© Sally Bjork

Pineapple as Raspberry

September's I Spy update

by Sally Bjork

posted 10/2/2009

"The post-modern pineapple," writes Alice Ralph, identifying September's I Spy photo, "tops the building for Liberty Title at 111 North Main." Adds Siri Gottlieb: "It may have been installed as a nod to home ownership. The pineapple came to be a symbol of hospitality in Colonial times."

Indeed, according to a 1991 Observer article, the pineapple and other architectural elements were added by Liberty Title owners Tom and Michele Richardson as a playful riposte to the construction of the drab, eleven-story One North Main next door. The pineapple in particular, Michele said, was intended as "a warm, welcoming symbol to people coming into town." Entrant Herbert Winful finds it so. He writes, "[I]n the deep freeze of winter, the sight of tropical fruit sprouting on top of a downtown Ann Arbor building always makes me smile."

We received sixteen correct entries. Our random drawing winner, David Shoup, will receive a copy of Jonathan Marwil's History of Ann Arbor.

To enter this month's contest, use the photo and clue on p. 91 of the October Ann Arbor Observer. Then follow the instructions at the bottom of the page. The deadline for this month's drawing is October 9.   

[Originally published in October, 2009.]