One of the libraries inside the R.L. Polk Co. Building. One department alone handled 15 million names of automobile owners each year.

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library; Retouching by Helmut Ziewers

The Polk Building stood on Howard Street, just west of Cass Avenue.

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library; Retouching by Helmut Ziewers

A look at the staff who worked to compile the R.L. Polk Co.'s directories.

Photo from the Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University; Retouching by Helmut Ziewers