Midtown, Detroit - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Midtown area in Detroit is a mixed-use area located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue between Downtown Detroit

Downtown Detroit

Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Downtown is bordered by the Lodge Freeway to the west, the Fisher Freeway to the north, Interstate 375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.Downtown contains much historic...

and the New Center

New Center, Detroit

The New Center is a significant commercial and residential historic district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles north of Downtown...

. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway

Chrysler Freeway

The Chrysler Freeway is the name given to a freeway in the Detroit area. It is composed of:*Interstate 375 south of the junction with the Fisher Freeway*Interstate 75 in Michigan north of the junction with the Fisher 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 vibrant area includes several Historic Districts, Detroit Medical Center

Detroit Medical Center

The Detroit Medical Center, located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has more than 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University...

, and Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

Overview

The Midtown area is a general mixed-use community area of neighborhoods containing successive waves of development that have transformed the area multiple times since it was first platted. The neighborhoods are dominated by the thoroughfare of Woodward Avenue, which runs north and south through the heart of Midtown. Midtown can be roughly divided into six general areas:

Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

neighborhood - north of Warren Avenue and west of Woodward Avenue.
Art Center (or Cultural Center) neighborhood - north of Warren Avenue and east of Woodward Avenue.
North Cass (or Cass Farms) neighborhood - between Warren Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and west of Woodward Avenue.
Detroit Medical Center
Detroit Medical Center
The Detroit Medical Center, located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has more than 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University...

neighborhood - between Warren Avenue and Mack Avenue and east of Woodward Avenue.
Cass Park neighborhood - south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and west of Woodward Avenue.
Brush Park neighborhood - south of Mack Avenue and east of Woodward Avenue.

Woodward Avenue

Woodward Avenue, running north and south through the center of the neighborhood, is primarily inhabited by commercial businesses, public-oriented/cultural institutions, and religious buildings. The heart of the cultural center (the Detroit Public Library

Detroit Public Library

The Detroit Public Library is the second largest library system in Michigan by volumes held , and is the 20th largest library system in the United States. It is composed of a Main Library on Woodward Avenue, which houses DPL administration offices, and twenty-three branch locations across the city...

and the Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...

) is located directly on Woodward in the northern part of Midtown.

Wayne State University

The north part of Midtown west of Woodward Avenue is dominated by Wayne State University, whose campus subsumes nearly the entire northwest portion of Midtown north of Warren Avenue and West of Woodward. Wayne State University's campus covers 203 acre (0.82151258 km²) in the northwestern section of Midtown. Wayne's campus is irregular, and parts extend south of Warren (notably Old Main

Old Main (Wayne State University)

Old Main is an academic building on the campus of Wayne State University. It is located at 4841 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan on Wayne's main campus.-Location:...

) and north of I-94, out of Midtown and into the New Center

New Center, Detroit

neighborhood. Wayne is one of Michigan's three research institutions and serves over 32,000 students.

The first portion of what later became Wayne State University was the Detroit Medical College, which was founded in 1868. The school of education was begun in 1881. In 1896, Old Main

Old Main (Wayne State University)

Old Main is an academic building on the campus of Wayne State University. It is located at 4841 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan on Wayne's main campus.-Location:...

was built as Detroit's Central High School. College classes were added in 1913, and these Liberal Arts classes evolved into Detroit Junior College in 1917. The school began offering four-year degrees in 1923 and graduate courses were added in 1930. In 1933, the previously disparate colleges were united under one administration into Wayne University. In 1956, the school was renamed Wayne State University.

Since the early 1940s, Wayne State University, backed by the City Planning Commission, has shaped the development of the surrounding area through its plan for growth. The availability of urban redevelopment grants beginning in the 1950s became an important funding resource for expansion of the university. The size of the campus has continued to expand, with the University constructing new building as well as repurposing older buildings located in the area. As of Winter 2009, nearly 30,000 students were enrolled at Wayne State: over 18,000 undergraduate students andover 8000 graduates students, with the remainder enrolled in professional programs.

Art Center

The Art Center (or Cultural Center) is centered on the Cultural Center Historic District: the Detroit Public Library

Detroit Public Library

, the Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit Institute of Arts

, and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building. The district contains several cultural attractions.

The library and art museum 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

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

Charles Lang Freer House

The Charles Lang Freer House is located at 71 East Ferry Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Originally built by the industrialist and art collector Charles Lang Freer whose gift of the Freer Gallery of Art began the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The house is currently the Merrill Palmer...

