U-Matic

City Clips - Detroit
Low Income Apts, Park, Construction
05-08-89
Tape 4

U-Matic S tape containing b-roll footage predominately highlighting the exteriors of housing developments around the city--the Himelhoch's apartments, Elmwood Village, Parkview Tower, Elmwood Towers Senior Citizen Residence, the Ralph Bunch Co-Op, Franklin Wright Village, Jefferson Square, Greyhaven: A Marina Village, and Clement Kern Gardens. The tape also features shots of traffic on the John C. Lodge Freeway, businesses around the Avenue of Fashion at Livernois Avenue and Seven Mile Road, the Detroit Police Department Mini-Station on Washington Boulevard, the Coleman A. Young Community Center, the St. Aubin Marina, construction at Chene Park, Stroh's River Place, Detroit Riverview Hospital, the construction site for Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant, and Bing Steel's location at West Grand Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue. The initial shots have sound, while the rest of the tape is silent.

The tape opens with a shot of approaching traffic on the John C. Lodge Freeway, shot from the shoulder, presumably west of the base of the Livernois entrance ramp.

After a cut, the recording resumes in parking lot of the Farmer Jack off of the northwest corner of Seven Mile Road and Livernois Avenue, for several views of the building's exterior and sign.

After another cut, the camera is repositioned on the west side of Livernois Avenue, north of Seven Mile Road, in front of Sibley's Florsheim Shoes. From this spot, the camera rotates around to show several other nearby storefronts. These include a Detroit Neighborhood City Hall, which receives its own close-up.

The remainder of the tape is silent. The silent footage begins with views of the sign for the Himelhoch's apartments, as shot from Washington Boulevard with the pedestrian mall's decorative elevated red metal structure, in the foreground. Also along the Washington Boulevard pedestrian mall, the camera gets a close-up of the Detroit Police Department Mini-Station sign outside of the David Whitney Building.

The next segment of the tape feature shot of the exteriors of housing developments, incorporating their signs, around the Elmwood Park area. Elmwood Village (off the northwest side of Robert Bradby Drive), and Parkview Tower (directly across the street) are both featured. From the adjacent parking lot of the Coleman A. Young Community Center, the camera also gets shots of the building's exterior. These shots include its sign and entrance, and a shot of a woman walking toward the entrance. Shots then follow of the sign and exterior of the Elmwood Towers Senior Citizen Residence (west of the intersection of Chene Street and Macomb Street), as well as a woman walking past in the foreground. Next, the Ralph Bunch Co-Op (along the southeast of Lafayette Street, between Chene Street and St. Martin Place), and Franklin Wright Village (on the north corner of Chene Street and Lafayette Street) receive a similar treatment.

St. Aubin Marina is the focus of the next series of shots. The camera pans around the Marinna, where all the slips are empty. In the background appears to be piles of earth from construction adjacent to the marina's building on shore to the west.

The video then moves to Chene Park where workers and equipment are shown preparing to pour concrete for the amphitheater. People are also filmed walking along the paths to the east of the construction site, at the park's entrance at Chene Street and Atwater Street. The camera gets close-ups of both the park's sign and the construction sign with the amphitheater site in the background. A brief shot follows of the entrance to 300 River Place, part of the Stroh's River Place complex, before the crew returns to Chene and Atwater.

After the Chene Part footage, the camera films an exterior shot of Detroit Riverview Hospital, from near Baldwin Street and Jefferson Avenue.

Several shots follow showing an eastward view across the construction site for Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant, with a Chrysler Corporation sign beside an illuminated "Working to be the Best" sign atop a building in the background. The site's construction sign--which names the project as the New Jefferson Assembly Plant (Jefferson-Conner Industrial Revitalization Project)-- also receives a pair of close-ups.

In the next shot, a pair of men rake around the sing for the Jefferson Square housing project, on the north corner of DIckerson Avenue and Freud Street. The apartment units are visible in the background.

The filming then moves to the construction site for Grayhaven: A Marina Village for several shots. The first shows two structures under construction, and the following ones show the housing from across the canal to the east.

After another change of location, filming resumes outside of Bing Steel Incorporated's Steel Service Center at 1130 West Grand Boulevard. Here the camera captures the building's entrance, sign, and of trucks using the company's Magnolia Avenue dock.

The final portion of the tape features the grounds of Clement Kern Gardens. This includes shots of the exteriors of the apartments, Edward Chasney's statue of Father Clement Kern, a boy riding a bike through the area, and a woman walking past the units along Bagley Avenue.

The recording is on a UCA-30s U-Matic S tape with a handwritten 3M label on its top. The tape is housed in a black plastic latching case with a handwritten City of Detroit Department of Public Information Video Production label on its cover. The case also contains a handwritten shot list:

City Clips #4 Low Income Housing, Park, Construction
Bars 00 - 22
Lodge Fwy 22 - 1:39
Farmer Jack 7 Mile 1:39 - 2:24
7 Mile/Livernois 2:24 - 3:07
Himelhoch's's Apt. 3:07 - 4:13
Det. Mini Station 4:13 - 4:40
Elmwood Apts 4:40 - 5:13
Parkview towers 5:13 - 5:55
Elmwood Apt 5:55 - 6:11
Coleman Young Rec Center 6:11 - 8:50
Elmwood Towers 8:50 - 10:23
Ralph Bunche 10:23 - 10:59
Franklin Wright Village 10:59 - 11:49
Marina [crossed out:w/ construction] 11:49 - 13:56
Construction 13:56 - 16:05
Chene Park 16:05 - 17:36
300 River Place Address 17:36 - 18:08
Chene Park 18:08 - 19:20
Det. River view hospital 19:20 - 20:06
New Chrysler Plant site 20:06 - 21:21
New Jefferson Assembly sign 21:21 - 22:24
Jefferson Square 22:24 - 23:27
Grayhound [sic] marina & apt 23:27 - 25:30
Bing Steel 25:30 - 26:55