Capitol Park Historic District
Encyclopedia
Capitol Park Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan
. It is roughly bounded by Grand River, Woodward and Michigan Avenues, and Washington Boulevard. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
, the Griswold Building, the David Stott Building
, and the Industrial-Stevens Apartments
.
. The building was then used as a public high school until 1893, when it was destroyed by fire. The land was then converted to a park, and it has remained a public space up to the present. In 1955, Capitol Park was redesigned for use as a public transport center, with a comfort station and four bus loading shelters.
The buildings within the Historic District surrounding the park were built primarily during the first three decades of the twentieth century for commercial and business purposes. Several famous architects, including Albert Kahn and Gordon Lloyd, contributed buildings in a range of styles, from Victorian
to Beaux-Arts to Art Deco
. The buildings demonstrate the transformation of Detroit from a prospering nineteenth century commercial center to a modern city.
In addition to the present buildings, Capitol Park has a historic connection to the Underground Railroad
. In 1850, Seymour Finney purchased a plot of land near the park and erected a tavern with a large barn. Finney was strongly sympathetic to the abolitionist cause, and used his barn to hide escaping slaves before their final trek across the river into Canada
. A State of Michigan historical marker has been erected in the park to commemorate Finney's Barn.
In 1905, the remains of Michigan's first governor Stevens T. Mason
were transferred from New York City where he died 1843 and interred in Capitol Park in a ceremony attended by sitting governor Fred M. Warner
and mayor George P. Codd among other officials. A statue of Mason by sculptor Albert Weinert
was later erected over the grave. When plans were announced in 2009 to reconfigure the park, they included relocating the monument and grave. However, the burial vault was not where earlier plans indicated and crews searched for four days before it was located on June 29, 2010. It was believed the grave was moved from its 1905 location in 1955 to make room for a bus terminal. On the 199th anniversary of his birth, October 27, 2010, Mason was reburied for 4th time in a newly-built vault in the pedestal the bronze statue. The current Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
, where funeral services were held for Mason in 1843, officiated at the ceremony.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is roughly bounded by Grand River, Woodward and Michigan Avenues, and Washington Boulevard. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1999.
Description
Capitol Park itself is a triangular plot of land (now a public park) bounded by Shelby Street, Griswold Street, and State Street. The plot is an artifact of Augustus Woodward's 1805 plan for the city of Detroit. The Historic District includes the park and seventeen surrounding buildings for a block in each direction. Some buildings within the district include the Farwell BuildingFarwell Building
The Farwell Building is a commercial building, in the Chicago school architecture style, located at 1249 Griswold Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. -Description:The Farwell Building...
, the Griswold Building, the David Stott Building
David Stott Building
The David Stott Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Detroit, Michigan designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier. It is a class-A office building constructed in 1929 at the corner of Griswold Street and State Street , a part of the Capitol Park Historic District...
, and the Industrial-Stevens Apartments
Industrial-Stevens Apartments
The Industrial-Stevens Apartments is a high-rise built in 1928 in the Washington Boulevard Historic District of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1410 Washington Boulevard, and occupies the building block bordered by West Grand River Avenue and Washington Boulevard. The residential...
.
History
In 1823, the population of Detroit had increased to the point that the US Congress transferred governance of what was then the Territory of Michigan to the governor and legislative council. To house the new government, a courthouse was built in Capitol Park in 1823-28. When Michigan became a state in 1837, the building became the state capitol, and functioned so until 1847 when the governmental seat was moved to LansingLansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
. The building was then used as a public high school until 1893, when it was destroyed by fire. The land was then converted to a park, and it has remained a public space up to the present. In 1955, Capitol Park was redesigned for use as a public transport center, with a comfort station and four bus loading shelters.
The buildings within the Historic District surrounding the park were built primarily during the first three decades of the twentieth century for commercial and business purposes. Several famous architects, including Albert Kahn and Gordon Lloyd, contributed buildings in a range of styles, from Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
to Beaux-Arts to Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
. The buildings demonstrate the transformation of Detroit from a prospering nineteenth century commercial center to a modern city.
In addition to the present buildings, Capitol Park has a historic connection to the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. In 1850, Seymour Finney purchased a plot of land near the park and erected a tavern with a large barn. Finney was strongly sympathetic to the abolitionist cause, and used his barn to hide escaping slaves before their final trek across the river into Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A State of Michigan historical marker has been erected in the park to commemorate Finney's Barn.
In 1905, the remains of Michigan's first governor Stevens T. Mason
Stevens T. Mason
Stevens Thomson Mason , also known as Stevens T. Mason, Tom Mason, The Boy Governor, and lesser known nicknames Young Hotspur and The Stripling, was the territorial governor of the Michigan Territory, and later the first Governor of the state of Michigan. Mason guided the Michigan Territory into...
were transferred from New York City where he died 1843 and interred in Capitol Park in a ceremony attended by sitting governor Fred M. Warner
Fred M. Warner
Fred Maltby Warner was an American politician. He served as the 26th Governor of Michigan from 1905 to 1911.-Birth in England and early life in Michigan:...
and mayor George P. Codd among other officials. A statue of Mason by sculptor Albert Weinert
Albert Weinert
Albert Weinert American sculptor Born in Leipzig, Germany, Weinert attended the Royal Academy there and then the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium. In 1886 he immigrated to the United States, settling first in San Francisco and then New York...
was later erected over the grave. When plans were announced in 2009 to reconfigure the park, they included relocating the monument and grave. However, the burial vault was not where earlier plans indicated and crews searched for four days before it was located on June 29, 2010. It was believed the grave was moved from its 1905 location in 1955 to make room for a bus terminal. On the 199th anniversary of his birth, October 27, 2010, Mason was reburied for 4th time in a newly-built vault in the pedestal the bronze statue. The current Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The cathedral is located at 4800 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to the campus of Wayne State University. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in...
, where funeral services were held for Mason in 1843, officiated at the ceremony.