The Dream Cruise Looks Different From Pontiac — And That’s Exactly Why We’re Taking It to the Roof
Every August, Woodward Avenue becomes something completely different.
For a few days, the road that normally carries commuters between Detroit, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Pontiac becomes one enormous rolling museum.
Muscle cars. Hot rods. Corvettes. GTOs. Cadillacs. Cars people have spent decades restoring. Cars they remember riding in as kids. Cars they finally bought after dreaming about them for 30 years.
The Woodward Dream Cruise is obviously about cars.
But I’ve always thought it was really about place.
And this year, we’re experiencing it from one of my favorite places in Pontiac.
The roof of the historic Riker Building.
Woodward Doesn’t End Before Pontiac
When people talk about the Dream Cruise, Pontiac sometimes feels like the forgotten end of the story.
You hear Birmingham.
Royal Oak.
Ferndale.
Detroit.
But Woodward Avenue runs directly into downtown Pontiac, and Pontiac’s relationship with the automobile is about as deep as it gets.
This is the city whose name was once stamped onto millions of cars.
Pontiac Motor Division.
Truck and Bus.
Fisher Body.
General Motors.
Factories, dealerships, engineering facilities and generations of families whose lives were connected to the automobile industry.
So when classic cars come rolling into downtown Pontiac during Dream Cruise weekend, they aren’t arriving somewhere disconnected from the history.
They’re coming home to it.
The View From the Riker Building
The Foundry sits inside the historic Riker Building at 35 W Huron Street in downtown Pontiac, just steps from Woodward.
Normally, when you walk through our doors, you’ll find local makers, vintage pieces, artwork, antiques, oddities, Pontiac merchandise and small businesses trying to turn an idea into something bigger.
Dream Cruise weekend gives us an opportunity to do something different.
We’re taking the party upstairs.
From the rooftop, you can look out over downtown Pontiac and Woodward Avenue while the cars roll through below.
And there’s something about seeing the Dream Cruise from above that completely changes the experience.
Instead of watching one car pass at a time, you begin to see the whole scene.
The buildings.
The crowds.
The traffic.
The architecture.
The cars weaving through a downtown that has been watching automobiles travel through it for more than a century.
That intersection between history and what is happening right now is exactly what History Loves Company is supposed to be about.
Come Shop. Then Head Upstairs.
Our idea is pretty simple.
Come downtown.
Visit The Foundry.
Support one of the local businesses or makers inside.
And join us on the rooftop.
We’ll have extended Dream Cruise weekend activity at The Foundry, local vendors, music, scavenger hunts, vintage finds and plenty happening throughout the building.
And for paying customers, we’ll be offering access to our rooftop Dream Cruise experience.
No enormous ticket price.
No velvet rope trying to make the event feel inaccessible.
Just another reason to walk into downtown Pontiac, discover something interesting and experience the Dream Cruise from a completely different perspective.
This Is What I Want The Foundry to Become
When we opened The Foundry, I never wanted it to simply become another store.
The bigger idea has always been creating a place where commerce, history, storytelling and community overlap.
A place where somebody can sell the first product they ever made.
Where an antique can find another owner.
Where someone can discover the history of the building they’re standing inside.
Where a musician can perform.
Where we can premiere documentaries.
Where people who haven’t been downtown in years have a reason to come back.
And sometimes, where we can open a door, walk five stories up and watch hundreds of classic cars cruise down Woodward Avenue.
That’s the fun of building something like this.
We’re still figuring out what The Foundry can become.
Pontiac Has One of the Best Backdrops on Woodward
There is something visually different about watching the Dream Cruise downtown.
Historic buildings create the walls of the street.
People line the sidewalks with folding chairs.
Engines echo between buildings.
And every few seconds something completely unexpected rolls by.
A perfectly restored GTO.
An old station wagon.
A supercar.
A bizarre custom build.
A car somebody’s grandfather bought new.
You don’t need to understand horsepower or know every model year to appreciate it.
You just need to stand there long enough.
Eventually something drives past that makes you say:
“I haven’t seen one of those in years.”
And suddenly a car becomes a memory.
That’s why millions of people continue coming back.
So Where Will You Be Watching From?
If you’re heading out for the Woodward Dream Cruise this year, make Pontiac part of the trip.
Walk downtown.
Explore.
Grab something from one of the makers at The Foundry.
Look around the Riker Building.
And then come upstairs and see Woodward from a perspective you probably haven’t experienced before.
We’ll be celebrating throughout Dream Cruise weekend, August 14–16, at:
The Foundry by History Loves Company
35 W Huron Street
Downtown Pontiac, Michigan
The cars will be on Woodward.
We’ll be on the roof.
Where will you be watching from?
History Loves Company tells the stories hiding inside our buildings, neighborhoods, cities and everyday places. Follow along as we continue exploring Michigan history—and building something new inside one of Pontiac’s historic downtown buildings.
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