The West Vernor–Springwells Historic District is a six block long commercial historic district located along West Vernor Highway between Honorah and Norman in

Detroit 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 t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. The district includes and 28 buildings.MICHIGAN - Wayne County - Historic Districts
from www.NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.com It was 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 2002.

History

In the late 19th century, the area around this historic district was a small farming community. However, as Detroit expanded and industry moved into the area in the late 1880s, the farms began to be subdivided. Shortly thereafter, a few frame commercial buildings were erected along what is now Vernor Highway. In the 1910s and 1920s, the neighborhood grew rapidly as a result of the construction of the nearby Ford River Rouge Complex. At that time, a substantial number of brick commercial buildings were constructed along Vernor. In 1915, in response to the growing population of primarily German immigrants, the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...

established St. Gabriel's Church (located at Vernor and Norman). The Vernor/Springwells commercial district continued to grow through the 1920s and into the 1930s. In the 1950s, African Americans began moving into the neighborhood, and the 1980s saw an influx of Hispanic residents.

Description

The West Vernor–Springwells Historic District spans six blocks along West Vernor, centered on the West Vernor/Springwells intersection, but also containing the West Vernor/Central Avenue intersection. The district contains a high concentration of early twentieth century two-story commercial buildings. Some of these buildings are quite long, containing four to six storefronts apiece. The most visually striking structure is the former Rio theatre, designed by architect Cyril Edward Schley, at the northwest corner of West Vernor and Central Avenue The district also the St. Gabriel's Church parish complex. This complex contains a 1916 Italian Renaissance style rectory, the original 1918

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

church designed by Oscar C. Gottesleben, which was later converted into the parish school, and the 1953 St. Gabriel Church designed by Diehl and Diehl. The church still serves Catholic parishioners in the neighborhood. The school operated as a Catholic school until the early 1990s, and in 1996 reopened as the Caesar CHavez Academy.

References

External links

Caesar Chavez AcademySt. Gabriel Catholic Church
Historic districts in Detroit National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Neighborhoods in Detroit Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan {{Michigan-NRHP-stub

History

Description

See also

References

External links