, the Detroit Historical Museum

Detroit Historical Museum

The Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Avenue in the city's Cultural Center Historic District in Midtown Detroit. It chronicles the history of the Detroit area from cobblestone streets, 19th century stores, the auto assembly line, toy trains, fur trading from the 18th century,...

, and the College for Creative Studies

College for Creative Studies

College for Creative Studies is an art education institution in the United States and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. It is a private, fully accredited, four-year college located in Detroit, Michigan...

. The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is located in the Cultural Center of the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1965, it holds the world's largest permanent exhibit on African American culture. In 1997, it moved into a 120,000 square foot facility on Warren Avenue...

, the Detroit Science Center

Detroit Science Center

The Detroit Science Center is a science museum in Detroit, Michigan.The Science Center has Michigan’s only Chrysler IMAX Dome Theatre; the Dassault Systèmes Planetarium; the DTE Energy Sparks Theater; the Chrysler Science Stage; an Science Hall for traveling exhibits; hands-on exhibit galleries...

, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit or MOCAD is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in Detroit's cultural center. The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit is to present art at the forefront of contemporary culture...

also are located in the Art Center area.

The Art Center portion of Midtown also contains substantial residential areas, including the East Ferry Avenue Historic District

East Ferry Avenue Historic District

The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a historic residential district in Detroit, Michigan. The nationally-designated historic district stretches two blocks from Woodward Avenue east to Brush; the locally-designated historic district includes a third block between Brush and Beaubien. The...

and scattered 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.

North Cass

South of Wayne State University, the North Cass (or Cass Farm

Cass Farm Multiple Property Submission

The Cass Farm MPS is a US multiple property submission to the National Register of Historic Places which was approved on December 1, 1997. The structures included are all located in Midtown, in the Cass Farm area in Detroit, Michigan, USA...

) area contains a substantial number of multi-unit apartment houses, many mixed with earlier single-family homes. This area has been heavily influenced by the expansion of Wayne State, with some of WSU's campus extending into the northern section of North Cass, and much of the residential housing stock taken up by Wayne students.

There are also a number of commercial buildings, particularly along the Cass Corridor

Cass corridor

The Cass Corridor, in Detroit, Michigan contains the Cass Park Historic Districtand the Cass-Davenport Historic District. The corridor's main street is Cass Avenue, which runs parallel with Woodward Avenue, a main Detroit artery running north towards suburban neighborhoods...

just west of Woodward. Many of these support commercial businesses, and an independent retail study by the University Cultural Center Association has shown that the number of independent retail outlets in Midtown, Detroit is increasing. The north Cass section also has a smattering of industrial buildings dating from the automotive heyday of Detroit. Many of these, such as the Willys Overland building, have been or are being converted into residential loft space.

Detroit Medical Center

Detroit Medical Center was organized in 1985 as a union among several hospitals: Harper University Hospital

Harper University Hospital

Harper University Hospital is one of eight hospitals and institutes that compose the Detroit Medical Center. Harper offers services in a broad range of clinical areas, including cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery, organ transplant, plastic surgery, general surgery, bariatric endocrinology and...

, Grace Hospital

Sinai-Grace Hospital

DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital is the largest hospital in the eight hospitals/institutions composing the Detroit Medical Center. Located in northwest Detroit, Sinai-Grace offers a comprehensive heart center, cancer care, gerontology, emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and cosmetic/plastic surgery...

, Hutzel Women's Hospital

Hutzel Women's Hospital

Hutzel Women's Hospital is one of the eight institutions that compose the Detroit Medical Center. The hospital itself is connected to Harper University Hospital, on the midtown Detroit campus of the Medical Center. It is the only hospital in southeast Michigan dedicated to women’s care.- History...

, and Children's Hospital of Michigan

Children's Hospital of Michigan

Children’s Hospital of Michigan is a hospital located in Detroit, Michigan. It is part of the Detroit Medical Center. It is an international provider of pediatric neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology, oncology and diagnostic services including Positron Emission Tomography and MRI...

. With the addition of other hospitals, such as Detroit Receiving Hospital

Detroit Receiving Hospital

Detroit Receiving Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, is the state's first Level I Trauma Center. Receiving’s emergency department treats more than 105,000 patients annually, and nearly 60% of Michigan’s emergency physicians are trained at Receiving...

, the campus of the DMC and its adjacent partner institutions (the Karmanos Cancer Institute and the John D. Dingell Veteran's Administration Hospital Center) now takes up most of the area between Mack Avenue on the south, Warren Avenue on the north, John R. on the west, and Beaubien on the east.

