This photograph is of the storefront of the Hobby Center, 206 South Michigan Avenue, Howell, Michigan, and was taken as part of documentation for the R/UDAT Study, 1984.
In 1983, the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce applied for a R/UDAT (Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team) study, an American Institute of Architects program that brought a team of professionals to the city for a four-day period to study Howell's downtown, its ability to compete for regional shopping, and to make recommendations for improvements to re-vitalize the city. The team, in 1984, during the study took photographs, interviewed people, held forums, and in the end provided an outline of strategies.