Join the Historical Society of Greater Lansing for a walking tour of Mt. Hope Ave between Cedar St. and Washington Ave. The tour will include a walk through of the magnificent Walter French Junior High School which was recently converted into housing. The tour will includes discussions about how the neighborhood evolved over time and the changing businesses that occupied the area. The tour begins at the southwest corner of the former Walter French Junior High School at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 26. Parking is available at the back of the school.

Did you know that A&P and a Kroger Store were located in the neighborhood along with Tom’s Shoprite or that the former Huapei Korean restaurant was previously a popular hangout for junior high students called the Yankee Cone Shop in one reiteration. Or that the Quality Dairy headquarters was once the home of a truck manufacturing company and during WWII was converted to a war-time plant manufacturing wooden propellors. It also served as a facility to manufacture REO Lawnmowers and an amazing array of other items. In the 1950s it became Clark Department Store, the city’s first discount department store.

Also at one time the area was home to several gas stations. Learn more about the entrepreneur who built the grand home that now serves as the Casa de Rosado Galeria and Cultural Center. The walking tour is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the MSU Federal Credit Union.