Harper Hospital was founded in 1863, receiving its first patients, Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

soldiers, in 1864. Two years later it opened as a general hospital. In 1882 a new hospital building was constructed on what is now the campus of the DMC. Additional buildings were constructed in 1913 and 1928. Hutzel Women's Hospital, founded in 1868, was Detroit's second hospital. Grace Hospital was founded in 1883, and Children's Hospital was founded three years later. Detroit Receiving was founded in 1915, and moved to its present location in 1980.

As of 2009, The DMC has more than 2,000 licensed beds and 3,000 affiliated physicians. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University, the nation’s fourth largest medical school. It is the largest private employer in the city of Detroit with more than 12,000 employees. On March 19, 2010, Vanguard Health Systems

Vanguard Health Systems

Vanguard Health Systems is an operator of hospitals and other medical facilities in five U.S. states: Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas. The company's headquarters are located in Nashville, Tennessee...

announced plans to invest nearly $1.5 B in Detroit Medical Center

Detroit Medical Center

, including $850 M for expansion and renovation, and $417 M to retire debts, pending approval of its acquisition. In 2010, Henry Ford Health System

Henry Ford Health System

The Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit, managed care, health care organization located in Southeast Michigan. The corporate office is in Detroit, Michigan...

in the New Center

New Center, Detroit

also announced a $500 M expansion in Detroit with plans for a biomedical research center.

Cass Park

South of Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, the area of Midtown around Cass Park

Cass Park Historic District

Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan, comprising the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005....

is at a substantial distance from both the downtown core and the influence of Wayne State. The area around Cass Park proper is anchored by Cass Technical High School

Cass Technical High School

The Cass Tech Technicians football team is a high school football program in Division 1 Public School League, representing the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI. Cass Tech High School has long been recognized nationwide for its extraordinary football program dating back to its...

and the Detroit Masonic Temple

Detroit Masonic Temple

The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...

, but the portion near Woodward Avenue and the once-fashionable Park Avenue district are awaiting redevelopment.

Brush Park

Brush Park proper runs from Mack to the Fisher freeway, and extends east and west from Woodward Avenue to Beaubien.

The Brush Park neighborhood was developed beginning in the 1850s as a residential neighborhood for Detroit's elite citizens. Construction peaked in the 1870s and 1880s; one of the last homes built

Albert Kahn House

The Albert Kahn House is located at 208 Mack Ave. in Detroit, Michigan. It is currently the headquarters of the Detroit Urban League. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972....

was constructed in 1906 by architect Albert Kahn for his personal use. Early residents of Brush Park included lumber baron David Whitney Jr., his daughter Grace Whitney Evans, Joseph L. Hudson, founder of the eponymous department store, lumber baron Lucien Moore, banker Frederick Butler, and dry goods manufacturer Ransom Gillis. During the 19th century, around 300 homes were built in Brush Park, including 70 Victorian mansions. The neighborhood is experiencing restoration in the first decade of the 21st century, and as of 2001, about 154 original structures remained in the area including the David Whitney House

David Whitney House

The David Whitney House is located at 4421 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The building was constructed as a private residence, but is open to the public as The Whitney Restaurant...

which is now a five star restaurant known as 'the Whitney'. Brush Park's revival began in the 1990s and has accelerated recently. A number of the older mansions have been restored, and more have been stabilized. In addition, new condominiums have been built in the southern part of Brush Park, near the Fisher Freeway.

In the far southeastern corner of Midtown, to the east of Beaubien and Brush Park proper, the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects are located near the Chrysler Freeway.

Historic Districts and neighborhoods

Midtown contains within its boundaries a number of historic districts and neighborhoods. These include:

Cultural Center Historic District
Cultural Center Historic District
The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art 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...

(a primarily public-oriented district consisting of the Detroit Public Library
Detroit Public Library
The Detroit Public Library is the second largest library system in Michigan by volumes held , and is the 20th largest library system in the United States. It is composed of a Main Library on Woodward Avenue, which houses DPL administration offices, and twenty-three branch locations across the city...

, 1921; the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...

, 1927; and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building, 1941)
Cass Corridor
Cass corridor
The Cass Corridor, in Detroit, Michigan contains the Cass Park Historic Districtand the Cass-Davenport Historic District. The corridor's main street is Cass Avenue, which runs parallel with Woodward Avenue, a main Detroit artery running north towards suburban neighborhoods...
Cass-Davenport Historic District
Cass-Davenport Historic District
The Cass-Davenport Historic District is a historic district of apartment buildings in Detroit, Michigan, roughly bounded Cass Ave., Davenport, and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997...

(a multi-unit apartment district built in the 1910s and 1920s)
Cass Park Historic District
Cass Park Historic District
Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan, comprising the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005....

