Midtown

 

A mixed-use area consisting of a business district, cultural center, a major research university, and several residential neighborhoods; it is located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center area. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south. The area includes several historic districts, the Detroit Medical Center, and Wayne State University.

 

The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art Center (or Cultural Center): the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district contains several cultural attractions.

The Detroit Public Library and the Detroit Institute of Arts were built in the 1920s, heralding a City Beautiful movement in Detroit that aimed to establish the area along Woodward as the cultural center of the city. Wayne State University, then housed in the former Central High School, began offering four-year degrees. These institutions formed a core area that attracted other public-oriented institutions to the area, including several music schools, the Merrill-Palmer Institute, the Detroit Historical Museum, and College for Creative Studies. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Michigan Science Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit are also located in the Art Center area.

Substantial residential areas, including the East Ferry Avenue Historic District and late-19th century homes to the east of the Detroit Institute of Art. These neighborhoods have been infilled with townhomes and other residential developments and revitalizations.

 

With elegant architecture and sprawling mansions, Brush Park was nicknamed “Little Paris” and began construction in the 1850s. Bordered by Mack Avenue in the north, Beaubien Street in the east, Woodward Avenue on the west and the Fisher Freeway on the south, the Woodward East Historic District, a small, charming historic district, is nestled inside this larger neighborhood.

By the early 1900s, most of its residents started moving to more modern, quieter districts and soon was completely abandoned. Thankfully in recent decades, the neighborhood has been luring in new residents by the allure of its historic buildings.

A mix of old and new, there are nearly 200 condominiums, townhouses and restored historic buildings. Stately homes are restored into bed-and-breakfast inns, while a senior citizen apartment complex is being built down the way. Three fraternity houses, a university theater, a law firm and other commercial properties are also being planned, all surrounded by the original, restored historic homes.

Engulfed by the Brush Park Historic District, the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District is the retail heart of Brush Park. Known also as Merchant’s Row, this district is famous for its retail history. This area was one of the most active shopping districts in the nation in the 1920s and by 1925, the State and Woodward intersection was the most active pedestrian crossing corner in the United States. Combining old and new, this district is moving forward into the future while taking special care of its past.

 

Is perpetually in transition with its ongoing restoration of its historic brick buildings. The Cass Park area has been a fashionable address since the mid-1800s. The 1890s saw the introduction of upscale apartment buildings. As Detroit continued developing, apartment buildings with smaller but more numerous units began to appear. This marked a transformation of the Cass Park area, as the single-family homes surrounding the park were replaced with apartment buildings to house the city's expanding population. By 1925, several new apartment buildings had been constructed. The Cass Corridor Historic District is an area of cultural and artistic significance, with artists renting cheap studio space down the street. An artist’s paradise, the district has been home to notable nightclubs hosting jazz and rock bands like the White Stripes. There are plenty of significant landmarks in the district, including the Detroit Masonic Temple, the Little Caesars Arena and the Metropolitan Center for High Technology.

 

This historic district includes Cass Park, a formal square with angled paths and scattered statues, as well as various commercial headquarters, apartment buildings, the monumental Detroit Masonic Temple and other structures surrounding the park. Cass Park is a landscaped green space, containing abundant trees, park benches and modern, multi-color playground equipment. From cocktail lounges with live jazz to funky food halls, Cass Corridor has an abundance of restaurants, cafes, and bars. This neighborhood has a diverse, friendly atmosphere with its student population. Significant landmarks of the area include the Detroit Masonic Temple (the world's largest building of its kind), Cass Technical High School, and the Metropolitan Center for High Technology are all located along Cass. Little Caesars Arena, open since September 5, 2017, as the new home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and the NBA's Detroit Pistons, is on the west side of Woodward Avenue near I-75.

In the 1960s and '70s, the Cass Corridor became an area of cultural significance. Artists began renting cheap studio space in the Cass Corridor, which was near Detroit's Cultural Center Historic District. Artists associated with or influenced by the Cass Corridor artist movement include Brenda Goodman, Gary Grimshaw, Tyree Guyton, Charles McGee, Ann Mikolowski, Jim Pallas, Ellen Phelan, Gilda Snowden, Robert Wilbert, and Theo Wujcik.

 

The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a neighborhood that contains mostly residential homes. In the past, most of these homes belonged to the upper middle-class and some of Detroit’s wealthiest residents. Formed from the Ferry Seed Company residential lots, the large swaths of land turned into residential districts and soon, apartment buildings and townhomes. These homes represent a variety of architectural styles popular from the 1880s through the first decades of the twentieth century. It is also significant for its later association with the black history of Detroit.

