The Willis-Selden Historic District is a historic district

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"....

, consisting of three streets: Willis, Alexandrine, and Selden, Running from Woodward Avenue on the east to Third Avenue on the west. 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 1997.

History

The land forming the Willis-Selden Historic District was originally the Park Lots, the Cass Farm, and the
Jones/Crane Farm. These parcels were subdivided in the late 1800s. Due in part to the growth of Detroit during the 1860s and generous lot sizes, the Willis-Selden District became a popular area for development, particularly for the relatively wealthy professional class.

In the early twentieth century, the district became home to auto industry suppliers , once again due to its location
and large lots. Forty-one percent of commercial buildings in the district built between 1910 and 1930 were auto-related. In addition, large, high-density apartments were constructed to meet the demands of the huge influx of auto workers into Detroit. However, 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...

 had a marked impact on the industry and on the Willis-Selden Historic District, sending it into decline.

Buildings

Of the buildings located within the district, a number a historically significant in their own right. These include:

• 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...
  
   (52 Selden)
• 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...
  
   (3901 Cass Avenue, at Selden)
• 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...
  
   (3751-73 Second Avenue, at Selden)
• 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....
  
   (4221-4229 Cass Avenue, at Willis)
• 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...
  
  (50 W. Willis)