(a mix of buildings, including the Detroit Masonic Temple
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...

and the S. S. Kresge World Headquarters
S. S. Kresge World Headquarters
The Metropolitan Center for High Technology, formerly S. S. Kresge World Headquarters, is an office building located at 2727 2nd Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979. The office building is now...

)
East Ferry Avenue Historic District
East Ferry Avenue Historic District
The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a historic residential district in Detroit, Michigan. The nationally-designated historic district stretches two blocks from Woodward Avenue east to Brush; the locally-designated historic district includes a third block between Brush and Beaubien. The...

(single-family home residential district built primarily in the 1880s and 1890s)
Midtown Woodward Historic District
Midtown Woodward Historic District
The Midtown Woodward Historic District is a historic district located along Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Structures in the district are located between 2951 and 3424 Woodward Avenue, and include structures on the corner of Charlotte Street and Peterboro Street...

(a primarily commercial district along Woodward Avenue built in the 20th century)
Wayne State University Buildings
Wayne State University Buildings
The Wayne State University Buildings historic district consists of three buildings on 4735-4841 Cass Ave in Detroit, Michigan: the Mackenzie House , the Hilberry Theater , and Old Main , all on the campus of Wayne State University...

(another public-oriented district including the Mackenzie House, 1895; Hilberry Theater, 1916; and Old Main
Old Main (Wayne State University)
Old Main is an academic building on the campus of Wayne State University. It is located at 4841 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan on Wayne's main campus.-Location:...

, 1895)
West Canfield Historic District
West Canfield Historic District
The West Canfield Historic District is a neighborhood historic district located primarily on Canfield Avenue between Second and Third Streets in Detroit, Michigan. A boundary increase enlarged the district to include buildings on Third Avenue between Canfield and Calumet...

(single-family home residential district built primarily in the 1870s and 1880s)
Woodward East Historic District within Brush Park (single-family home residential district built primarily in the 1870s and 1880s)
Sugar Hill Historic District (an important commercial and entertainment center of African-American life in the 1940s)
Warren-Prentis Historic District
Warren-Prentis Historic District
The Warren-Prentis Historic District is a historic district in Detroit, Michigan, including the east-west streets of Prentis, Forest, Hancock, and the south side of Warren, running from Woodward Avenue on the east to Third Avenue on the west...

(consisting substantially of single-family homes built in the late 19th century and multi-unit apartments built in the early 20th century)
Willis-Selden Historic District
Willis-Selden Historic District
The Willis-Selden Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan, consisting of three streets: Willis, Alexandrine, and Selden, Running from Woodward Avenue on the east to Third Avenue on the west...

(a mix of residential and commercial structures, most from the early 20th century)

Historic structures within Midtown

In addition to the buildings within historic districts, there are numerous historically significant structures located within Midtown. Many of these structures are 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...

, and include structures from three multiple property submissions: the University-Cultural Center Multiple Resource Area

University-Cultural Center Multiple Resource Area

The University-Cultural Center MRA is a pair of multiple property submissions to the National Register of Historic Places which were approved on April 29 and May 1, 1986. The structures included are all located in Midtown, near Woodward Avenue and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan...

Phases I and II, and the Cass Farm Multiple Property Submission

Cass Farm Multiple Property Submission

. These structures include:

Churches (First Unitarian Church of Detroit
First Unitarian Church of Detroit
The First Unitarian Church of Detroit is located at 2870 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.- History :...

, First Presbyterian Church
First Presbyterian Church (Detroit, Michigan)
The Ecumenical Theological Seminary is located at 2930 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1889 as the First Presbyterian Church, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979.- Architecture :George D...

, Temple Beth-El (Bonstelle Theatre)
Temple Beth-El (Bonstelle Theatre)
The Bonstelle Theatre is a theater operated by Wayne State University, and is located at 3424 Woodward Avenue . It was originally built in 1902 as the Temple Beth-El, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.-Construction:When Rabbi Leo M...

, Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little Flower
Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little Flower
The Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little Flower is a church located at 58 Parsons Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is currently known as St. Patrick Church. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.- History :...

, Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church
Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church
The Cass Community United Methodist Church is located at 3901 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1883 as the Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1985.- History :The Cass...

, First Congregational Church
First Congregational Church (Detroit, Michigan)
The First Congregational Church is located at 33 E. Forest in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979....

, 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...

, and Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church
Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church
Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church is a church located at 5105 Anthony Wayne Dr. in Detroit, Michigan. As of 2008, it is used by Wayne State University and referred to as St. Andrew's Hall; street layout changes have re-indexed the address to 918 Ludington Mall. The church was listed on the...

