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Grand Circus Park (Detroit)
Encyclopedia
Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the 5 acres (2 ha) Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit
, Michigan
that connects the theatre district with its financial center. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park
, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Streets. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983. The building at 25 W. Elizabeth was added to the district in 2000.
faces Grand Circus Park. The grounds include antique statuary and old-fashioned water fountains. Near this historic site, General George Armstrong Custer
delivered a eulogy for thousands gathered to mourn the death of President Abraham Lincoln
. Architect Henry Bacon
designed the Russell Alger Memorial Fountain (1921) in Grand Circus Park. Bacon's other projects include the Lincoln Memorial
(1915–1922) in Washington, DC. The fountain contains a classic Roman figure symbolizing Michigan by American sculptor Daniel French
who sculpted Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial.
The half-moon shaped park is divided down its center by Woodward Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. Its eastern half is anchored by the Alger Fountain and capped on its north western edge with a statue of William Cotter Maybury. Its western half is anchored by the Edison Fountain and capped on its north eastern edge with a statue of Hazen Pingree.
Among the notable buildings encircling the park are the David Broderick Tower
and David Whitney Building
on the south, Kales Building
, former Adams Theater, and Central United Methodist Church
on the north, and Comerica Park
and Detroit Opera House
on the East.
announced its development agreement with the city to move its headquarters to downtown Detroit, consolidating about 4,000 of its suburban employees in a move considered to be a high importance to city planners to reestablish the historic downtown. The construction sites reserved for development by the agreement include the location of the former Statler
on Grand Circus Park and the former Hudson's location. (The western edge of the park was formerly home to the now demolished Statler
and Tuller
hotels). Grand Circus is serviced by a People Mover
station
.
is located at Broadway and Grand Circus. The east necklace of downtown links Grand Circus and the stadium area to Greektown along Broadway. The east neckace contains a sub-district sometimes called the Harmonie Park District, which has taken on the renowned legacy of Detroit's music
from 1930s through the 1950s to the present. Near the Opera House
, and emanating from Grand Circus along the east necklace are other venues including the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
and the Gem Theatre and Century Club. The historic Harmonie Club
and Harmonie Centre are located along Broadway. The Harmonie Park area ends near Gratiot and Randolph. The Detroit Athletic Club
stands in view of center field at Comerica Park
. Part of the east necklace, the area contains architecturally notable buildings planned for renovation as high-rise residential condominiums such as the Gothic Revival
Metropolitan Building
at 33 John R St. The Hilton Garden Inn
is also in the Harmonie Park area. The east necklace area is serviced by the People Mover at Cadillac station and Broadway station.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
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"....
that connects the theatre district with its financial center. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park
Campus Martius Park
Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It is where the "point of origin" of Detroit's coordinate system is located...
, and is roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Streets. 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 1983. The building at 25 W. Elizabeth was added to the district in 2000.
History
A part of Augustus Woodward's plan to rebuild the city after the fire of 1805, the city established the park in 1850. The Detroit Opera HouseDetroit Opera House
The Detroit Opera House is an opera house located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and it hosts a variety of other events. It opened on January 22, 1922....
faces Grand Circus Park. The grounds include antique statuary and old-fashioned water fountains. Near this historic site, General George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
delivered a eulogy for thousands gathered to mourn the death of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. Architect Henry Bacon
Henry Bacon
Henry Bacon was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. , which was his final project.- Education and early career :...
designed the Russell Alger Memorial Fountain (1921) in Grand Circus Park. Bacon's other projects include the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
(1915–1922) in Washington, DC. The fountain contains a classic Roman figure symbolizing Michigan by American sculptor Daniel French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
who sculpted Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial.
Among the notable buildings encircling the park are the David Broderick Tower
David Broderick Tower
The Broderick Tower is a skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan currently under redevelopment. Construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1928. The tower was the second tallest building in Michigan when it was completed in 1928. It stands 35-stories tall, with two basement floors. The building is...
and David Whitney Building
David Whitney Building
The David Whitney Building is a historic class-A skyscraper on the northern edge of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 1553 Woodward Avenue, adjacent to Grand Circus Park. The building stands on a wedge-shaped site at the junction of Park Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Washington Boulevard....
on the south, Kales Building
Kales Building
The Kales Building is a high-rise apartment building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located 76 West Adams at the northeast corner of Adams Avenue West and Park Avenue, across from Grand Circus Park, in the Foxtown neighborhood, just north of Downtown...
, former Adams Theater, and Central United Methodist Church
Central United Methodist Church (Detroit, Michigan)
The Central United Methodist Church is located at 23 E Adams in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982....
on the north, and Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
and Detroit Opera House
Detroit Opera House
The Detroit Opera House is an opera house located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and it hosts a variety of other events. It opened on January 22, 1922....
on the East.
