The DUR Waiting Room was located mid-block on the west side of Old Woodward between Maple and Merrill. The structure was designed by the well-known architectural firm of Smith, Hinchman and Grylls. It was built in the early 1900's. The front part of the building included a ticket office, soda fountain and news stand while at the rear, freight carried by the DUR, was stored. You can see tracks crossing the sidewalk. These were used by DUR freight cars heading toward the loading dock on the south side of the building.
The peaked roof you see behind the tree on the north side of the structure was atop Volney Nixon's Dry Goods Store.
When the DUR no longer needed the building it housed the BIRMINGHAM SAVINGS BANK.
To this day, the Bank's emblem is still visible high on the facade of the structure.
After the Bank Holiday declared by President Roosevelt during the early 1930's, the BIRMINGHAM SAVINGS BANK closed. Since then, a number of businesses have been located through the years in the oft remodeled DUR Waiting Room. At this writing it is occupied by OLGA'S KITCHEN. In spite of all the changes made in the structure, the original rounded peak on the south wall, as pointed out by the arrow, is proof that the original building is still hiding inside the modern restaurant.
The DUR often ran two car trains. The first car was motorized, the second was a trailer without power. Both cars were heated with coal stoves which seldom gave out much heat while the vehicles were moving slowly through Detroit traffic. However, as soon as the cars were able to pick up speed in the relatively open country north of Six Mile Road, there was plenty of draft to make the coal fires blaze up and the stoves really put out heat, especially for passengers sitting near them.
When Woodward Avenue was paved, the car tracks in the middle of the street were surrounded by bricks, not concrete. After the Interurban line was abandoned in 1931, the rails and bricks remained in place for over a decade. During World War II, the steel was needed for defense manufacturing and so the rails were removed and replaced with concrete strips. The bricks, however, were left in place until Woodward was repaved some time after the War.
On the next page you will find a collection of OLD ADVERTISING BLOTTERS.
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