In recent years, many new homes have been built in the East Ferry Avenue Historic District. Most have been built to be architecturally similar to the district’s nineteenth century feels. Older buildings have turned into residential homes, and four of them became The Inn on Ferry Street, a successful bed and breakfast with a charming historic feel. Restored to its former glory, these brick and sandstone homes are featured with bay windows and wide front porches and are perfect for relaxing after a long day of work.

 

Surrounded by the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University, the Sugar Hill Historic District is a two-block district nestled in historic culture. A combination of residential, mixed-use, and arts-related businesses, this district is the largest remaining section of the neighborhood from the 1940s and 1950s and came to fame due to its large concentration of black-owned jazz venues.

Sugar Hill is home to a combination of residential, mixed-use buildings and arts-related businesses, including single-family houses, apartment buildings, a church and commercial buildings. It’s surrounded by cultural institutions, like the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, and the University Cultural Center Association. In 2020, the city implemented a multi-million-dollar housing and retail development project in the neighborhood. This project included units for low-income residents and an abundance of retail space. Home to some of the country’s premier urban learning institutions, medical facilities, museums and more, Midtown packs the best of Detroit’s history and the power of our future all-in three-square miles.

 

There is no better place to discover and explore Detroit’s intellectual and artistic influences than the University-Cultural Center. Dating back to 1913, the Cultural Center is the home to a number of museums, galleries, theaters and attractions. The structures within the University-Cultural Center district home in four types: public-oriented buildings, commercial establishments, single-family homes, and the large, multi-unit apartment complexes. These lots were former mansions that were turned into apartments at the turn of the century. From the Detroit Public Library to the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy. As a bonus, most of these attractions are within walking distance of one another.

In addition to the two highly regarded educational institutions, Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies, the Cultural Center’s location two miles north of downtown makes it a convenient spot for residents. Residents can enjoy the plethora of restaurants, coffee shops and parks in a short walking distance from each other. In 2011, the University Cultural Center Association merged with the New Center Council to form Midtown Detroit, Inc. The nonprofit has raised over $80 million for a variety of initiatives, including a pedestrian walkway, the establishment of the Sugar Hill Arts District and the restoration of six historic homes.

 

A historic district that has been transforming since 1915, the Warren-Prentis Historic District includes historical residential, commercial, institutional, and religious buildings. Most of the buildings that were built between 1915 and 1930 remain and many have been restored. A prosperous district in the early-1900s due to its proximity to public transportation and the automobile factories, it was a prime location for working class families up until the Great Depression. Since the 1990s, the district has shown signs of recovery due to the nearby Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center.

 

With the proximity of Wayne State University, the area is a diverse region with the opportunity to interact with people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Residents who live in this district can enjoy the multitude of restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses within a short walking distance from each other, along with the abundance of parks and walking paths.

 

Bordered with shade trees that arc over the reconstructed granite block street and sandstone curbs, the West Canfield Historic District still shows the prosperous appearance of pre-automobile Detroit. With well-preserved Victorian homes bordering the streets, many homes even still have carriage garages with most converted to attractive rental units or back gardens. A prosperous district, this location remained a prime residential location in Detroit for decades and was further revitalized in the 1960s.

From the young honey locust trees that line the streets in double rows, echoing the old trees that were planted over a hundred years ago, to the bronze replica of an old Detroit horse fountain, this neighborhood is a picture of the past. Due to its location in Midtown, residents can enjoy the multitude of restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses within a short walking distance from each other, along with the abundance of parks and walking paths. A serene location at the heart of the city, West Canfield residents can almost hear the horses trotting down the street under the honey locust trees.

 

Formerly the three districts of Park Lots, the Cass Farm and the Jones/Crane Farm, these sections were subdivided in the late 19th century. It soon became a popular development area for Detroit’s wealthy professional class, and the Willis-Selden Historic District was formed. The area attracted people employed in Downtown Detroit’s offices and shops due to the easy commute to work and soon became one of Detroit’s leading commercial and automotive districts. Over 40 percent of its commercial buildings built between 1910 and 1930 were auto-related. Currently there are 102 total buildings, five of which are historically significant: Detroit-Columbia Central Office Building, the Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, the Coronado Apartments, the Stuber-Stone Building, and the Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station.

Since the expansion of Henry Ford Medical Center, the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University, there has been a revitalization of the district. Due to its location in Midtown, residents can enjoy the multitude of restaurants, coffee shops and other local businesses within a short walking distance from each other, along with the abundance of parks and walking paths.