.gif)
Park Avenue Historic District (Detroit, Michigan)
Encyclopedia
The Park Avenue Historic District is a historic district
located in Detroit, Michigan
, along Park Avenue between Adams St. and I-75. The district includes the Women's City Club
, the Detroit Building
, the Park Avenue House, and the Kales Building
. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1996 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1997.
In the 1920s, Detroit's prestigious Grand Circus Park was crowded with buildings. The automotive boom in the city increased the pressure for office space, and development began to spill north from Grand Circus Park up Park Avenue. In 1922, Albert Kahn designed the Park Avenue Building, sited at the corner of Adams and Park Avenue. The Kales Building
, a previous Kahn design, stood on the other side of Park Avenue, giving the street two prestigious buildings at its southern gateway. Other architects and artisans contributed hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings to the structures on Park Avenue.
In 1923, the Park Avenue Association was formed. They planned the street to concentrate high-grade commercial and office space at the south end, and prestigious residential development at the north end. As the district developed, Detroiters consciously perceived it as their city's version of New York City's Fifth Avenue.
Also on Park Avenue was Women's City Club
and the Detroit chapter of the Colony Club
, both critical in providing women with social and work activities and supporting women's suffrage.
The area was used decreasingly during the Great Depression
, but saw a resurgence after World War II
, with a mix of social groups and multiple restaurant and entertainment venues. At the same time, an industrial character was added to the district when the Iodent Chemical Company began manufacturing toothpaste in a building along Park Avenue. The proximity of the Fox Theater and other nearby venues (including Comerica Park
) has led to increased redevelopment in the 2000s. The Kales Building and the Iodent Building have been redeveloped into lofts, the Colony Club has been refurbished, and two new entertainment venues, Cliff Bell's and the Park Bar, have opened.
The district was listed on the state register of historic places in 1996, and on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1997.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
located in Detroit, 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"....
, along Park Avenue between Adams St. and I-75. The district includes the Women's City Club
Women's City Club
The Women's City Club is a women's club located at 2110 Park Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, within the Park Avenue Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979.- History :...
, the Detroit Building
Detroit Building
The Detroit Building is a high-rise office building located in downtown Detroit, Michigan at 2210 Park Avenue, in the Park Avenue Historic District, in the Foxtown neighbourhood. The building was constructed in 1923, and stands at 10 floors in height. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts...
, the Park Avenue House, and the 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...
. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1996 and 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 1997.
History
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...
, a previous Kahn design, stood on the other side of Park Avenue, giving the street two prestigious buildings at its southern gateway. Other architects and artisans contributed hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings to the structures on Park Avenue.
In 1923, the Park Avenue Association was formed. They planned the street to concentrate high-grade commercial and office space at the south end, and prestigious residential development at the north end. As the district developed, Detroiters consciously perceived it as their city's version of New York City's Fifth Avenue.
Also on Park Avenue was Women's City Club
Women's City Club
The Women's City Club is a women's club located at 2110 Park Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, within the Park Avenue Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979.- History :...
and the Detroit chapter of the Colony Club
Colony Club
The Colony Club is a private social club in New York City. Founded in 1903 by Florence Jaffray Harriman, wife of J. Borden Harriman, and modeled on similar clubs for men, it was the first social club established in New York City by and for women, although today male members are admitted.- History...
, both critical in providing women with social and work activities and supporting women's suffrage.
The area was used decreasingly during 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...
, but saw a resurgence after 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...
, with a mix of social groups and multiple restaurant and entertainment venues. At the same time, an industrial character was added to the district when the Iodent Chemical Company began manufacturing toothpaste in a building along Park Avenue. The proximity of the Fox Theater and other nearby venues (including 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....
) has led to increased redevelopment in the 2000s. The Kales Building and the Iodent Building have been redeveloped into lofts, the Colony Club has been refurbished, and two new entertainment venues, Cliff Bell's and the Park Bar, have opened.
The district was listed on the state register of historic places in 1996, and 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 1997.
External links
- The Park Avenue House
- The Town Pump Tavern
- Kales Building
- Colony Club
- Iodent Lofts
- Cliff Bell's
- Park Bar