Tag Archives: then and now
VINTAGE POINT: Farmington’s first newspaper
The Farmington Enterprise (a predecessor to the Farmington Observer) published its first edition on Nov. 2, 1888. This photo shows its office prior to 1926, when the building was razed and rebuilt on the same site (Farmington Road, just south … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Farmington State Savings Bank
Farmington State Savings Bank (now the Village Mall) opened at Grand River and Farmington Road on March 18, 1922. The lobby was marble and walnut, and the vault door weighed more than 10,000 pounds. See the then-and-now slider here. Historic … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Doc’s office/Los Tres Amigos
This house, now demolished, at the site of Los Tres Amigos (33200 Grand River) was once the offices of Drs. E.F. Holcomb, Joseph Norton, and Maynard Whitehead, per a note in the Farmington Community Library Heritage Room’s digital archives. See … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Peoples State Bank
The Peoples State Bank at 33312 Grand River (now Edward Jones Investments) opened in 1918 and closed during the Depression. For years, it served as Farmington’s city hall. “The clerk’s office is in the Farmington State Bank, the treasurer’s office … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
An old shot looking west along Grand River shows the interurban tracks that once ran through downtown Farmington. NEW FEATURE: Have some fun with our interactive then-and-now slider at this link. Historic photo from the Farmington Community Library Heritage Room. Contemporary … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Back to school
The original Farmington High School stood at the end of School Street, just off Grand River at the east side of downtown. It was built in 1888 and burned to the ground in 1918. The building at left in the … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Grocery store grand opening
Two grocery store ribbon cuttings, 55 years apart, both at 23300 Farmington Road. Fresh Thyme opened last Tuesday. The A&P opened February 15, 1961. Note the colonial costumes in the old photo, a nod to the A&P’s ad announcing the … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Farmington Civic Theatre
Movies and air conditioning were both big draws for the Farmington Civic Theatre, as the sign in this late 1940s photo suggests. Historic photo from the Farmington Civic Theatre archives. Contemporary photo by Maria Taylor. VINTAGE POINT is Preservation Farmington’s … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Universalist church
Farmington’s little white Universalist church (old photo, at left) was dedicated on August 28, 1853 at the northeast corner of Warner and Thomas. Its tower had no bell, so the Universalists paid to share the bell in the Methodist church … Continue reading
VINTAGE POINT: Shiawassee Road
This vintage shot of Shiawassee Road was taken around 1900, looking east from Warner Street toward Shiawassee Park. The sledding hill near Our Lady of Sorrows is behind the trees in the back-left corner. The caption on the original photo … Continue reading