. St. Albertus
St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church
St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church is a church located at 4231 St. Aubin Street in Detroit, Michigan in the Forest Park neighborhood area on the city's central East side...

, St. Josaphat's
St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church
St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 715 E. Canfield Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1985.- History :...

, and Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church
Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church
Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church is located at 4440 Russell Street in Detroit, Michigan in the Forest Park neighborhood on the city's central East side. The Gothic Revival Cathedral styled Church is the largest of the Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Detroit...

s are adjacent to the East side of Midtown across I-75).
Single-family homes (John Harvey House
John Harvey House (Detroit, Michigan)
The Inn at 97 Winder is a historic Inn located at 97 Winder Street in the Brush Park Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. Originally known as the John Harvey House, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991...

, Bernard Ginsburg House
Bernard Ginsburg House
The Bernard Ginsburg House is a single family private residence located at 236 Adelaide Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.- Significance :...

, Elisha Taylor House
Elisha Taylor House
The Elisha Taylor House is a private home located at 59 Alfred Street in Detroit, Michigan. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Since 1981, it has served as a center for art and architectural study, known as...

, Hudson-Evans House
Hudson-Evans House
The Hudson-Evans House is a private, single-family home located at 79 Alfred Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Joseph Lothian Hudson House or the Grace Whitney Evans House, and is currently used as the offices of a law firm...

, Albert Kahn House
Albert Kahn House
The Albert Kahn House is located at 208 Mack Ave. in Detroit, Michigan. It is currently the headquarters of the Detroit Urban League. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972....

, Robert M. and Matilda (Kitch) Grindley House
Robert M. and Matilda (Kitch) Grindley House
The Robert M. and Matilda Grindley House was a private residence located at 123 Parsons in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, but was subsequently demolished.- Significance :...

, David Whitney House
David Whitney House
The David Whitney House is located at 4421 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The building was constructed as a private residence, but is open to the public as The Whitney Restaurant...

, Perry McAdow House
Perry McAdow House
The Perry McAdow House is a Renaissance Revival house, built in 1891 and located at 4605 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.- History :...

, William C. Boydell House
William C. Boydell House
The William C. Boydell House is a double house located at 4614 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.- History :...

, Mulford T. Hunter House
Mulford T. Hunter House
The Mulford T. Hunter House is a private residence located at 77 W. Hancock Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.- History :...

, George W. Loomer House
George W. Loomer House
The George W. Loomer House is a private residence located at 71 W. Hancock Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.- History :...

, Samuel L. Smith House
Samuel L. Smith House
The Samuel L. Smith House is located at 5035 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was also known as the Schools Annex. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.- History :...

, Herman Strasburg House
Herman Strasburg House
The Herman Strasburg House is located at 5415 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is now known as the Wayne State University Music Annex. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.- History :...

, Charles Lang Freer House
Charles Lang Freer House
The Charles Lang Freer House is located at 71 East Ferry Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Originally built by the industrialist and art collector Charles Lang Freer whose gift of the Freer Gallery of Art began the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The house is currently the Merrill Palmer...

, Col. Frank J. Hecker House
Col. Frank J. Hecker House
The Col. Frank J. Hecker House is located at 5510 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The mansion serves as the Royal Danish Consulate in Detroit. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.-Col. Hecker:Col. Frank J...

, Thomas S. Sprague House
Thomas S. Sprague House
The Thomas S Sprague House was a private residence located at 80 W. Palmer in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, but was subsequently demolished.- References :...

).
Hotels and apartment buildings (Park Avenue Hotel
Park Avenue Hotel
The Park Avenue Building is a 12-story beaux-arts high-rise located in downtown Detroit, Michigan at 2001-2017 Park Avenue.- External links :*...

, Eddystone Hotel
Eddystone Hotel
The Eddystone Building is a former hotel located in Detroit, Michigan at 100-118 Sproat Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.-Significance:...

, Hotel Stevenson
Hotel Stevenson
The Milner Arms Apartments originally known as the Hotel Stevenson is a high rise building located at 40 Davenport in Detroit, Michigan; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997...

, League of Catholic Women Building
League of Catholic Women Building
The League of Catholic Women Building is located at 100 Parsons Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as Casgrain Hall or the Activities Building...

, Coronado Apartments
Coronado Apartments
The Coronado Apartments are an apartment building located on 3751-73 Second Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.- History :The Coronado Apartments were built in 1894 by George D...

, Helen Newberry Nurses Home
Helen Newberry Nurses Home
The Helen Newberry Nurses Home is a multi-unit residential building located at 100 East Willis in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.- History :...

