Sights and Scenes: Downtown Detroit
Sights and scenes from a historic central business district in the midst of a historic rise back to prominence: Detroit
The $78.8 million, 288 unit City Club Apartments was completed in 2019.
One of five principal avenues of the city, Woodward Avenue is known as “Detroit’s Main Street”.
The QLine is a privately operated 3.3-mile modern streetcar line that opened on May 12, 2017. Connecting downtown with Midtown and New Center, the fixed transit system averaged 3,700 riders a day during its first year of operation.
A 680-foot tall tower is being erected on the site of the long demolished former J.L. Hudson department store. When completed in 2024, the skyscraper will contain 150 residential units, 200-plus hotel rooms, 400,000 square feet of office space, 18,000 square feet of retail space and a 1,200 person event space.
The $150 million, nine-story, 235,000-square-foot Little Caesars World Headquarters building.
The 5,048 seat Fox Theatre opened in 1928 as the flagship of the Fox Theatres chain. Anchoring the Grand Circus Park Historic District, the theatre is a National Historic Landmark and the city’s largest.
Comerica Park serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team. It was completed in 2000.
Opened on September 5, 2017, the $862.9 million Little Caesars Arena is the new home of the Detroit Red Wings (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons (NBA). It is the anchor of a new $2.1 billion sports and entertainment that will include mixed-use neighborhoods with new residential and retail between Downtown and Midtown Detroit.
Built in 1929, the 40-story Guardian Building serves as the headquarters for Wayne County, Michigan.
The 619-foot tall Ally Detroit Center was the tallest building completed in downtown during the 1990s. Formerly the headquarters of Comerica Bank, the 43-story structure is the current headquarters of Ally Financial.
The Woodward Avenue Esplanade is a public park in the median of Woodward Avenue that opened in 2017. It is the result of a $400,000 investment by Quicken Loans, Inc. to convert the median of Woodward into a gathering place that includes sidewalks, public art installations, seating and other interactive amenities.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com