Dawes Avenue Block Club

Dawes Avenue Block Club

How Much Oral History Do You Know About Dawes?

Did you know that Dawes street is named after Charles Gates Dawes. Mr.. Dawes pursued two careers during his lifetime, one in business and finance, the other in public service. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1925. He was the vice president of the United States, serving in office from 1925 to 1929 under the 30th President Calvin Coolidge. He had achieved worldwide recognition for his report on German reparations in 1924. From June of 1929 to January of 1932, Dawes was the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. In 1930 he was a delegate to the London Naval Conference; in 1932 he accepted the chairmanship of the American delegation to the Disarmament Conference in Geneva but resigned to accept the chairmanship of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a governmental agency empowered to lend money to banks, railroads, and other businesses in effort to prevent total economic collapse during the depression. Dawes led a full life in the commercial and political world until the age of sixty-seven; he wrote nine books; he discharged countless civic duties. He died of a coronary thrombosis on April 23, 1951.

Did you know that Dawes block is composed of 68 homes located on three streets bounded by Joy, Wyoming, Ohio, and Oakman. Originally called the Aviation and Ellis Subdivision, the development for the first block between Joy and Wyoming, was platted in 1927 and 1928. Development within the block was halted due to the stock market crash of 1929 but began again in 1950. In the second block between Wyoming and Stawell, homes was slowly platted between 1928 and 1958 with one home built in 1973. Finally, between Stawell and Ohio only one home platted in 1930 and this block would not see another home built until 1942 putting another halt to building because of the Great Depression and World War II. After WWII the remaining homes were platted between 1946 lasting until 1953.

Did you know that the Oakman Boulevard Historic District is named after Robert Oakman, the realtor and land developer who developed this major boulevard during the second decade of the twentieth century. The development of the district was directly related to Detroit's industrial boom at the turn of the century, which caused the boundaries of the city to push outward.

Did you know that the original name of Oakman Boulevard was Ford Highway which was later changed to Oakman Highway and later Oakman Boulevard.

Did you know that the Oakman Boulevard ran from the old Highland Park plant of the Ford Motor Company to its River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Oakman planted the area with flowers, trees and shrubs from all over the world. His plan was to have these trees catalogued so that students wishing to study them could do so.

Did you know that in Robert Oakman career, it was not unusual for him to sell from $200,000 to $100,000 per week in lots. He had subdivided and sold over 3,100 acres of land in the City of Detroit and hundreds of thousands of Detroiters, including Dawes street is a former Oakman lots.

Did you know before Robert Oakman bought the Oakman lots that it was nothing but farm land. It's also said that the Aviation and Ellis subdivisions area has the richest black soil dirt resulting in the best planted flowers, plants and vegetables.

Did you know the first block of Dawes was called Aviation field subdivision later rename to Bonaparte Ave subdivision. The second and third block of Dawes is known as the Ellis and Oakman subdivision.

Did you know when Robert Oakman decided to retired he auction off 140 of his lots on Monday, June 26, 1939, in the MacFarlane subdivision abounded by Joy Road, W. Chicago Blvd. and west from Wyoming Ave to a line midway between Wyoming Ave and Schaefer Highway. This subdivision adjoins the Oakman Aviation field subdivision. During this time there were 115 owner-occupied homes in the MacFarlane subdivision.

Did you know that Robert Oakman had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in building his vision of roads, sidewalks, parkways and pavements, then turning some areas over to the City of Detroit free of cost. Robert Oakman died in 1942.

Did you know that Joy Road was named after Henry B. Joy. Henry B. Joy, was the President of Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit around 1913. The Packard Motor Car Company, which built Detroit's first, and for many years most prestigious, luxury cars, produced over a million vehicles on this site from 1903 to 1954.

...so now you know.

About our association

Members of Board of Directors

With the assistance of Mr. Roland Crosby, President of the Barton McFarland Neighborhood Association, on August 1, 2002 it was unanimously voted upon by those who came to the first meeting, to have the Dawes Street Block Club reinstated. The Board meets monthly in the homes of its members or at the Barton McFarland Neighborhood Center.

Listed below are the current members of the board and committee assignments.

President: Christine Bradshaw
Vice President: John Paul & Tracy McCullough
Secretary: Tracy McCullough & Margo Thornton
Historian: Leonard McGregor
Block Capitan: Jay Tanksley

Snow Removal: Mrs. Williams
Membership: Ms. Anderson and Mrs. Thornton
Beautification: Ms. Terrance and Mrs. Bradshaw
Youth Committee: Ms. McCullough and Ms. Slater
Senior Committee: Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Simmons