AT&T on Washington
I Spy: September 2020
by Sally Bjork
From the October, 2020 issue
"I found it," writes Kimberly Barrett about September's I Spy--AT&T's control office at 315 E. Washington. "The more elaborate facade is the backside of the building."
"The photo shows one of eight stone rosettes in the spandrels between the first and second floor windows," adds Larry Kestenbaum. To his informed eye, the bricklaying was "dead giveaway--Flemish Bond: alternating headers and stretchers in each course of brick."
"The building formerly known as Michigan Bell ... was built in 1925," writes David Karl. It was "designed by architect William Kapp--also known for Rackham Hall."
"This was a lot of fun to figure out," says Dan Romanchik. It "backs up to where the A&P Cleaners was located," writes Silvia Ruiz, referring to the clue about "the first drive-thru cleaners in
the area." Louisa Griffs appreciated that connection to August's puzzle--A&P "moved from their Liberty Street location to 312 E. Huron in November, 1956." At the time, writes Barb Tester, the newspaper quoted "owner David Mayerstein as saying ... 'customers will enter through a door on Fifth Ave. ... and drive out of a Huron St. exit.'"
We received thirteen correct entries in September, and Andrea Mayerstein Ludwig won our random drawing. She writes, "the hunt was another thrill for me ... my parents, Dave & Katherine, were ... the originators" of the drive-thru.
Mayerstein will enjoy her $25 gift certificate at Zingerman's. To enter this month's contest, use the image and clue above to find the location and send your answer to the address below.
[Originally published in October, 2020.]

Local profiles, stories from readers, and more.
>> BlogsPontiac Trail?
Question Corner: January 2020
Outdoor Education
Habitats, goats, and bird feeding
U-M athletics update
Behind the Walls
I Spy: December 2020
A Wrong Made Right
How Don Simons finally got the award he was cheated out of in 1961.
Giving in the Time of Covid
Local nonprofits have never needed more help-or been more needed.
You might also like:
![]() |
Fast Food in Dexter |
![]() |
Ginger Deli Is Back
With banh mi, pho, and plans for a work space
|
![]() |
Restaurants with Wi-Fi
A clickable zoomable map
|
![]() |
Subscribe to the Ann Arbor Observer |
![]() |
Election Notes
A record turnout, new faces in local offices, and overwhelming support for a housing millage.
|
![]() |
Marijuana in the Park?
Question Corner: November 2020
|
![]() |
Arcadian Antiques
A family business holds on
|
![]() |
Nightspots: Habitat Lounge |
![]() |
Coffee Rebound
Michael McFall thought he would spend 2020 celebrating Biggby Coffee's twenty-fifth anniversary.
|
![]() |
Turning Point
As Covid-19 deaths climbed in December, the first vaccines reached frontline workers.
|