Carpenter. Then you had Johnny Motors, Central Olds, Woody Pontiac where that welfare office is where it says Woody Plaza, well that used to be a big— Woody Pontiac, used to be a Pontiac dealer. Woody Pontiac and he was very, very— loved Hamtramck. He was…
Marge: Yeah, big supporter of Hamtramck.
Frank: Yeah he, he loved Hamtramck, Woody. He was— I can’t think of— he was a different nationality but he, he— people liked him. And then we used to have two bowling alleys in Hamtramck. There used to be one where, well where Woody’s is too now used to be a, a— north end?
Marge: Mhm. That way.
Frank: Yeah it was north end. And then where that chicken, not chicken, hamburger place is. That used to be Palladium, used to be a Palladium.
Marge: Checkers.
Frank: Checkers or Ally’s, yeah, used to be a bowling alley there. Two— up and down stairs, up two floors. Ten lanes downstairs, ten lanes upstairs.
Frank: I don’t care what, what— change is— you’ll never be the same what you used to. You’re talking years difference you know, and, and we lost a lot of friends, we lost a lot of neighbors. Like I said, I used to know the whole block now I’m lucky if I know three people. I know the kids next door, next door that’s it. Before we used to know the whole area. Now everybody is new. I’m about the oldest one on the block.