John Davids is an architect at Kingscott Associates. In the 1970’s he and his wife fell in love in the lower deck bleachers at Tiger Stadium, it was the one thing they could afford as two young college students. When the stadium was threatened they volunteered to help the Tiger Stadium Fan Club show how remodeling could meet the needs of the fans AND the team, and in 1990 they produced the Cochrane Plan for renovating Tiger Stadium. Although the plan met with widespread praise from architects and baseball fans, the team refused to seriously consider it, preferring to pursue a publicly financed new stadium. These days John avoids major league baseball.
Stadium history
Fun facts
Trivia contest
Cochrane Plan model on display
for the first time in over 20 years!
Royal Oak Architecture, Developers, Subdivisions, and How Our Town Grew
The exhibit runs from Sat. April 30th till Sat. July 16th.
Beer, Wine, Coffee, Cheese & Crackers, Cookies, and other goodies will be served.
Supplied by the Eastern Market Brewing Co.
$10 donation to the Museum.
Your support and contributions will enable us to continue the historic preservation of the City of Royal Oak, Michigan.
We hope you enjoyed this video presented by
board member, Robert Muller.
We are a non-profit organization run by
volunteers and funded solely by your donations.
A donation of any amount to the
Royal Oak Historical Society
would be much appreciated.
Royal Oak Introduced First 'Official Seal' in 1965
Stories about growing up, living and working in Royal Oak.
New Story by Olie Green-Starr
A chronological list of our most recent published newsletters.
To donate to our current operating fund click on the donate button below.
The Royal Oak Historical Society Museum is a 501(c)3
non profit organization
run by volunteers and funded solely by donations.
Founded in 1939, the Royal Oak Historical Society is a private, non-governmental organization of volunteers. We collect, display and preserve information and objects of Royal Oak’s past for current and future generations. Throughout the year we present various special exhibits and provide a venue for other groups and individuals to display their collections.
The society was organized in 1939 by nine women and one man, according to information compiled by local historian Owen Perkins, for his book, "Royal Oak, Michigan, The Early Years," published in 1971.
The founders were civic activists, representing such organizations as the Library; Ezra Parker Chapter of the Daughter of the American Revolution; Chamber of Commerce; American Association of University Women; Royal Oak Woman's Club; and the Royal Oak Memorial Society. Members of most of those same organizations remain active in the society
The Royal Oak Historical Society Museum came to be in March 2004, when five women each contributed $1000 to purchase the collection of Bill Rasmussen. The women were Agnes Buhalski, Pat Eaves, Bonnie Linehan, Blanche Myerhoven Roth, and Muriel Versagi.
Our annual Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast at the Farmers Market, Car Show, and Woodward Memories exhibits along with WWII, Viet Nam, Korea, and Civil war exhibits also help keep Royal Oak's history alive.
We always need volunteers in all areas of Museum operations. If you are interested in any of the activities listed below please contact us at 248-439-1501 or curator@royaloakhistoricalsociety.org.
Docents and Tour Guides
Exhibit Planning and Preparation
Registrar Assistance
Scanning Documents and Photographs
Research Royal Oak Families
Collections Research
Library Assistance
Grant Writers
Conduct and Transcribe Oral History Interviews
Board Member
Manage Museum Gift Shop ( Sales & Record Keeping)