, Thompson Home
Thompson Home
The Thompson Home is a Victorian structure located at 4756 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Originally the Thompson Home for Old Ladies, it was constructed in 1884, designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.- History :David...

, Santa Fe Apartments
Santa Fe Apartments
The Santa Fe Apartments were an apartment building located at 681 Merrick in Detroit, Michigan. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and subsequently demolished by Wayne State University; the site is now the location of Yousif B. Ghafari Hall.- Significance...

, Chatsworth Apartments
Chatsworth Apartments
The Chatsworth Apartments is an apartment building located at 630 Merrick in Detroit, Michigan, on the campus of Wayne State University. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.- Description :...

, The Wardell
The Wardell
The Park Shelton is an historic condominium building located at 15 E. Kirby Avenue in Detroit, Michigan...

, Belcrest Hotel
Belcrest Hotel
The Belcrest Apartments is an apartment building located at 5440 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1926 as the Belcrest Hotel, designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1983, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.- History :The Belcrest Apartment Hotel...

, Verona Apartments, Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments
Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments
The Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments were small apartment buildings located at 227-29 and 237-39 East Palmer in Detroit, Michigan. The apartments were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997...

).
Office and commercial buildings (S. S. Kresge World Headquarters
S. S. Kresge World Headquarters
The Metropolitan Center for High Technology, formerly S. S. Kresge World Headquarters, is an office building located at 2727 2nd Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979. The office building is now...

, Architects Building
Architects Building
The Architects Building is an office building located at 415 Brainard Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.- History :...

, Detroit-Columbia Central Office Building
Detroit-Columbia Central Office Building
The Detroit-Columbia Central Office Building is a building located at 52 Selden in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Michigan Bell Telephone Exchange...

, Stuber-Stone Building
Stuber-Stone Building
The Stuber-Stone Building is located at 4221--4229 Cass Ave in Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1916 by developer David W. Simmons as an automobile dealership for Stuber-Stone & Company, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996....

, Graybar Electric Company Building
Graybar Electric Company Building
The Graybar Electric Company Building is located at 55 W. Canfield in Detroit, Michigan. This warehouse building was rented to the Graybar Electric Company from 1926 into the 1940s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997....

, Edwin S. George Building
Edwin S. George Building
The Edwin S. George Building, built in 1908, is located at 4612 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, at the corner of Woodward and Garfield. In 1914, the name was changed to the Garfield Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.- History :Edwin S. George was an...

, Cass Motor Sales
Cass Motor Sales
Cass Motor Sales is a commercial building located at 5800 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.- History :...

).
Public structures (Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall, Detroit
Orchestra Hall is a concert hall located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in midtown Detroit, Michigan. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra , the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States...

, Garden Bowl
Garden Bowl
The Garden Bowl is a bowling alley located at 4104-4120 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating bowling alley in the country. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.- History :...

, Majestic Theater
Majestic Theater (Detroit, Michigan)
The Majestic Theatre is a theatre located at 4126-4140 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008....

, Dunbar Hospital
Dunbar Hospital
Dunbar Hospital was the first hospital in Detroit, Michigan for the black community. It is located at 580 Frederick Street, and is currently the administrative headquarters of the Detroit Medical Society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.- Building construction...

).
Schools (The Clay School
The Clay School
The Clay Office and Conference Center is a renovated office complex formerly known as the Clay School. It is located at 453 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd in Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest school building in the city of Detroit...

, Sts. Peter and Paul Academy, Jefferson Intermediate School
Jefferson Intermediate School
Jefferson Intermediate School is a school building located at 938 Selden Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as Jefferson Junior High School or Jefferson School...

).
Clubs (Detroit Masonic Temple
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...

, Maccabees Building
Maccabees Building
The Maccabees Building is a historic building located in Midtown Detroit, at 5057 Woodward Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. and is currently owned by Wayne State University....

, Scarab Club
Scarab Club
The Scarab Club is an artists' club, gallery, and studio in the Cultural Center Historic District of Detroit, Michigan, located at 217 Farnsworth Street, near the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Science Center...

).
Utility buildings (Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station
Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station
The Willis Avenue Station is a steam heat production plant used in Detroit's district steam heating system. The plant is located at 50 W. Willis, near Woodward, in the center of the city's Midtown Detroit neighborhood...

).

1800 - 1870

The area that is now Midtown was first platted after the disastrous 1805 fire in Detroit, when the United States Congress authorized the platting of a new village at Detroit. Land titles were granted to settle remaining uncertainty over the ownership of some parcels, which was in part due to the then fairly recent departure of British colonial forces. During this platting, congress authorized the platting of land north of Detroit on both sides of the main thoroughfare, Woodward Avenue. These lots were known as the "Park Lots."

