The Lake Shore Debate: Road or Drive

Have you ever taken the long way around Grosse Pointe so you could drive along the lake? I do it all of the time. In fact, sometimes I do laps. I am not ashamed.  Call me a Lake St. Clair junkie.

And if there is a train of down-bound freighters on a sunny afternoon, well then watch out. You might see me drive from Warner to Vernier and back again more times than I would prefer to admit. And with gas prices steadily around $3.50, it’s no longer an inexpensive past time.

I know I am not the only one who has a love affair with our pretty lakeside road.  The beautiful roadway has been featured prominently in several films—Grosse Pointe Blank and more recently, Gran Torino.  

The reason I am sharing with you my little obsession is because for years now—no decades—I have heard conflicting answers to one very simple question: how does one spell Lake Shore? Is it one word or two? 

Now don’t assume your author thinks the correct spelling is two words.  I could just as easily be persuaded with the right amount of evidence to believe that it is, in fact, Lakeshore.

But the question is slightly more complicated than that. Not only does there seem to be a back-and-forth on the “is it one word or is it two” question, I have also heard conflicting reports about whether it is a Road or a Drive.

Now anyone outside of Grosse Pointe might think this is an absolutely ludicrous topic for discussion, but Grosse Pointers are adamant about whichever spelling they believe to be correct. 

Moreover, if you are a Pointer who thinks it is a Drive and you meet a Pointer who is absolutely sure that it’s a Road, you might be in for a long, exhausting, and futile debate. There are two solid camps, and neither seems to want to budge on the issue.

So, I thought I’d roll up my sleeves and put an end to this nearly century-long debate once and for all.

Choices and theories

You wouldn’t think finding the answer to this age-old debate would be so difficult.  There only four choices—one of which ought to be correct

• Lake Shore Road
• Lake Shore Drive
• Lakeshore Road
• Lakeshore Drive

It has to be just one of them, right?

Not exactly. There are some Pointers who believe that it can be both, and all theories have merit until proven wrong. The prevailing theory among some is that it is a 'Road' when you cannot see the lake--meaning between Fisher & Warner and Vernier & the Ford House. From Warner to Vernier, where the lake is in full view, it is a 'Drive.'

And while we are tossing out theories, your author was always under the impression that it had something to do with the cities—because the road is in both Grosse Pointe Farms & Grosse Pointe Shores, just maybe this debate stems from a municipal difference.

Community websites might have an answer, right?

I thought checking out some local websites might be a good place to start, but oh I had no idea how wrong I could be.

I went to websites of various parks, clubs, and organizations and jotted down their addresses exactly as listed. I discovered the following (from north to south):

• The website lists their address as 1100 Lake Shore Road.
• The website lists their address 788 Lake Shore Road
• The Grosse Pointe Farms website lists the as both 350 Lake Shore Road & 350 Lakeshore Road.  Take your pick.
• The lists their address as 276 Lake Shore Road.
• The website lists their address as both 32 Lakeshore Drive and 32 Lake Shore Drive. Again, take your pick.
• The website lists their address as 16 Lakeshore Drive.

Confused yet? All four possible spelling combinations are present. The addresses serve as solid indication that the street has many spelling variations for seemingly no reason.

This isn’t over yet

If you are in a hurry for an answer, or among those who are absolutely certain Lake Shore Road is correct, you'll be pleased to know that Google Maps happens to agree.

I am not content just yet, and I may be in the minority, but I'm not convinced Google is always right. There has to be more to the story, and I am going to find out what it is. After some extensive and exhaustive historical digging, I’ll report back.  

Until then, share your own thoughts and theories. Evidence, of course, is also welcome.