This photograph is of the eastside of the 200 block of South Michigan Avenue, Howell, Michigan, and was taken as part of documentation for the R/UDAT Study, 1984. In view is the Michigan Avenue Laundry and its parking lot, at 211, Jims' Barber Shop at 209, State Farm Insurance Company at 203 and the Army Recruiting Center at 201 South Michigan Avenue. Further north is the First National Bank at 101 East Grand River Avenue, and in view, also, is the peak of the Livingston County Courthouse.
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.
