The Detroit Wheelmen’s clubhouse at 53 E. Adams was built for $40,000 in 1896. For a club of only 450 members, that sounds quite an investment.

Can you imagine a bicycle club building and owning such a facility today? This grand building was certainly an indicator of just how “gold” the golden age (1890s) of bicycling was in Detroit.

This clubhouse contained an auditorium, bowling alley, billiard and whist (card game) tables, baths, library, kitchen, dining room, and more.

The building has some really interesting gargoyles above the first floor windows. They look like fish, which wouldn’t seem to make much sense for a bicycle club.

The Detroit Wheelmen logo is on the balcony about the entrance. It’s a ‘W’ intertwined with a ‘D’.

Grand Circus Park from 1920

One interesting feature is the long bike rack along the front of the building. It’s integrated with the metal grills covering the basement windows and also has the DW logo.

Unfortunately the clubhouse is no longer standing. It was located where Comerica Park currently stands. I do not know if it was demolished for the park or many years earlier. The 1928-1929 Polk Directory for Detroit does list the Wheelmen at this location.

A photo of the club interior was included in an earlier m-bike post.

UPDATE, 11/27/2012: We’ve seen a photo from 1960 that shows the building is still standing.

UPDATE, 2/18/2018, A Free Press column from August 26, 1969: “When they tore down a building behind the Metropolitan YMCA, they found in the cornerstone several copies of Detroit newspapers, plus some editions of The Detroit Phonograph, publication of the cycling club that headquartered in the building.” Though still to be confirmed, it seems the clubhouse was transferred to the YMCA at some point. The Detroit Institute of Technology began leasing space at the YMCA including the clubhouse.

Photos from the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

The Capital News Service ran an interesting article today on trails and their increased use for transportation.

The Lansing-based Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance also supports linking trails across the state.

It works with local and state agencies in organizing discussions and outlining criteria for selecting corridors to develop.

Nancy Krupiarz, executive director of the alliance, said her organization gears trail expansion toward a non-motorized network for bicyclists. Widening road shoulders for bike lanes and adding signs to alert motorists are part of the initiative.

“Urban trails get more use as a transportation aspect when they are well-connected to businesses and shipping districts,’ said Krupiarz.

The alliance is involved in a plan to add a non-motorized network of bike paths around Detroit. The system will connect neighborhoods, schools, parks, businesses and other major destinations around the city.

The article also discusses Detroit’s recently endorsed non-motorized master plan.

Link: Capital News Service article

It’s been a busy week for bike advocacy and promotion in Detroit this week, which explains the lack of new entries on m-bike.  My job with the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance take precedence over the blog!

So here’s a brief recap of some highlights.

Downriver Trails

The Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative met to provide updates throughout the Downriver area.  In summary, there’s a lot going on from Monroe to the Detroit’s southwest border.  Some of the major trail efforts include:

• I-275 bike path revitalization
• Pathway connections along the Huron River
• The Downriver Delta project – a partnership to connect Southwest Detroit with its neighboring communities
• Humburg Marsh International Wildlife Refuge
• All the water trail (a.k.a. blueway) efforts along the Detroit, Huron, Rouge and other area rivers.

Woodbridge Greenway

A couple University of Michigan students are continuing work to look at possible greenways within Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood.  We discussed many possibilities within the neighbor as well as how it could connect with the Corktown/Mexicantown Greenlink, Midtown Loop, and Wayne State University.  This has huge potential.  Woodbridge is a very cool neighborhood.

Model D Speaker Series

Scott Clein from Giffels-Webster gave a great presentation at the Russell Industrial Center on Tuesday.  He spoke along side John Hertel from the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council.  Yes, it was well-received, but what I found so positive is that we (cyclists and peds) got equal billing with some major transportation leaders.

Rouge 08

This annual event is far more than trails and greenways.  It’s overriding theme is the Rouge Watershed.  Still, trails are a part of efforts to improve the Rouge.  They provide recreation, but also build stewardship by providing access to these valuable regional resources.  If the public doesn’t have access to them, they’re much less likely to become stewards and advocates for their protection.

A couple highlights stuck out at this event.

First, Marathon Oil committed to making their two-thirds ownerships of Fordson Island a greenspace.  This is great news.  Fordson Island sits in the Rouge River just north of the Fort Street bridge.  We had hoped to extend the Rouge Gateway across the island, and this announcement makes that hope much more realistic.

Second, we have some great grassroots groups within the Rouge watershed.  Three addressed the group at Rouge 08: ACCESS, Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV), and the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA).

Lisa Goldstein from SDEV discussed many of the environmental issues facings Southwest Detroit, including the new bridge proposals.  Lisa deserves some big thanks for submitting excellent comments on MDOT’s bridge proposal.  Her comments noted the need to non-motorized access to Canada, as well as access within the bridge/expressway area.

Kathy Wendler from SDBA gave an excellent presentation on a vision for extending the Rouge Gateway around the Fort Street Bridge and Fordson Island.  This is an absolutely amazing project that really justifies the word “Gateway.”  It would tie together green industries with greenways and blueways.  It’s also a presents a paradigm shift.  Yes, this area is heavily industrial, but it’s our heritage and we can celebrate it in very green ways.

Celebrating the first SMART bus bike racks at the State Fairgrounds in April 2004

Prior to the high gas prices, the question was often asked if the SMART bus bike racks were a success.  SMART thought so.  They attributed increased ridership to the bike racks.

SMART can’t run buses to every address.  Being able to use a bike to get from ones true starting point to a bus stop makes buses more viable for many folks, but especially those in less densely developed areas.

Of course fewer asked about the bus racks’ effectiveness during this year’s bump in gas prices.  The answer was quite visible as many more buses had bikes on them.

At yesterday’s Model D speaker series, a SMART representative said they transported bikes 16,000 times last month.  Wow.

In fact due to the increased usage, SMART is now looking to upgrade their bus bike racks so that they carry 3 bikes.

It sounds like that original question won’t be asked as much anymore.

There’s a new Facebook group called Detroit Trails and Greenways.

It’s a group for those interested in trail and greenway opportunities within the Cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park.

We hope this group helps get the word out to bicyclists, walkers, joggers, bladers, skaters and others throughout the area.

Link: To Join or see more details