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    Detroit's New Center
    Detroit's New Center
    Detroit's New Center
    Ebook204 pages52 minutes

    Detroit's New Center

    By Randall Fogelman

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    About this ebook

    The northern anchor of Detroit's greater downtown, New Center is a diverse and vibrant neighborhood that offers shopping, entertainment, and dining among landmark architecture, historic districts, and contemporary homes and businesses.


    Shortly after General Motors built their headquarters three miles north of downtown, the Fisher Brothers conceived the idea of a "new center" and proceeded to construct the landmark Fisher and New Center Buildings. From this initial activity in the 1920s sprung a new commercial district, a new neighborhood, and a New Center for the City of Detroit. Detroit's New Center takes readers on a journey from New Center's origins as a planned business district to its current life as a thriving area where Detroiters live, work, and play.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJun 9, 2004
    ISBN9781439614938
    Detroit's New Center
    Author

    Randall Fogelman

    Author Randall Fogelman is the Marketing Director for New Center Council, Inc., a non-profit business organization dedicated to the development and management of New Center. Fogelman holds degrees in art history and urban planning and is also the owner of the Detroit Spice Co., a product line that reflects Detroit's rich ethnic heritage.

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      Book preview

      Detroit's New Center - Randall Fogelman

      author.

      INTRODUCTION

      Detroit’s New Center is a vibrant, diverse, and economically healthy district and the northern anchor of Detroit’s Greater Downtown. The area is bounded by Virginia Park to the north, the Ford Freeway to the south, John R. to the east, and the Lodge Freeway to the west. What has grown into a wonderful neighborhood over the past 80 years began as the dream of a few visionaries and local businessmen. People like W.C. Durant, the Fisher brothers, and Albert Kahn built their dreams at what was, in the late 1910s, the outskirts of Detroit, and created a new center for the city. Although New Center has faced similar challenges to the rest of Detroit, it has weathered them with grace and is emerging again as one of the city’s premier districts. This book is meant to chronicle New Center’s proud history, its curent growth, and its bright future.

      In the early 1920s, Detroit’s automobile production began to boom. The industry was on the move, and the automobile was fast becoming the vehicle that would transform Detroit from a small industrial town to the automotive capital of the world and a true industrial powerhouse. This rapid economic growth created a shortage of land in downtown Detroit suitable to build a headquarters for a rapidly growing General Motors. When W.C. Durant concluded his search for the appropriate parcel on which to build his dream headquarters (originally to be known as the Durant Building), he settled for a spot on West Grand Boulevard, just one block west of Woodward Avenue. Here, Durant would build the largest office building of its day.

      The Fisher brothers followed Durant to the area. When planning for their new office building, they, too were kept confronted by the same crowded conditions that GM had found in the downtown business district. They decided on a spot across from the Durant Building. One could speculate that the Fisher brothers selected the location for their building because they saw in the area an opportunity to create something new, leave a lasting impact, and build their dream of a new center of commerce in Detroit.

      The brothers began with an almost blank slate. They were not confined to the plans and building styles developed in earlier times which filled the existing downtown. In New Center, they could create their vision of what a downtown could be. The area offered a unique opportunity for the Fisher brothers and in New Center they proceeded to turn their dreams into reality.

      When the Fisher Building was completed, the brothers built the New Center Building. Owing to financial restrictions during the Great Depression, World War II, and the Korean War, plans for additional buildings were suspended. Fortunately, others stepped up and created substantial commercial and residential additions to the neighborhood, building on the contributions by the Fisher brothers, but none more so than General Motors.

      For over 70 years, New Center served as the corporate campus for GM. GM was an exemplary corporate citizen and caretaker of New Center. The company built buildings, renovated historic homes, and funded organizations dedicated to the betterment of New Center. When GM decided to move their world headquarters to the Renaissance Center in the mid-1990s, a grand era came to an end. As this book is being written, a new era is underway.

      General Motors could be considered the proud parent of New Center—under its watchful eye, New Center grew up. By laying the ground work, investing in the future, and providing the tools necessary for continued growth and stability, GM raised New Center from infancy to young adulthood. Now all grown up, New Center is ready to go it alone. The rich history of New Center, which reflects the investment of and nurturing by GM, the Fisher brothers, and others, should never be forgotten—and, in fact, this history is the foundation for most people currently engaged in creating a new life for this unique district.

      Looking after this special neighborhood and serving as official caretakers since 1967 is the New Center Council. New Center Council, Inc. (NCC) is the proactive leadership organization for New Center, engaging its Board of Directors, civic and community leaders, and government officials in initiatives that keep this one of the region’s finest office, retail, and residential centers. The Board of Directors of New Center Council consists of stakeholders in New Center—including area businesses, non-profit, and health care leaders, community activists, retail store owners, building owners, homeowners, and others concerned with the general welfare of this special district. This is the group that will carry on the strong tradition of excellence in New Center.

      New Center is a neighborhood rich in tradition. It is home to established businesses such as Detroit Hardware, WJR, and Dittrich Furs, and new businesses like Cuisine, Pure Detroit, and Biz-R Collection. New Center is new lofts in old buildings and old homes next to new townhomes. New Center is old friends living next to new friends, coming together for the common purpose of making this the best neighborhood in Detroit.

      In New Center, we are greatly indebted to the district’s creators for leaving such an unmatched architectural legacy to build upon. They created landmark buildings that could not be replicated today at any cost. They also created an ethic of pride in the neighborhood’s well-being. This reverence for the past, combined

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