The section of Midtown to the west of the Park Lots is known as the "Cass Farm" area, after the name of one of the original ribbon farm

Ribbon farm

Ribbon farms are long, narrow land divisions, usually lined up along a waterway. In some instances, they line a road.-Description:...

s that ran north from the river through the area. The original Cass Farm ran between what is now Cass Avenue and Third Avenue. In 1816, Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...

purchased the ribbon farm. The property was gradually developed over the years, with the sections closest to the river being developed first. By the time Cass died in 1866, a few of the blocks north of Martin Luther King Boulevard had just been platted. Cass's children continued to plat the area after his death. Two more farms ran through Midtown west of Woodward< the Jones/Crane Farm, named for De Garmo Jones

De Garmo Jones

De Garmo Jones was a businessman, state senator, and mayor of Detroit.-Biography:De Garmo Jones was born in 1787 in Albany, New York; the first name of his father is unknown but, his mother was Rachel De Garmo, daughter of a prominent Albany family. He served as a sutler during the War of 1812,...

, onetime mayor of Detroit, which was located between what is now Third Avenue and the alley east of Fourth Street; and the Forsythe Farm, located between what is now Fourth Street and the Lodge Freeway.

To the east of the Park Lots, the ribbon farm running through the midtown area was originally owned by John Askin, an Irish trader. Askin's daughter Adelaide married Elijah Brush

Elijah Brush

Elijah Brush was a lawyer and politician from Detroit, Michigan.-Early life:Elijah Brush was born in Bennington, Vermont in approximately 1772, the son of Colonel Nathaniel Brish and Samantha Parker. Brush graduated from Dartmouth College and came to Detroit in 1798.Brush married Adelaide Askin ,...

, the scion of the well-known Brush family of Detroit; the farm passed on to the couple and eventually their son Edmund. Edmund Brush began subdividing the farm in the latter half of the 19th century.

Despite the early date of the platting of the Park Lots, development of the area was slow at first, as early 19th century growth in Detroit occurred primarily east and west of Woodward, along Fort Street

M-85 (Michigan highway)

M-85, also known as Fort Street or Fort Road for its entire length, is a state highway route in the U.S. state of Michigan.In Detroit proper, M-85 consists of West Fort street and South Fort street...

and Jefferson Avenue

Jefferson Avenue (Detroit)

Jefferson Avenue is a scenic road along the eastern part of the Detroit metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It travels alongside Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and Lake Saint Clair. This road also provides access to many recreational facilities in the area...

. Even into the 1840s, only a handful of buildings, presumably farm structures, were located in the area. The first east-west street in what is now Brush Park, in the southern section of Midtown, was not opened until 1852.

It wasn't until during the Civil War

American Civil War

, as the downtown district became more business-oriented, that northern Woodward Avenue began to be developed. Construction turned the area that is now Midtown into a primarily upscale, quiet residential district, far from the hustle of the city center. Urban development of the area accelerated in 1870, when the population of Detroit was nearly 80,000. Streetcar lines established in the 1860s allowed residents to more conveniently travel from the Midtown area to downtown.

1870 - 1910

The West Canfield Historic District

West Canfield Historic District

The West Canfield Historic District is a neighborhood historic district located primarily on Canfield Avenue between Second and Third Streets in Detroit, Michigan. A boundary increase enlarged the district to include buildings on Third Avenue between Canfield and Calumet...

, platted in 1871, was one of the first recorded subdivisions in the area. The district features large and expensive lots, and many prominent Detroiters settled on the block. A severe depression slowed development, but it picked up again in the late 1870s. The period from 1880-1895 brought a boom in the construction of elegant single-family and duplex homes in the Midtown area. The lots on Woodward were the most expensive and featured the most opulent homes; the lots immediately off the main street were soon filled with the homes of Detroit's upper class. School and religious buildings were also constructed in the area.

As Detroit grew, the demand for apartment housing also grew; beginning in 1895, the construction in the Cass Farm area began to focus more on small apartment buildings. This was particularly true in the last portion of the district to be developed, the section south of Warren between Cass and Third. Here a number of small-scale apartment buildings were constructed around the turn of the 20th century.

1910 - 1930

As the city continued to expand, the character of the neighborhood changed. Even before World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the congestion along Woodward precipitated a change from upper-class housing to commercial ventures. The rise of the automobile made more distant neighborhoods such as Boston-Edison and Indian Village easily accessible from the center of Detroit, and families of means moved out of the stately houses along Woodward and in Brush Park.

