The legacy of Interstate 496: How a highway displaced Lansing's largest Black neighborhood 

My father was born in 1914 on CHERRY STREET in Lansing, Michigan. Before 496 was built Cherry Street (and many other streets) ran south in Lansing right down to the Grand River. Soon after my father was born, his family moved to Detroit. Many years later, while doing genealogical research, he discovered the exact address of his childhood home on Cherry Street back in 1914. He soon discovered that his home would have stood right in the middle of present day 496! If you go to the following site you will see how Lansing looked way back in 1847. You can zoom in on the old map. It shows the many streets that still exist today, and it also gives you an idea how many homes and neighborhoods were destroyed to make way for 496.