Development
On November 12, 2007, Quicken LoansQuicken Loans
Quicken Loans Inc., headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is the largest online mortgage lender and the 5th largest retail mortgage lender overall in the USA. The company consists of the QuickenLoans.com online lending site, the Rock Financial brand in southeast Michigan, One Reverse Mortgage, based...
announced its development agreement with the city to move its headquarters to downtown Detroit, consolidating about 4,000 of its suburban employees in a move considered to be a high importance to city planners to reestablish the historic downtown. The construction sites reserved for development by the agreement include the location of the former Statler
Statler Hotel
The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton Statler in Buffalo, New York.- Early ventures :...
on Grand Circus Park and the former Hudson's location. (The western edge of the park was formerly home to the now demolished Statler
Statler Hotel
The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton Statler in Buffalo, New York.- Early ventures :...
and Tuller
Hotel Tuller
The Hotel Tuller once stood at Adams Avenue West, Bagley Street, and Park Avenue across from Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was one of the largest luxury hotels in Detroit, and the first one to be erected in the Grand Circus Park Historic District...
hotels). Grand Circus is serviced by a People Mover
Detroit People Mover
The Detroit People Mover is a automated people mover system which operates on a single set of tracks, and encircles downtown Detroit, Michigan....
station
Grand Circus Park (Detroit People Mover)
Grand Circus Park is a Detroit People Mover station in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Housed inside the David Whitney Building, it is located at the intersection of Park Street and Woodward Avenue. The station takes its name from the adjacent Grand Circus Park Historic District...
.
East necklace
The Detroit Opera HouseDetroit Opera House
The Detroit Opera House is an opera house located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and it hosts a variety of other events. It opened on January 22, 1922....
is located at Broadway and Grand Circus. The east necklace of downtown links Grand Circus and the stadium area to Greektown along Broadway. The east neckace contains a sub-district sometimes called the Harmonie Park District, which has taken on the renowned legacy of Detroit's music
Music of Detroit
This article discusses the Music of Detroit, Michigan. World renowned for its Detroit Symphony Orchestra and music celebrities, the area has a long and rich heritage, including several Platinum artists in different genres whose recordings had surpassed forty million copies by the year...
from 1930s through the 1950s to the present. Near the Opera House
Detroit Opera House
The Detroit Opera House is an opera house located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and it hosts a variety of other events. It opened on January 22, 1922....
, and emanating from Grand Circus along the east necklace are other venues including the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
The Music Hall Center for Performing Arts is a 1,700-seat theatre located in the city's theatre district at 350 Madison Avenue in Detroit, Michigan...
and the Gem Theatre and Century Club. The historic Harmonie Club
Harmonie Club (Detroit, Michigan)
The Harmonie Club is a club located at 267 East Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.- History :...
and Harmonie Centre are located along Broadway. The Harmonie Park area ends near Gratiot and Randolph. The Detroit Athletic Club
Detroit Athletic Club
The Detroit Athletic Club , is a private social club and athletic club located in the heart of Detroit's theater, sports, and entertainment district. The clubhouse was designed by Albert Kahn and inspired by Rome's Palazzo Farnese. It maintains reciprocal agreements for their members at other...
stands in view of center field at Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
. Part of the east necklace, the area contains architecturally notable buildings planned for renovation as high-rise residential condominiums such as the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Metropolitan Building
Metropolitan Building (Detroit)
The Metropolitan Building is a high-rise office building located on a triangular lot at 33 John R Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Grand Circus Park.The building was built in 1924 and finished in 1925...
at 33 John R St. The Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn is a chain of hotels trademarked by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Garden Inns are considered to be upscale mid-priced hotels that are designed for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel brand is similar to that of the Courtyard by Marriott brand, a key competitor...
is also in the Harmonie Park area. The east necklace area is serviced by the People Mover at Cadillac station and Broadway station.
See also
- Campus Martius ParkCampus Martius ParkCampus Martius Park is a re-established park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It is where the "point of origin" of Detroit's coordinate system is located...
- Detroit International RiverfrontDetroit International RiverfrontThe Detroit International Riverfront is an area of Detroit, Michigan that borders the Detroit River. The International Riverfront area extends from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, extending a total of 5½-miles and encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail...
- Grand Circus Park Detroit People Mover stationGrand Circus Park (Detroit People Mover)Grand Circus Park is a Detroit People Mover station in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Housed inside the David Whitney Building, it is located at the intersection of Park Street and Woodward Avenue. The station takes its name from the adjacent Grand Circus Park Historic District...
- Theatre in DetroitTheatre in DetroitTheatre in Detroit discusses performing arts in the city, its history, and its venues. With more than a dozen performing arts venues, the city's theatre district ranks as the second largest in the United States after Manhattan's Broadway, the stages and old time film palaces are generally located...
External links
- Grand Circus Park.com
- Motor City District Regains Its Luster - slideshow by The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...