“That’s the I Spy, that’s the I Spy!” exclaimed Matthew DeBona, pointing out the car window at the Simpson Memorial Institute on Observatory at East Ann. Matthew is “our resident Mr. I Spy,” explains his father, Robert, and as the family cruised the campus area in search of December’s feature, Matthew was the first to recognize the balustrade and vase atop the neoclassical structure.
It’s “just down the street from the new Cardiology Building,” notes C.F. Gehrke, M.D., and is named for “Henry James Simpson, a Detroit industrialist, who [suffered] from Pernicious Anemia (diagnosis at the time).” Louisa Griffes adds that it was his widow, “Mrs. Catherine MacDonald Simpson,” who “donated $400,000 to UM to have the building constructed as a memorial” to him. Originally this Albert Kahn–designed building was a research facility with offices, laboratories and an inpatient treatment ward for patients with blood disorders, Griffes continues; it now “houses the Center for the History of Medicine.”
Pamela Kittel won our random drawing among sixteen entrants. “OMG!” she exclaimed. “It’s about time.” She’ll enjoy her $25 gift certificate at Grizzly Peak.
To enter this month’s contest, use the clue and photo on the “Back Page” of the January Observer to find the spot shown, then follow the instructions at the bottom of the page.
