Flint Photos: Bassett Place

It appears the scrappers have finally descended on my childhood home on Bassett Place in Flint's historic Civic Park neighborhood.

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 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.

Applegate Survives G.M. Dealership Cuts

Applegate Chevrolet, the last G.M. dealership in the Flint city limits, is not on the list of 1,100 dealerships whose franchises will not be renewed next year. (Go here for the full list.)

Slick, a long-time reader and former resident of Bassett Place, provides an update from Applegate:

Just a little update from the old hometown. Yes, Applegate Chevrolet will remain in business. We did not receive one of the doomsday letters. Of course there were a few tense moments but that didn't really occur until the 24 hrs leading up to the announcement. We got word around noon Friday that we weren't getting a letter and that we needed to order some cars.

Applegate Chevrolet was started in 1928 by Clyde Applegate and was downtown near where the current City Hall is. The present owner Jim Applegate was born the same year his father started the dealership. In 1950 Clyde felt that the dealership needed to expand and began construction on the present site which was opened in 1952. Many of the local businessmen warned Clyde that he was taking a risky venture by moving so far out of town all the way down to Atherton Road and Saginaw Street. They felt he was too far away from the city.

We remain the only GM dealership in the city limits of Flint. Isn't it ironic that the birthplace of General Motors has only one dealership? The employees of the dealership for the most part felt confident that our performance and Mr. Applegate's integrity and straight forward way of doing business would sustain the storm and survive the cut.

Some felt that our location would be a hindrance to our longevity....perhaps it worked in our favor...who really knows...it's impossible to second guess or try to predict GM's thinking. Remaining in business is not only a victory for Mr. Applegate and his employees but also a victory for Flint. I feel that is the untold story. How strange would it be for Flint not to have a GM dealership?

I think all of my associates will agree that we are relieved and proud to be able to continue to serve the residents of Flint and surrounding areas with their vehicle needs in the vehicle city.

Bassett Place

Jim Holbel's recent visit to Flint brought back a lot of memories of the old neighborhood. I wondered if I had any photos of my house at 2402 Bassett Place. I did a little digging and found this shot from June 1972, taken the day my older brother, Matt, graduated from Powers.

Whose idea was the orange graduation gown? Rumor has it there was a rigged election at the high school that led to the color selection. Can you say "voter fraud"? My brother asked me not to name any names. The good news is that the gowns could also be worn for deer hunting, highway construction work or Denver Broncos games.

That's me in the left corner, acting up in the looming shadow of my 6' 5" brother, and sporting a classic seventies outfit — red pants and a purple shirt. My grandpa, Verne McFarlane, is in one of the suits he wore every day except Saturday. My mom is in front with my grandma, Leone, in one of her many stylish sweater ensembles. And the house itself features the green aluminum siding that I've heard it still has today.

You might also notice the lawn chair in the lower left corner. This was back in the days when you could sit on the front lawn in the shade and watch the baseball games across the street.

Summer vacation

Reilly and Emilia Holbel outside Balkan Bakery. Look closely and you can see the bakery's high-tech security system. (Just click on photo for a larger image.)

Jim Holbel, a Flint Expatriate now living in Atlanta and the former member of Dissonance, recently visited the old hometown with his family and paid a visit to one of Flint's amazing survivors — Balkan Bakery on Dayton Place across from Civic Park School.

Here is Jim's report from the field:

Our kids think Flint is kinda neat, mostly because it seems like a small town to them compared to Atlanta.

We conducted an informal test to determine if the taste for chili dogs is learned or genetic. (I know... Coneys, but that’s not what they are called in ATL.) My son, Reilly, ate a chili dog at Atlanta's legendary Varsity before leaving. During the visit we took him to Angelos. (Have they poured even a penny into that place since 1980?) It was as close to a 'side-by-side' comparison test as one can get. Reilly voted the Angelos Koegel Coney superior, scientifically proving that hot dog appreciation is genetically inherited. I'm thinking I can get a grant for that one.

The visit to Balkan Bakery was just a whim during our drive through. I'm telling you that place is EXACTLY the same inside — same paneling, same display case, same news clippings taped to the wall. Barbara has been there for 38 years. She has pretty good recall of all the old business in that strip, their demise and replacement. I didn't take notes, but if ever you need a bar bet settled she could help.

We drove by all my old schools (Civic Park, Walker, Whittier, Central, Northern, GMI), which bored the kids to tears.

We stopped by Hidden Park, and it appeared to be completely overgrown. It looked abandoned. I didn't go in, mostly because there was a fair amount of people hangin’ on the street corners and I wasn't real comfy leaving my wife, Dayna, and kids in the car, nor bringing them with me, so off we went.

The kids highlight was stopping by the D&R market on Mackin and Chevrolet — the other end of 'strip mall' from the old Ruggero's — where our friends Steve and Rick have been working forever. Steve let the kids pick out any treats they wanted 'on him' and they got some candy and Faygos. I must admit they have never seen plexi-glass walls in a store before, so there were some questions in that area.

Beyond that my wife and I mostly played 'look what got torn down' as we drove around.

Oh…I think weeds are some kind of protected species in Flint. What else could explain the fervor with which they are preserved?

Emilia and Reilly meet Barbara at Balkan Bakery. The bread is fresh; the wall decorations were there in the eighties.

Emilia and Reilly hang out in front of the weed and concrete savanna that was once Comber's and, later, Double D Market. The garage in the background to the left, now being reclaimed by the urban forest, was once a staging area for pelting cars with snowballs. Delmar Street is directly behind them, and the houses in the background are on Humbolt Street.

Double D requiem

The mysterious Slick checks in with a brief personal history of Bassett Place and the Civic Park neighborhood:

"Our first home was on Bassett Place which is just around the corner from Civic Park School and closer to Haskell Community Center. It was a quiet neighborhood when we moved there in 1982. We had Double D market and Balkan Bakery. Haskell was actually still open with a nice pool. Bassett Park had tennis courts and softball fields. As time went on and the neighborhood changed in that the old folks died off and their kids began renting those homes it was no longer a safe neighborhood. When my next door neighbor resorted to crack sales as a means of making a living and with his gun play and stripping stolen vehicles in the driveway I was advised by a Flint Police officer friend of mine that it was time for me to leave. So, after 7 1/2 years I sold my house for a loss and we left with our lives. A sad but true story."