The Park Avenue Historic District is a historic district located in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, along Park Avenue between Adams St. and I-75. The district includes the Women's City Club, the Detroit Building, and the Park Avenue House. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1996 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1997.

History

In the 1920s, Detroit's prestigious Grand Circus Park was crowded with buildings.Park Avenue Historic District
from the city of Detroit. 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 The Park Avenue Building is a 12-story beaux-arts high-rise located at 2001–2017 Park Avenue in the Grand Circus Park Historic District The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan th ...

, located at the entrance to Park Avenue (but included in the neighboring

Grand Circus Park Historic District The Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park in Downtown Detroit, Michigan that connects the theatre district with its financial district. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, a ...

). 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.Park Avenue Historic District
from the state of Michigan. 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 The Colony Club is a women-only private social club in New York City. Founded in 1903 by Florence Jaffray Harriman, wife of J. Borden Harriman, as the first social club established in New York City by and for women, it was modeled on similar ...

, 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, 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 Theatre and other nearby venues (including

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...

) has led to increased redevelopment in the 2000s. The Iodent Building has been redeveloped into lofts, the Colony Club has been refurbished, and two new entertainment venues, Cliff Bell's and the Park Bar, have opened.Kelli B. Kavanaugh
"Detroit Life Building to join ranks of Park Ave.'s resurgence," ModelD, January 22, 2008. The district was listed on the state register of historic places in 1996, and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Historic structures

The Park Avenue Historic District contains thirteen buildings. Two of these (the Women's City Club and the Park Avenue House) are separately listed on the National Register. Two additional buildings on either side of Park Avenue at West Adams (the

and the

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 ...

), are located within the

, and thus not included in this district.

References

External links

The Park Avenue HouseThe Town Pump TavernColony ClubIodent LoftsCliff Bell'sPark Bar
{{Architecture of metropolitan Detroit Downtown Detroit Historic districts in Detroit Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan Neighborhoods in Detroit