The construction of Orchestra Hall

Orchestra Hall, Detroit

Orchestra Hall is a concert hall located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in midtown Detroit, Michigan. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra , the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States...

heralded a City Beautiful movement that turned much of the area into public-oriented space; the idea of turning Midtown into a cultural mecca continued with the construction of the library and the DIA in the 1920s.

The rise of the automobile also changed the area. Midtown's proximity to the automotive plants in the Milwaukee Junction

Milwaukee Junction

Milwaukee Junction is an area in Detroit, Michigan with significant history related to the automobile industry. Located near the railroad junction of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and the Grand Trunk Western Railroad lines, the area encompassed the streets of E Grand Boulevard and Clay St....

area made it ideal for housing auto workers. During the 1910s and 1920s, larger apartment buildings were constructed in the area, and many remaining single-family homes were converted into boardinghouses. Commercial usage also increased in the area, particularly in automotive-related sectors: showrooms, service stations, and part supply businesses.

1930 - onward

The Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

heralded the beginning of a long decline for the Midtown area. Newly-constructed buildings fell into foreclosure, and many of the formerly well-paid auto workers living in the area were out of work. By the time the industrial recovery from World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

stimulated the economy, industry had relocated to the suburbs, and the economic recovery for the most part passed the area by.

During the Great Depression

Great Depression

, many of the old mansions were subdivided into apartments, and as demand for housing fell after World War II

World War II

, the homes were abandoned and fell into disrepair.

In the 1950s, widespread demolition of houses and businesses began, a practice that extended into the 1980s. Wayne State University

Wayne State University

also began to have more influence in the area, rehabilitating old buildings and building new ones in the northwestern section of the neighborhood. The current boundaries of Midtown were also delineated when the interstate freeways through Detroit were built, particularly the Chrysler Freeway

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 Chrysler followed the course of Hastings Street, the center of African-American life in Detroit at the time. To house displaced residents, the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects were built in the far west of the Midtown area, near the Chrysler and what once had been the thriving Hastings Street community.

As the focus shifted to urban rehabilitation in the 1990s, more structures in the area have been refurbished, by Wayne State, other public groups, and by private parties.

Midtown's apartment buildings are 94% occupied.

Colleges and universities

Wayne State University

is located in Midtown. The College for Creative Studies

College for Creative Studies

is also located in Midtown and is one of the top art schools in the country.

Primary and secondary schools

The area is zoned to Detroit Public Schools

Detroit Public Schools

Detroit Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The student population of the Detroit Public Schools is about 65,971 , which is down about 9.7% from the previous school year. Detroit Public Charter Schools educate an additional 56,000...

. At one time DPS had its headquarters in the Maccabees Building

Maccabees Building

The Maccabees Building is a historic building located in Midtown Detroit, at 5057 Woodward Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. and is currently owned by Wayne State University....

in Midtown. In 2002 the district paid the owner of the Fisher Building

Fisher Building

The Fisher Building is an ornate Art Deco skyscraper located on the corner of West Grand Boulevard and Second Avenue in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It is constructed of limestone, granite, and several types of marble, and was financed by the Fisher family with proceeds...

$24.1 million in so the district could occupy five floors in the building; the Fisher Building in the New Center

New Center, Detroit

area now serves as the DPS headquarters.

Schools in Midtown serving sections of Midtown for elementary school include Golightly K-8, Malcolm X K-8, and Spain K-8. Schools outside of Midtown that serve sections of Midtown for elementary school include Burton K-8 and Edmonson. Golightly K-8, Malcolm X K-8, Spain K-8, and Burton K-8 serve sections of Midtown for middle school. All residents are zoned to Martin Luther King High School

Martin Luther King High School (Michigan)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School is located at 3200 East Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan; the building is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. King's district encompasses Downtown and Midtown Detroit; it also includes the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, the Martin Luther...

.

Prior to its closure, Murray-Wright High School served Midtown Detroit. At one point in the first decade of the 21st century a portion of Midtown was served by Dewey PK-8 for elementary school, while a portion was served by Edmonson Elementary. Two separate portions of Midtown were served by Golightly K-8 and Spain PK-8 for elementary school. At one point in the first decade of the 21st century a portion of Midtown was served by Dewey PK-8 for middle school, while another section was served by Sherrard PK-8 for middle school; during that time Spain PK-8 served the rest of Midtown.

Public libraries

Detroit Public Library

operates the Main Library in Midtown. The current library facility opened on March 21, 1921. The extension wings of the facility opened on June 23, 1963.

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