HISTORY LOVES COMPANY · SEPTEMBER 27, 2026

Stories We Keep

What we save.
What we lose.
What we build next.

Corktown, Meadow Brook, Poletown, Tigers memories—and a new chapter in Pontiac.

A SUNDAY NOTE FROM CHRIS

Five films. One question.

What makes a place worth keeping?

This week, I walked through a mansion built from an automotive fortune, explored the buildings left behind near an automotive giant, followed Corktown’s streets, and thought about the memories we carry into a ballpark.

Then I came back to The Foundry, where we’re trying to give people a reason to come downtown and build something of their own.

I keep coming back to the people. The family behind a house. The regulars at a market. The person who took you to your first game. Here’s your Sunday catch-up—and where I’d start if you missed a few.

START HERE · 21 MINUTES

Corktown: a neighborhood that kept going.

Irish roots. Historic homes. Michigan Central. Generations of people making a life just west of downtown. This week’s Streets of History takes us through Corktown and the changes that have shaped it.

A restored landmark can draw our attention. I want us to notice the neighborhood around it, too.

INSIDE MEADOW BROOK HALL · 19 MINUTES

What a mansion can tell us.

Meadow Brook Hall has the kind of craftsmanship that makes you stop in a doorway and look up. But behind those rooms is a family story: the Dodge fortune, Matilda Dodge Wilson, loss, ambition, and a legacy that reaches into Oakland University.

Come inside with me. Look at the details, then think about the lives that made them possible.

DODGE MAIN & POLETOWN · 16 MINUTES

The buildings left behind have something to say.

At Chene-Ferry Market and in the area around the former Dodge Main plant, we look for the neighborhood behind the abandoned buildings: the places people shopped, worshipped, worked, and knew by heart.

There’s also a strange detail next door: the “bowling alley” appearance was created for a movie. This is a walk where looking closer changes what you think you’re seeing.

TIGERS BASEBALL · 25 MINUTES

You remember who took you to the game.

Maybe it was your dad. Your grandmother. A friend who always knew where to park. For a lot of us, the history of Tigers baseball comes with somebody sitting beside us.

This week’s baseball film follows the memories connecting Tiger Stadium, Comerica Park, and the conversation about what comes next. Watch it, then tell me about the game—or the person—you still remember.

THE FOUNDRY · 17 MINUTES

Help us write Pontiac’s next chapter.

Back in downtown Pontiac, I’m taking you inside The Foundry: the vendors, vintage finds, creative spaces, and small businesses growing inside the historic Riker Building.

When you watch the history films, you’ll hear me talk about the value of places where people gather. The Foundry is where I’m trying to put that belief to work. Come see what we’re building at 35 W. Huron Street, Pontiac.

SUNDAY · 10 A.M. EASTERN

What Really Killed Downtown America?

The next chapter of They Lied To Us takes the question beyond Detroit. Why did so many downtowns lose the stores, crowds, and everyday routines that once made them the center of community life?

Join me Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern as we look at how that happened—and what those choices still mean for the places we call home.

YOUR TURN

What place do you wish you could walk into one more time?

A corner store? Your grandparents’ kitchen? A neighborhood movie theater? The old ballpark?

Hit reply and tell me the place—and one thing you remember about being there. A smell. A sound. The person behind the counter. Those details are often the ones a history book can’t give us.

If one of these films brought somebody to mind, send it to them. You might get a story back that you’ve never heard.

Thank you for watching and helping me keep these stories alive.

Chris Hubel

Founder, History Loves Company
REALTOR® · @properties Christie’s International Real Estate

Every home has a story, let’s discover yours.

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35 W. Huron Street, Suite 101 · Pontiac, MI 48342