Flint Photos: Bassett Park Panoramic

Flint's Bassett Place. (Click to enlarge)

 I wanted to re-post this item from Jan 11, 2010 after getting a great comment on the micro history of Bassett Place from an anonymous reader:

Wow, I am really glad I came across this site. I believe I am probably the last "baby" to grow up on Bassett Place and actually make it out with a Flint education that was useful and now allows me to be a 20-something year old professional.

I grew up at 2414 Bassett Place and my parents were the first African-American family to move in on that street in 1977. My parents were young homeowners, my mom 20 yrs of age and my dad 22 yrs of age at that time. My grandpa decided to move into 2410 Bassett Place in 1982 where he could now be close to his three grandkids not knowing that in two years my mom would add twins (girl and boy) to the family. For those that view the slide show of Bassett Place, you may scratch your head wondering what kind of house was at the now 2310 Bassett Place vacant lot. I think those that lived on Bassett Place would agree with me that this house stood out from the rest and it was very beautiful. It actually looked as if it belonged in the Mott Park estates. What a shame that it had to be torn down. A couple years back, my grandpa tried to buy 2406 Bassett Place when it became available for purchase. He has not bought it as of this year but I am thinking of going back and buying it.

When i was 6 years old, I can still remember riding my bike and trespassing into the backyard of 2402 Bassett Place and wondering who painted that beautiful mural on the adjacent neighbors' garage. Actually, it is still there today, just tremendously faded from weathering. The only original people still living on Bassett Place from the late 1960s/early 1970s would be the Buchlers at 2426 Bassett Place. For those that may have known the family living at 2422 Bassett Place, one of the sons is a Flint Police Officer and he told me that according to records that Bassett Place has still not received a 911 call for any type of domestic violence in probably 20 years and that is positively astonishing concerning the amount of violence happening day in and day out in the immediate area.

I moved away from the area after graduating from college and now live in Salt Lake City, UT. It amazes me to see the transformation of Downtown Flint and the reopening of all those once-closed businesses that line downtown Saginaw St. I guess I was having a bit of a moment while writing this note. My mom just texted me to let me know that the "Back to the Bricks" car show is happening this weekend and I had to Google Flint to see what was going on. Again, I am happy to have come across others beings who lived on Bassett Place and to hear and to share of all of the memories we hold dear in our hearts.

Here's the original post:

Bassett Place looking remarkably well-preserved last spring. The rest of Civic Park isn't faring quite so well. Thanks to Randy Gearhart for the shot. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Flint Portraits: Matt DeFrain

"News Stand" by Matt DeFrain

Artist and Designer Matt DeFrain grew up on Brownell across from Bassett Park in Flint. He's now the associate creative director for Grant Design Collaborative in Canton, Georgia. Matt was once hired by the city of Flint to spray paint murals in downtown, and his list of clients now includes everyone from Adobe Systems to the Motorola Cycling Team.

He also creates sculpture from found objects at his studio in a 1950s service station in Marietta, Georgia. Here's how he describes his creative process:

I always lost things that were important to me as a kid. My grandmother suggested praying to St. Anthony to find them. My mother advised that I empty my pockets before tossing them into the dirty laundry. And my friends reminded me to lock things up. Many years later I am proud to say that I've finally turned things around. I now spend much of my spare time finding things. Some of them valuable, but most not. Much of what I find has been well used in its previous life. Aged by the force of the human hand to function in some utilitarian way. I use these found items as a palette for representing visual metaphors. Combined together, these elements become unique one-of-a-kind sculptures which describe important events or times in my life. Both good and bad, with a little wit mixed in. I humbly dedicate these thoughtful conglomerations to all of the time spent looking for that which I've lost.

Eco/Mix poster designed by Matt DeFrain and Cassie Hester of the Grant Design Collaborative.

"Best Foot Forward II" by Matt DeFrain


Matt DeFrain (the tall guy in back) and the Flint Academy golf team in the early eighties.

Flint Photos: Knife-Wielding Thugs in Bassett Park

Thankfully, I've completely forgotten the circumstances that led me to be photographed in Bassett Park in 1975 wearing a pink polyester shirt, flexing my chicken-bone arms, and biting a very large knife with my very large teeth. This was during the "Gangs of Flint" era, so it may have been some sort of initiation ritual. Only one thing is certain: I was no longer getting buzz cuts at Johnny's Barber Shop on Lewis Street.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Fink is on the far left, and the house Dave McDonald eventually bought is on the far right.